# When you google "Santorum" **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 15, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596 "2012-01-15T14:32:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/1 "2012-01-15T14:32:40Z")
[This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=637757&highlight=santorum) was closed rather than moved. Let’s debate some of the questions raised in it… Why are the conservatives so blissfully ignorant of the story behind it. If something comparable had been done to Obama ("Kenyan dick sucker’ was mentioned) I believe the media wold be outraged and everyone in the world would know about it. How does Google work? Could they do something about it if they wanted to? Haven’t they been known to influence search results. I seem to recall that during the Obamacare debates they steered searches toward the Obama position. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/2 "2012-01-15T14:53:42Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Why are the conservatives so blissfully ignorant of the story behind it. Are they? > [@](#): > > If something comparable had been done to Obama ("Kenyan dick sucker’ was mentioned) I believe the media wold be outraged and everyone in the world would know about it. Obama is a more prominent figure then Santorum, so I’m sure googlebombing him would get more media attention. But it also probably makes it impossible to do, since the bigger someones web presence is, the harder it is to googlebomb them. Obama probably has more websites talking about him then any living human being on the planet (well, he’s probably outmatched by some Chinese pop-star that I’ve never heard of, but more then any American human being on the planet, anyways), so he’s well protected from the technique (Google has also spent a lot of time in the last few years making their search results harder to manipulate, so I’m not sure it would work even on Santorum if it were tried today). ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/3 "2012-01-15T14:59:03Z")
I’d oppose Kenyan Dick Sucker because while Obama is of Kenyan heritage, he isn’t from Kenya and there is no evidence he sucks dicks. Santorum however, appears to be primarily composed of feces, lube and semen. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/4 "2012-01-15T17:27:38Z")
> [@First Kyoto, now this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-kyoto-now-this/73922/2): > > Why are the conservatives so blissfully ignorant of the story behind it. If something comparable had been done to Obama ("Kenyan dick sucker’ was mentioned) I believe the media wold be outraged and everyone in the world would know about it. I’m well aware of the story. What exactly do you expect me to do about it? Whine here on the Dope? if anything, it makes me more likely to support Santorum, since if you can’t argue except with nonsense like that, you’re clearly losing. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/5 "2012-01-15T17:36:10Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > I’m well aware of the story. What exactly do you expect me to do about it? Whine here on the Dope? if anything, it makes me more likely to support Santorum, since if you can’t argue except with nonsense like that, you’re clearly losing. The Dan Savage thing was in 2004. In 2006, Rick Santorum lost his purple state senate seat _by the largest margin ever_ for an incumbent Republican Senator. I’m not sure his opponents were quite as clearly losing as you seem to think. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/6 "2012-01-15T17:36:32Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > I’m well aware of the story. What exactly do you expect me to do about it? Whine here on the Dope? if anything, it makes me more likely to support Santorum, since if you can’t argue except with nonsense like that, you’re clearly losing. Uh, you think the Santorum Google problem is the only thing against him? He’s a creationist that wants to outlaw birth control. Dude’s as big a crank as Ron Paul, only from a different direction. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/7 "2012-01-15T17:37:39Z")
I think conservatives try to ignore it, to their detriment ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/8 "2012-01-15T17:37:42Z")
Wait a tic. If people make stupid remarks about a shit-for-brains reactionary knucklehead, then he becomes _less_ of a shit-for-brains reactionary knucklehead? ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/9 "2012-01-15T17:39:22Z")
Has anyone messed with his Wiki entry? ETA: Whew, lot of activity in just the past 12 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/10 "2012-01-15T17:45:03Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Why are the conservatives so blissfully ignorant of the story behind it. I don’t know that they’re ignorant of the story. If they are, it’s probably because it happened seven years ago. It was a fairly big deal at the time, but he’s been out of office for a while and that’s a lot of time for people to forget. For whatever it’s worth I think Santorum got what he deserved, and it was funny. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/11 "2012-01-15T17:51:07Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > I’d oppose Kenyan Dick Sucker because while Obama is of Kenyan heritage, he isn’t from Kenya and there is no evidence he sucks dicks. > > Santorum however, appears to be primarily composed of feces, lube and semen. Don’t forget frothy. The frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/12 "2012-01-15T17:57:09Z")
I honestly didn’t know the source of the “other meaning” and that’s why I asked about it in GQ. I had seen the posts snickering about it, and just assumed that it had some sort of double entendre in the Greek language, or was mistranslated, or something (similar to an English surname like Glasscock). I had no idea that it was a political enemy just making something up and that’s why I agree with the OP in that it has no legitimacy at all. Let’s take Biden. Imagine Rush Limbaugh decides on his radio show that a “biden” is something obscene, has it google bombed, and every time someone here posts about the VP, conservatives follow up with snicker posts about it. My point is that the insult, taunt, or whatever, is illegitimate. You can’t make up the insult and then use it. I hereby declare that the name Der Tris means “Christian Missionary” and in every thread that he rails against religion, I am going to follow each of his posts with, “That’s pretty ridiculous coming from a der tris! Yuk, yuk!” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/13 "2012-01-15T18:03:12Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I had no idea that it was a political enemy just making something up and that’s why I agree with the OP in that it has no legitimacy at all. What do you mean by “legitimacy?” Santorum said something disgusting and horrible, and people who were offended by his statement made a joke out of it. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/14 "2012-01-15T18:08:25Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > What do you mean by “legitimacy?” Santorum said something disgusting and horrible, and people who were offended by his statement made a joke out of it. I mean the word “santorum” does NOT mean a frothy mixture of feces and lube. I don’t care if Dan Savage, Rush Limbaugh, or Alan Colmes all say it does. It’s not a proper way to insult someone. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/15 "2012-01-15T18:10:27Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I mean the word “santorum” does NOT mean a frothy mixture of feces and lube. I think that’s a matter for lexicographers, but it looks like it does now. > [@](#): > > It’s not a proper way to insult someone. Again, you’re not explaining yourself. What’s improper about it? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/16 "2012-01-15T18:10:33Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > My point is that the insult, taunt, or whatever, is illegitimate. You can’t make up the insult and then use it. Well, obviously Dan Savage can. But the point of the exercise was to draw attention to what Santorum said, and to demonstrate the fact that enough people were upset about it to put a decent amount of work into insulting Santroum back in a creative and (IMHO anyways) pretty amusing way. This seems to have been successful. So it succeded in what it was supposed to do. I’m not sure “legitimacy” really enters into the equation anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/17 "2012-01-15T18:13:47Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > My point is that the insult, taunt, or whatever, is illegitimate. You can’t make up the insult and then use it. Of course you can. Who says you can’t? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/18 "2012-01-15T18:15:50Z")
Its not exactly without precedent either. Allied newspapers during WWII started using “Quisling” as a word for a traitor or collaborator while Vidkun Quisling was still alive and active. I’d imagine Dopers can think of other examples. Obviously they had to make do without Google-bombs in those days, but the word is still in active use as an insult. I don’t think anyone questions its “legitimacy” ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/19 "2012-01-15T18:17:29Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I mean the word “santorum” does NOT mean a frothy mixture of feces and lube. It does now. Chauvinist came from a person’s names as well, is that not a valid term? How about curie, angstrom, ampere, volt, algorithm? If someone said that being intimate with _your_ loved one was the same as having sex with a dog would you be OK with it? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596/20 "2012-01-15T18:18:38Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > My point is that the insult, taunt, or whatever, is illegitimate. You can’t make up the insult and then use it. I hereby declare that the name Der Tris means “Christian Missionary” and in every thread that he rails against religion, I am going to follow each of his posts with, “That’s pretty ridiculous coming from a der tris! Yuk, yuk!” Yeah, good luck with that. I suggest you spell his username correctly if you want success on Google, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-google-santorum/609596.md?page=2)