Santorum and Good v.s. Evil

When I was 13 years old, my Canadian grandmother told me something or other about “the Debbil”,  and I laughed in her face. See, at 13 years old  – I knew everything. There is no literal Satan, for cripes sake. Grammy’s gone senile. Sheesh.

It’s been said that  “the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” Well, all these years later, this girl believes he exists. I don’t laugh at the idea of a Devil,  any more than I laugh at the idea of Jesus. And no, I’m not going to go tell you all about  the spiritual journey that led me to this conclusion – that’s my business –  but trust me, it’s not just a simple minded faith, and  it’s not the faith I’ve come to just because it happens to be what I was brought up to believe. The road has been lush and full of life in places,  rough and dry in others,  but  I know there’s a God. I know there’s a Devil. Know.

God is Love, and the Devil is pure hatred and lies. Good v.s Evil. I believe in it. And I believe that the match-up between Rick Santorum and Barack Obama is about as stark a contrast between good v.s. evil that we’re likely to see this election cycle.  Obama’s governed by malice and  seems hellbent on knocking this country down a few pegs. If we don’t win in 2012 – it’s over for us.

I don’t know about Romney – he seems like a decent family guy, but  his flip flops make it hard to know what he really believes. Conservatism seems like a second language to him. His scorched earth campaign is making enemies and burning bridges – (Did his campaign really pay hacks to take down hundreds of Santorum signs at a Michigan event?!) He doesn’t connect with conservatives – maybe he doesn’t trust us any more than we trust him.

Newt Gingrich is a different sort of animal. He knows the language, alright. He’s either the most brilliant, cynical and manipulative phoney who’s ever come down the pike, or he really is a reformed Christian conservative, like he says he is. We all know Newt’s a great debater, but how much of it is heart-felt and how much is boob-bait for the Bubbas? I always wonder with Gingrich, although I want to believe him.

I don’t wonder with Santorum. I get him. He’s a smart, solid, conservative with the depth, experience, and gravitas necessary to hold the highest office in the land. When he says that the ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ clause in the Declaration of Independence, doesn’t mean a hedonistic pursuit of “stuff”, he’s speaking to my Catholic heart about the evils of crass materialism – something all too rampant in our society, and something every thoughtful parent frets about when witnessing the selfish, stupid, shallow, and crude pop culture influencing his/her children.

I understand him when he talks about good and evil – so do millions of other Americans. Maybe, to sophisticated elites  (not only on the coasts, but everywhere, including our smallest towns), the reaction is more like my 13 year old self. (LOL – who still believes in that shite)… But nobody can honestly make the case that Rick Santorum wants to start a theocracy. Nobody can make the case that he wants to ban contraception. Nobody can make the case that he hates gays. All they can do is demagogue those issues. And they will demagogue those issues. They can’t wait to. That’s why the organized left is pushing his candidacy – they think those are winning issues for them….

Are they?

They are if we let them be.

Are we at a point in time in this country when an orthodox Christian or Jew need not apply to the highest office in the land, and their values voters are no longer valued?

Does the Republican Party think that without touching on the cultural decay of our country, all at the hands of liberals, they will be able to win in November? Perhaps. I have seen the friendliness of local Republicans toward liberal Democrats who have said, “I used to be a Republican, until they started in with the social issues.” It is as if the Republican Party would rather have liberals in the party to replace the value voters.

It seems to me that the attacks on Rick Santorum for actually naming the culprits, is being thrown overboard, for the Republican Party’s asinine attempt to bring liberals and neo-liberals, (Ron Paul types) into the party with seats at the table and notebooks in hand.

Maybe Obama was right – we’re no longer a Christian nation….

Some people are coming to his defense, however:

Dan Riehl says These Faith-based Attacks On Santorum Are Repulsive And Un-American:

Santorum In 2008: Satan is Systematically Destroying America

In 2008, Sen. Rick Santorum spoke at Ave Maria University and said that Satan is destroying academia, politics, and the Protestant Church.

The full speech is available here and here is a contemporaneous press release by the university, excerpts below. Santorum has already made it quite clear, he respects the separation of church and state. While any politician must draw on their values in political decision-making, he has also said he does not believe in imposing his religious views on others through acts of government. Ethically, morally and constitutionally, the current faith-based attacks on Santorum are repulsive and completely un-American. The people employing them should be ashamed.

Sarah Palin called out the MSM on Hannity, Tuesday night: The Right Scoop: MSM makes me sick! They are hypocrites!

Palin says that the American people would be disappointed if Santorum decided to cower to the media and stop talking about good and evil and America’s Judeo-Christian foundation. She encouraged him to stand strong. But she also said his surrogates need to defend him and call out the MSM on their hypocrisy. And she blasted the MSM for not saying anything when Obama used the Bible to justify his increase in taxes, yet heavily criticize Santorum for talking about good and evil.

Santorum, himself, is trying to stay on message:

When pressed further if he believed Satan was attacking America, as he said in his 2008 speech, Santorum insisted the subject is not on the minds of voters.

“Guys these are questions that are not relevant to what’s being discussed in America today,” Santorum said.

“What we’re talking about in America today is trying to get America growing. That’s what my speeches are about. That’s we’re going to talk about in this campaign,” he added.

With Santorum now leading several national polls and moving within striking distance of two game-changing victories in next week’s Arizona and Michigan primaries, the rising GOP contender has seen his recent speeches subjected to increased scrutiny.

In a speech to a small crowd of supporters in Phoenix Tuesday evening, Santorum said he can handle the pressure.

“I’ll defend everything I say,” Santorum said.

After the speech, Santorum told reporters he’s pleased with the state of his campaign, disclosing that he’s raised more than $6 million this month.

He also commented on the latest Washington parlor game: whether the race for the GOP nomination could result in a contested convention in Tampa later this year.

“I feel very good about our chances of winning this election. Feel really good,” Santorum said.

He should feel good about AZ: Rick Santorum wins straw poll in Arizona’s largest county:

Former senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) on Tuesday overwhelmingly won the Maricopa County Republican Partypresidential straw poll,

a sign that the tide may be turning against former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) among party insiders in a key primary state where he had previously appeared to be on course for an easy win.

Santorum took first place in the informal Lincoln Day Luncheon survey with 230 votes. Romney placed a distant second with the votes of 71 participants. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) took third with 35 votes and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) placed fourth with 22 votes.

The survey comes a week out from Arizona’s Feb. 28 primary. Santorum addressed the Maricopa County gathering Tuesday afternoon and is slated to hold a rally in the same Phoenix venue later this evening.

Maricopa is by far the most populous of Arizona’s 15 counties, home to the cities of Phoenix, Mesa and Glendale.

In the 2008 Republican primary, it comprised about 330,000 of the roughly 514,000 votes cast in the entire state, or 64 percent.

In that race, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) — who placed first in the state — won 167,717 votes in Maricopa County, or 48 percent, while Romney placed second with 116,995 votes, or 34 percent.

News of Santorum’s straw poll win also comes as a new CNN/Time/Opinion Research poll shows the former senator now within the margin of victory against Romney in the Grand Canyon State.

Rick Santorum could very well be our candidate. Those  of you who say he’s a big government conservative, and find his social views distasteful, I know you are motivated to attack him out the same horrific fear that we all have. The ungodly specter of another four years of Obama in office. I understand that. But when you continue to attack Santorum, rather than prop up your own candidate, you are serving the other side at this point. Rush is absolutely right to not back a candidate, yet. The chaos,  uncertainty and  infighting going on all around us is repressing the vote. We’re seeing  lower voter turnout in the primaries, this year, because of it. Different conservative factions are becoming disgruntled…some folks darkly mutter that they won’t vote in the general election if so and so wins the primary. That’s crazy talk, and the crazy is being fed by a constant stream of political  mud-slinging…..by own own side.

It’s time for Republican pundits to chill… Support your candidate in every way possible, of course, but stop aiding and abetting team Obama. I’m sure it’s not intentional, but that’s what you’re doing when you write post after post slamming one of these candidates.

Kindly knock it off.

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Keep your eye on the ball: Obama: ‘When Congress Refuses to Act, Joe and I Are Going to Act’.

Yes, he said it again, and he means it. My God, if he’s willing act like this during an election year, what would an Obama second term look like?

RELATED:

This story illustrates the type of people we’re up against:

“If I ever see this girl, I will kill her. That’s a promise.”

Those precious words of tolerance were typed by an individual commenting on YouTube about a 14-year-old girl who recently, and publicly, defended traditional marriage.

From a Feb. 21 post on the website of TFP Student Action, a group that “defends traditional moral values on college campuses”

Also – a blast from the past on the issue that raised immediate red flags about Obama’s core decency for me, when I first heard about it in 1/2008: CNN: Barack Obama’s opposition to Born Alive Act:

Watch the video. Obama lied when he said that he voted against the Illinois version of the Born Alive Infant Protection Act because it somehow compromised Roe v Wade. The MSM dutifully repeated his lie without fact-checking it – it took people like Bill Bennett to point out that it was the same exact bill as the one passed unanimously in the US Senate….  Carville had no coherent response, but took the opportunity to slam Rick Santorum several times for being an “extremist”.

There is no reason why we should be losing to these vicious, transparently dishonest swine.

Good vs. Evil.

Linked by Michelle Malkin, and Pundette, thanks!