# Stupid Santorumisms **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 20, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417 "2012-02-20T14:10:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/61 "2012-02-21T18:02:09Z")
Santorum may have shot himself in the foot in Michigan: The story for the last week and a half is “OMG Romney is losing to Santorum in his home state, Michigan! How inexplicable, given that his dad was Governor here.” Well, that was 50 years ago. Anybody who voted for George as governor is over 70 now. The majority of the electorate doesn’t know him except from history books. When you look at Mitt Romney’s statements over the last couple of years, it’s really not that surprising that he’s now in some trouble. “Let Detroit go bankrupt” was not a popular stance to take at the time, and now, with GM posting record profits, his attempts at retconning his position that he had a plan for a “managed bankruptcy” that would have worked so much better are sounding more than a bit hollow. This has been in the news for a while; to be perfectly clear, it’s not a secret that his statements are working against him. So what does Santorum do? He could keep his mouth shut till after next Tuesday and rake in the disgruntled auto workers’ spite-votes against Romney, but nooo. He chimes in to remind people that [he, too, opposed the auto bailout](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/post/santorum-says-his-position-on-auto-bailout-more-consistent-than-romneys/2012/02/16/gIQADeiBIR_blog.html). This is a position that is visibly hurting Romney in Michigan, and Santorum jumps in and says “Me too! But even more so!” :smack: Now, to be fair, he’s said a lot of other unpopular things in the last few days so it’s hard to say this position is exactly what has hurt him, but the fact is that after being up as much as 15% over Romney in Michigan polls in the last week, he’s back to being in a statistical tie. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/62 "2012-02-21T18:04:10Z")
Are the trees in Pennsylvania all the right height? ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/63 "2012-02-21T18:11:48Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > Are the trees in Pennsylvania all the right height? I saw a vague reference to this somewhere else. What is it about? ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/64 "2012-02-21T18:16:43Z")
[Right Height Trees](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHaMqHh5NZ4) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/65 "2012-02-21T18:28:05Z")
(slightly off-topic) Santorum disgusts me on many levels (not to mention those who support him), but I need to give credit where credit is due. [This is a funny story](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb4x9MLxXzk&feature=player_embedded) Santorum told about campaigning several years ago: > [@](#): > > And I knocked on the door and this little elderly lady comes to the door. … And so, I had my little brochure. I knocked on the door. She came to the door. She had a little dog that was barking. And I said, ‘Hi, I’m Rick Santorum. I’m running for Congress.’ … She looked at me and goes, ‘Oh, you look so hot.’ She goes, ‘Why don’t you come in for a glass of water?’ > > So I went in and sat down. And the dog is running around, barking. And she goes in and gets her glass of water, and I sit down and I come back. And she hands me the glass of water. And the dog jumps up and hops in my lap. > > Okay, fine. So, I had the dog. I had a sip or two of water. We chatted. And the next thing I know, there is a warm sensation on my lap. > > And I jump up, and on my tan pants is a huge wet spot where you don’t want a huge wet spot. So, I jumped up to look at it, and she was aghast. She reached for my pants and said, ‘Let me dry that off.’ > > I backed away and said, ‘No, that’ll be fine.’ She goes, ‘Let me get a hairdryer.’ Heaven forbid! And I said, ‘No, thank you very much.’ I start to move out the door and she goes, ‘Well, take your pants off. I’ll put them in the dryer.’ That was the last I heard from her, because I was out the door. > > So now I’m walking down the sidewalk, get to the end of the sidewalk. I’m two hours into my walk. I’m a mile, at least, from where my car is. There’s still lots of daylight left. What do you do? > > Undeterred, I soldiered on. … So, I looked at my sheet, and I say, ‘Well, who’s the next door?’ Well, the next door is a name I recognize. Anybody remember the closer for the 1979 World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates? Kent Tekulve, correct. That’s Kent Tekulve’s house, next door! What’s the chance he’s going to be home?” > > So, I go striding up confidently to the door, knowing full well he’s not home. And I gently knock on the door. So I wait, oh, three or four seconds, and I start writing my note: ‘Sorry I missed you, Mr. Tekulve.’ I’m about to put it in the door. > > And the door opens. And there stands between me and the screen door – the screen door’s between me and him – Kent Tekulve. > > And I take my brochure, I get closer to the door – although the bottom part of the screen door covers what needed to be covered. And I said, ‘Hi, Mr. Tekulve. I’m Rick Santorum, I’m running for Congress.’ And I go to open the door to slip it around, and he pushes the door open, as I back up. And he [takes a long look at my pants]. > > And he looks back up at me. And I say to him, ‘Mr. Tekulve, I’m so excited to meet you.’ ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/66 "2012-02-21T18:41:37Z")
They really are [doing it on purpose](http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=245894) now, aren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/67 "2012-02-21T19:11:16Z")
re: The Crusades comment, I’d bet that the source ( assuming Santorum has any source ) is historian Thomas Madden, who is both a political conservative and strong proponent of the idea that the Crusades were a direct defense against an aggressive threat. Madden is a perfectly legitimate historian and his thesis is not in indefensible in some respects. However certain of his opinions on this particular issue I would not consider a consensus view in the academic community. There was a discussion about this topic in a thread a few years ago - [here](http://boardstest.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=428526). ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/68 "2012-02-21T19:23:26Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > [Right Height Trees](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHaMqHh5NZ4) I watch that clip and my first thought is, “I like that boulder. That is a _nice_ boulder.” ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/69 "2012-02-21T20:54:38Z")
Apparently Mr. Rick’s Hitler comparisons go back a while… [http://www.alan.com/2012/02/20/santorum-compared-democrats-to-hitler-in-2005/](http://www.alan.com/2012/02/20/santorum-compared-democrats-to-hitler-in-2005/) ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/70 "2012-02-21T20:59:34Z")
After comparing Obama to Hitler, Santorum denies comparing Obama to Hitler. > **[Santorum Denies Comparing Obama To Hitler](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rick-santorum-obama-hitler-wwii_n_1290651)** > > Santorum Denies Comparing Obama To Hitler Glad he cleared that up. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/71 "2012-02-21T21:03:51Z")
Rick Santorum now has people longing for the clear logic of Sarah Palin: > **[Happy end of the world: Top 15 Anti-Nuke Films - Digby's Hullabaloo](https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/verdict-yeah-hes-little-bit-crazy-but.html)** > > “The atomic bomb made the prospect of future war unendurable. It has led us up those last few steps to the mountain pass; and beyond there is a different country.” > > > > \-J. Robert Oppenheimer > > > > Hiroshima, following the 1945 nuclear bombing that killed... Yes, he wants environmental regulation to be handled at the local and state level. Apparently this would invole building gigantic domes over these municipalities to prevent air and water pollution from impacting any other state or city. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/72 "2012-02-21T21:05:42Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > They really are [doing it on purpose](http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=245894) now, aren’t they? “Santorum blasts Obama”? “Cumming rally”? “Overflow audience”? Heh-heh, heh-heh, heh-heh… ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/73 "2012-02-21T21:28:19Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > “Santorum blasts Obama”? “Cumming rally”? “Overflow audience”? > > Heh-heh, heh-heh, heh-heh… If they had managed to work the fact that it took place in a church into the headline, it would have pegged the Awesometer. That’s pronounced aw-SOM-itter. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/74 "2012-02-21T22:33:35Z")
> [@](#): > > …Woodstock is the great American orgy. This is who the Democratic Party has become. They have become the party of Woodstock… [http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/02/21/429606/santorum-the-democratic-party-is-about-homosexuality/](http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/02/21/429606/santorum-the-democratic-party-is-about-homosexuality/) Groovy! ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/75 "2012-02-21T22:38:28Z")
From **luci** ’s article: [QUOTE=Santorum] It’s about sexual freedom. That’s what it’s about. Homosexuality. It’s about sexual freedom. [/quote] Was this uttered like he was acknowledging that sexual freedom leads to gayness, and he didn’t realize he was outing his unspoken urges? Is he another Republican repressed gay man? Or did he say it with a different inflection? ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/76 "2012-02-21T22:39:31Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > From the Philadelphia Enquirer Dec 17 2009 > > Why? Well, maybe because Americans don’t like being told what to believe. Maybe because we have learned to be skeptical of “scientific” claims, particularly those at war with our common sense - like the Darwinists’ telling us for decades that we are just a slightly higher form of life than a bacterium that is here purely by chance, or the Environmental Protection Agency’s informing us last week that man-made carbon dioxide - a gas that humans exhale and plants need to live, a gas that represents less than 0.1 percent of the atmosphere - is a dangerous pollutant threatening to overheat the world. Being stupid should not be an American value. I know that must be hard for you to accept, in that it’s so close to your heart, but it’s true. You are correct that some (dumb) Americans don’t like “being told what to believe” (aka “learning”), but that isn’t anything to be proud of. In truth, it’s a shameful thing that one of our political parties panders to ignorance and elevates it to a virtue. Hopefully it’s only a passing fad, and soon Republicans will again come to regard willful stupidity as the drain on our country that it is, but if they don’t, their own weakness will inevitably cause their downfall. We now live in a global marketplace, and competition is stiff. America hobbles itself by refusing to acknowledge facts like evolution and global warming. We can either reject the idiocy or fall behind. People like you, intent on making our country as backwards and thick headed as possible, are destroying the United States. You are not a patriot. You are a moron. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/77 "2012-02-21T22:54:15Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > [http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/02/21/429606/santorum-the-democratic-party-is-about-homosexuality/](http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/02/21/429606/santorum-the-democratic-party-is-about-homosexuality/) > Groovy! Time and time again, he’s showing himself to be so far out of touch with mainstream American culture that he keeps making references to things America as a whole LIKES and considers GOOD THINGS as if they’re negatives. Sex, contraception, college education, the auto bailout, prenatal testing, green energy, the right to privacy, and now Woodstock? ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/78 "2012-02-21T23:00:32Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > People like you, intent on making our country as backwards and thick headed as possible, are destroying the United States. You are not a patriot. You are a moron. That excellent diatribe was directed at Riicky, right? Ann needed those quotes around Santorum’s frothing being in such close proximity. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/79 "2012-02-21T23:01:09Z")
Now, Universe, I know I haven’t been a very good pantheist, but if you arrange things so Ricky Retardo comes out against the musical _Hair_, I’d take it for a Sign… ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417/80 "2012-02-21T23:09:08Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > That excellent diatribe was directed at Riicky, right? Ann needed those quotes around Santorum’s frothing being in such close proximity. Oh blerg, now who looks stupid? 😛 Sorry, **Ann** I misread your post. That absolutely should be directed at the person who made that statement, in this case, Rick Santorum. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-santorumisms/613417.md?page=5)