Rick Santorum presidential campaign, 2016
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 Rick Santorum |
Former U.S. Senator (1995-2007) Former U.S. Representative (1991-1995) |
 Republican candidate: |
2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
- See also: Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum is a candidate for the office of President of the United States in 2016. On May 27, 2015, Santorum announced his presidential run in Butler, Pennsylvania.[2]
Santorum announced on Fox News' On the Record with Greta Van Susteren that he has suspended his campaign and endorsed Marco Rubio.[3] Santorum won the 2012 Iowa caucuses and ended that race with the second-most number of delegates to eventually GOP nominee Mitt Romney. But he was unable to capture any momentum in the 2016 contest, despite extensive efforts in Iowa. He finished 11th in the 2016 Republican Iowa caucuses.[4]
Santorum served as a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 2007. He also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District from January 3, 1991, to January 3, 1995.[5] He ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, but he ended his campaign on April 10, 2012.[6][7]
During a December 2014 interview with The Washington Post, Santorum indicated that he would run in 2016. He said, "America loves an underdog. We’re definitely the underdog in this race."[8] Sixteen senators have been elected to the presidency, including President Barack Obama.[9]
In recent candidate rankings, Crowdpac ranked Santorum as a 4.8C (C being conservative) on a scale ranging from 10L to 10C, making him the eleventh most conservative Republican presidential candidate.[10] Santorum received a grade of a "C+/78" from the Leadership Project for America PAC.[11]
On the issues
 |
| Quick facts about Santorum |
|---|
| Birthday: May 10, 1958 |
| Birthplace: Winchester, Virginia |
| Alma maters: Pennsylvania State University
University of Pittsburgh Dickinson School of Law |
| Career: Senior fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center (6 years) U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania (12 years) |
| Spouse: Karen Garver Santorum |
| Children: Elizabeth, John, Daniel, Gabriel (deceased), Sarah Maria, Peter, Patrick and Isabella |
| Religion: Roman Catholic |
| Public policy in the 2016 election |
|---|
| Budgets and Taxes Education Common Core Student debt Energy Clean Power Plan Fracking Environment Climate change Healthcare Medicaid and Medicare Obamacare Redistricting Voting Rights Act Voter ID |
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| Hover over the words for information about the issue and links to related articles. |
Economic and fiscal
Taxes
- On October 13, 2015, Rick Santorum released his Economic Freedom Agenda. The centerpiece of the agenda is his 20/20 Flat Tax Plan, which proposes a 20 percent flat tax on individual income and a 20 percent flat tax on business income. The plan also proposed increasing the minimum wage; repealing Obamacare in order to pay for the flat tax proposal; approving the Keystone XL Pipeline; creating work requirements for means-tested entitlement programs; and reducing legal and illegal immigration.[14] [15]
- Santorum wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal on October 11, 2015, to promote his tax platform built around a flat individual tax rate of 20 percent. The marriage penalty, estate tax and alternative minimum tax would be eliminated. Except for charitable giving and mortgage interest, Itemized deductions would also be eliminated. The corporate tax rate would bet set at 20 percent, with a two-year phase-in period for American manufacturers to encourage job growth.[16]
- Speaking at the Voters First Forum on August 3, 2015, Santorum described his tax policy as setting income and corporate taxes to 20 percent and eliminating the VAT tax.[17]
- During his 2012 presidential campaign, Santorum proposed reducing "the number of income tax brackets from six to two (10% and 28%) and triple what his campaign identifies as the personal deduction that parents can claim for their children. Santorum would also eliminate the so-called marriage penalty, which often causes two-earner couples to owe more in federal income taxes than if they filed as single individuals. In addition, he would eliminate both the Alternative Minimum Tax and the estate tax. And he would reduce the capital gains rate from 15% to 12%. For businesses, he would cut the corporate income tax rate in half to 17.5% and eliminate it entirely for manufacturers. Plus, he would increase the research and development credit and reduce the tax burden on U.S. companies that choose to bring back their overseas profits to the United States," according to CNN.[18]
- In 2005, Santorum sponsored S 922 - Savings for Working Families Act of 2005, which proposed allowing "certain low-income individuals between age 18 and 61 to establish tax-exempt individual development accounts (IDAs) to pay for certain qualified expenses, including education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, and business capitalization or expansion costs."[19]
- In 1998, Santorum voted for S 442 - Internet Tax Freedom Act, which proposed prohibiting certain taxes on the Internet.[20]
Banking policy
- As part of his "20/20 Flat Tax" proposal in 2015, Rick Santorum called for a flat 20 percent tax rate on capital gains.[21]
- In July 2015, Santorum criticized "too big to fail" banks, saying, "I have real concerns about the size of the banks and think that while I've looked at various ideas as how to break up these financial institutions, I would certainly be open to ideas that would reduce systemic risk."[22]
- In February 2012, Santorum said government regulation of the market harmed it by "damaging...constructive capitalism." He continued, "And that means pain. I understand that. But it also means limited government and allowing markets to work because we believe they're more efficient over time. I held the same consistent position when it came to the auto bailouts."[23]
- Santorum attributed the 2008 financial crisis to government regulation rather than deregulation in a September 2011 interview on MSNBC. He said, "No, no, it wasn't deregulation, it was for Fannie and Freddie holding all these assets they shouldn't have been holding then we need to have less being held by these folks. ... So, you know part of it, part of it was government regulation and government markets that caused the bubble and caused the loose lending practices that lent to the problems."[24]
- During a Republican presidential debate in October 2011, Santorum expressed disapproval of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), arguing it was "unconstitutional." He said, "I opposed the single-biggest government intrusion into the private sector, the Wall Street bailout, the TARP program. I opposed it because it violated the principles of our Constitution, the spirit of our Constitution, because the experience I had, that if you open up the door of government involvement in the private sector, some president will, and in fact did, drive a truck through it and explode the size of the federal government and constrict our freedom."[25]
- In 2006, Santorum voted against an amendment to HR 4297 - Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act, which would have appropriated $47 billion to the military by repealing tax cuts for capital gains and dividends.[26][27]
Government regulations
- During a March 2012 interview, Rick Santorum said, "The president has put forward more regulations that cost the economy more than 100 million dollars, than any president in history last year. On day one (if elected president), I will rescind every one of those regulations. Some will have to be replaced, but a lot of them we can repeal and completely change the attitude of Washington toward the business community."[28]
- In a 2012 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, Santorum described the 10 main initiatives of his "Economic Freedom Agenda," which he said he would implement if elected president. He wrote, "All Obama administration regulations that have an economic burden over $100 million will be repealed, including the Environmental Protection Agency rule on CO2 emissions that's already shut down six power plants. I'll review all regulations, making sure they use sound science and cost benefit analysis."[29]
International trade
- At the fourth Republican primary debate on November 10, 2015, Rick Santorum said he supported the Export-Import Bank. He said "I'm one of the few people up here who actually believes that we need a level playing field when it comes to manufacturing. That means a good tax code, a good regulatory environment, low energy prices, better opportunities for workers to get training, and, also, I'm -- a supporter of the EXIM bank. Everybody else on this stage, everybody else, I think, in the entire field, is opposed to it... [T]he EXIM bank...means jobs for American workers here in America."[30]
- During an interview at the 2015 South Carolina Freedom Summit with Bloomberg’s Mark Halperin, Rick Santorum expressed his support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal but agued that Congress should wait for the next presidential administration to take office before moving forward with the deal. Santorum said, "I’ve always supported fast-track authority. In fact I don't know of a time when I voted against it. It's hard to vote for fast track authority for a president who is untrustworthy. And he (Obama) has not proven to be forthright in negotiating anything he's ever negotiated. It's really hard given what we're seeing now with the secretive nature of how the president is behaving on this deal. ...I would say let's put this off until the next administration, until we actually have a president who has some trust built up it Washington. This is a treaty we should do. I am for a treaty. I just don't think this president will accomplish what we want."[31]
- Santorum voted for H.R.3045 - the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act in 2005.[34][35]
- According to Bloomberg, "In 2002, he supported President George W. Bush’s decision to impose tariffs on imported steel. In 1999, he was one of 42 senators who voted in effect for a bill he co-wrote that would have restricted imports of foreign steel."[36]
- In 1993, Santorum voted against H.R.3450 - the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act.[37]
Budgets
- Rick Santorum voted for H.J.Res.47 - Increasing the statutory limit on the public debt, which "Amends federal law to increase the statutory limit on the public debt from $8.184 trillion to $8.965 trillion." It became law on March 20, 2006.[38]
- Santorum voted for S.4 - the Line Item Veto Act, which gave the president line-item veto authority. It became law on April 9, 1996.[39]
Agricultural subsidies
- In 2012, Rick Santorum proposed ending "'most agriculture subsidies' within four years."[40]
- In 2006, Santorum voted for S.Amdt.3617 to H.R.4939, which proposed striking "a provision providing $6 million to sugarcane growers in Hawaii, which was not included in the Administration's emergency supplemental request."[41]
Federal assistance programs
- On October 13, 2015, Rick Santorum released his Economic Freedom Agenda, which proposed introducing work requirements for means-tested entitlement programs, including the federal food stamps program. The plan called for cutting means-tested entitlement programs by 10% across the board, freezing them for four years, and block granting them to states. Santorum also called for reform and strengthening Medicare and Social Security. The centerpiece of the agenda is his 20/20 Flat Tax Plan, which proposes a 20 percent flat tax on individual income and a 20 percent flat tax on business income. The plan also proposed increasing the minimum wage; repealing Obamacare in order to pay for the flat tax proposal; approving the Keystone XL Pipeline; reducing legal and illegal immigration.[42] [43]
- During a campaign stop in Iowa on August 12, 2015, Rick Santorum advocated for “generationally neutral” reform of Social Security. He said the retirement age should be raised to match increases in life expectancy.[44]
- According to MSNBC, "Santorum suggested at a September [2012] debate that he would prefer to see Medicare administered privately."[45]
- In January 2012, Rick Santorum expressed his support for Rep. Paul Ryan's Medicare plan, which proposed converting "federal Medicare funding into subsidies that seniors would use to buy private insurance," according to The Hill. Santorum also said, "You want the private sector out there competing, driving down costs, improving efficiency. You want to get rid of this — of CMS [the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services], where government basically micromanages all healthcare through Medicare and Medicaid."[46]
Labor and employment
- On November 28, 2015, Rick Santorum discussed raising the minimum wage while handing out food at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Anderson, S.C. He said, "Look, I know this is going to be heartburn for some people. I support small, gradual increases in minimum wages ever since I was in Congress. I don't support what Obama wants to do. I think that's ridiculous, absurd. Twelve dollars, $15 is not right."[47]
- As part of his Economic Freedom Agenda that he released on October 13, 2015, Santorum proposed raising the minimum wage by $1.50 over three years. The centerpiece of the agenda is his 20/20 Flat Tax Plan, which proposes a 20 percent flat tax on individual income and a 20 percent flat tax on business income. The plan also proposes repealing Obamacare, approving the Keystone XL Pipeline, creating work requirements for means-tested entitlement programs and reducing legal and illegal immigration.[48] [49]
- On July 28, 2015, Santorum said one way to increase employment opportunities for Americans without college degrees is to support manufacturing in the country. Criticizing President Obama’s energy policy for driving jobs to foreign countries, Santorum said, “There’s an appropriate amount of regulation that can lower overall emissions, create a healthier standard of living and encourage jobs to come back. And then there’s excessive amounts of regulation, which make it too costly to do business here and with zero environmental health benefits. If we bring manufacturing jobs back from China to America, we will lower emissions in the world.”[50]
- In a July 2015 interview with U.S. News & World Report, Santorum described his approach to adjusting the federal minimum wage. Santorum said, “I'd put it in an economic package with a variety of different things. I'd propose 50 cents an hour increase a year for three years, then take a look at it. That would bring it back into the range of what historically the percentage of the population has been covered by the minimum wage.”[51]
- While speaking at the Family Leadership Summit in July 2015, Santorum suggested legal immigration of unskilled workers should be reduced by 25 percent to increase wages in the United States.[52]
- During a 2012 Republican presidential debate, Santorum said, "I think the most important area that we have to focus in on when it comes to unions is public employee unions. That's the area of unionization that's growing the fastest and it's costing us the most money. We've seen these battles on the state level, where unions have -- have really bankrupted states from pension plans to here on the federal level, for example, 30 percent to 40 percent union -- union employees make above their private-sector equivalents. I do not believe that -- that state, federal or local workers, unions, should be involved in unions. And I would actually support a bill that says that we should not have public employee unions for the purposes of wages and benefits to be negotiated."[53]
- Santorum voted for HR 743 - Teamwork for Employees and Managers Act of 1995, which proposed amending "the National Labor Relations Act to allow employers to establish, assist, maintain, or participate in an organization or entity in which employees participate, to at least the same extent practicable as do representatives of management, to address matters of mutual interest (including, but not limited to, issues of quality, productivity, efficiency, and safety and health), if such organizations or entities do not have, claim, or seek authority to: (1) be the exclusive bargaining representative of the employees; or (2) negotiate, enter into, or amend collective bargaining agreements. Makes such amendment inapplicable in any case in which a labor organization is the representative of such employees (any unionized workplace)."[54][55]
Foreign affairs
Iran nuclear deal
- During an interview with Breitbart on December 8, 2015, Rick Santorum discussed the Iran nuclear deal. He said, “We will not start World War III by taking out (Iran’s) nuclear capability. We will stop WWIII. WWIII is underway in the world today. Everybody needs to understand that. WWIII has started and unless we short circuit it, it’s going to explode into a real global conflict. … The Iranians are talking about what to do at the point where they have a nuclear weapon. We know they’re having discussions about the Electro Magnetic Pulse, using a nuclear weapon to disable the entire electric grid of the United States of America. We know what they’re planning on doing and we sit silently, complicity, and cooperate with the Iranians as they develop a weapon they can use on us to destroy American civilization.”[56]
- On September 8, 2015, Breitbart reported that Santorum called upon Congress to vote on the Iran deal as if it were a treaty. He said, “The facts are clear. President Obama has violated the terms of the Corker-Cardin agreement. By not submitting his Iranian agreement and all related materials to Congress, President Obama has made the terms of Corker-Cardin moot. Majority Leader McConnell should immediately call for a vote on the ratification of the Iran deal, treating it as a treaty as outlined in the Constitution. It is time for the Republican Senate to use their constitutional authority, stand up as an equal branch of government, and vote down this threat to global security.”[57]
- Speaking before the Greater Des Moines Jewish Federation and Iowans Supporting Israel on August 31, 2015, Santorum opposed containment and said he would use military force against Iran if it continued to develop its nuclear program. “They would have no doubt that if Rick Santorum is president their nuclear facilities are toast unless they complied,” he said.[58]
- On July 14, 2015, Santorum spoke against the final version of the Iran nuclear deal. He said of Iran, "We've given them legitimacy in the international community, something that they deeply wanted here, and they've done basically nothing in exchange for that. They come out of this a much, much stronger and I believe more virulent state with very, very few responsibilities. In fact, nothing in this deal curbs their terrorism. There's nothing that says that they have to cease any type of terrorist activity."[59]
- On April 3, 2015, Santorum commented on the Iran nuclear deal in a series of posts on Facebook. He wrote, "The true test of whether the Iran talks produced a good deal --> take it to Congress for ratification. ...Iran is not a country that you can negotiate with. They have never kept a single treaty. ...Iran is an untrustworthy adversary. Making a deal gives them space to develop a nuclear weapon. This is not in the interest of the United States. ...What will stop a nuclear Iran is a strong America. Period. We need a president who understands our enemy and is not afraid to lead."[60]
Military preparedness and budget
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Rick Santorum discussed the Pentagon opening up combat positions to women: “I would use the studies that were done that were ignored by this military that there were certain positions that frankly were not suitable. And they pushed a political agenda above what is in the best interest of the safety, security, and effective of our, of our fighting units. So I would go back to using what we should be doing. Which is putting forth people on those front line positions who are best prepared to do the job, survive the job, and come back home safely. ...I would change the policy to reflect what is the best interest of the people that we're asking. I've got a son who's going, who's going into the Air Force right now, and I, as a father, I want to make sure that, if he's out there on the front line -- and he may be a pilot flying an airplane -- I want to make sure that the person who's responsible for, for his wing has the ability to do the job they're doing. And if they don't have that ability to do the job, if we're doing a social promotion as opposed to what's best for the efficacy of our fighting force and for the survivability of our men and women, I'll change that policy.”[61]
- During a November 2014 speech at Northwestern University, Santorum advocated for a stronger military and said, "We have the credibility to be able to exert our influence around the world. But today, we are at a critical moment in our history where that credibility is being eroded."[62]
- During the 2012 presidential campaign, Santorum proposed freezing defense spending, according to National Journal.[63]
National security
- During the sixth Republican presidential primary debate, on January 14, 2016, Rick Santorum discussed requiring tech companies to help the government fight terrorism: “Look, Facebook and Twitter can teach us things. We can cooperate with them. We can share ideas and information. But this is a -- and this is a very dicey area for the government to go in and require the industry to do its job. It needs to develop that capability. We need to be -- have responsible dialogue, but I don't think requirements are the order of the day.”[64]
- In September 2015, Santorum said that America needs to consider how the Syrian refugee crisis could spread Islam. “We’re seeing this emigration out of the region and it’s interesting that you’d think it would be women and children, but it’s not. It’s primarily men,” said Santorum. He later commented, “There are serious questions here about Islam and the spread of Islam and how it spreads and, again, because the administration refuses to acknowledge that Islam has anything to do with anything, we can’t even have a discussion about why we’re taking only Muslims here in the United States.”[65]
- Commenting on Donald Trump’s proposal to bomb Iraq’s oil fields, Santorum said on August 11, 2015, “I think the oil field idea is a bad idea, but his idea that the government of Iran and Iraq are in cahoots and working together and causing problems for the United States to be successful is absolutely true."[66]
- In June 2006, Rick Santorum said, "We have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, chemical weapons. ...This is an incredibly — in my mind — significant finding. The idea that, as my colleagues have repeatedly said in this debate on the other side of the aisle, that there are no weapons of mass destruction, is in fact false."[67]
- After Santorum made the announcement, "intelligence officials reaffirmed that the shells were old and were not the suspected weapons of mass destruction sought in Iraq after the 2003 invasion," according to The Washington Post.[68]
- Santorum voted for HJ Res 114 - Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.[69][70]
- Santorum voted for HR 3162 - Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001.[71][72]
International relations
- Rick Santorum tweeted his opposition to the United States taking in more refugees from Syria. He wrote, “I agree that Europe needs to deal with this problem. U.S. Already resettles 70% of UN refugees.”[73][74]
- In August 2015, Santorum said he would close the newly reopened embassy in Cuba if he were elected president unless the Cuban government dramatically changed.[75]
ISIS and terrorism
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Rick Santorum discussed his plan to defeat ISIS: “Well, there's all sorts of theological reasons why we may not want to go into Syria right now to take ISIS. But let me set that aside for a moment and say this. ISIS is a caliphate. They've established a caliphate, the first Sunni caliphate since 1924, when Ataturk disbanded the Ottoman Empire. They've established a caliphate and, under Islamic law, good Muslims who see them as a legitimate caliphate are required to follow them. That's why we have people in this country who see them as a legitimate caliphate, which is the leader of the Sunni Muslim world, they are required under their law to follow them. How do we defeat their caliphate? Well, it's very clear in Islamic law how you do so. You take their land. You have to take land back from the caliphate and in the Islamic world that delegitimizes, that delegitimizes the caliphate. It makes the caliphate unsuccessful. Therefore not blessed by Allah. Therefore, you should not follow it. We need to take back the land in Iraq and we need to use Sunni, not Shiites, not Iranian troops, not Shiite Iraqis, but Sunni Muslims in Iraq and the Kurds, the Peshmerga, and take back Iraqi land. I believe if we did that, you would see ISIS begin to collapse. And then we can look at other ways in which we're going to deal with it. I have great hesitancy, based on ISIS' desire to draw us into Syria, and a particular town in Syria, for their own, again, apocalyptic version, to go in with ground troops in Syria at this point.”[76]
- On November 14, 2015, during a speech at the Florida GOP’s Sunshine Summit in Orlando, Santorum said, "ISIS is a creation of a political decision by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to abandon Iraq — against all of our generals’ recommendations, against all of the policy recommendations. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, under her watch, decided politics above the security of our country and the stability and security of the world. ...Barack Obama [and] Hillary Clinton have created the most dangerous world that any new president is going to have to assume the leadership of. That’s why your decision is so important. You are going to have to make a tough decision."[77]
Syrian refugees
- Santorum said on November 21, 2015, that Syrian refugees should be placed in resettlement camps in the Middle East. He said, “We have to stop playing these foolish games that radical Muslims can live comfortably in the United States. They cannot.”[78]
- In a radio interview on November 16, 2015, Santorum questioned the wisdom of accepting either Christian or Muslim refugees. "Why are we taking them out of the region? When we do that, and relocate them in America, they’ll never go back into the Middle East. What will that accomplish? It will accomplish everything ISIS sets out to accomplish. When we relocate Christians into the United States, we accomplish want [sic] ISIS wants, which is to rid the Middle East of Christians. When we relocate moderate Muslims into the United States, we accomplish exactly what ISIS wants, we take out those who would oppose ISIS out of the region and we relocate them here. So, by bringing them here to this country, instead of relocating them in the region, where they will return and, hopefully, provide a more stable long term future for that area, we are now making the job harder to defeat radical Islam," Santorum said.[79]
Domestic
Federalism
Judiciary
- In July 2015, Rick Santorum debated MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on whether Congress could pass a law banning same-sex marriage after the Supreme Court had ruled such a ban was unconstitutional. Santorum maintained Congress and the president have a “right to say what’s constitutional.” Maddow countered that “if there is a question as to the constitutionality of a law, it gets adjudicated.”[80][81]
- During his 2012 presidential campaign, Santorum said, "I would sign a bill tomorrow to eliminate the 9th Circuit [Court of Appeals]. That court is rogue. It's a pox on the western part of our country."[82]
- In a June 2009 op-ed, Santorum wrote, "I voted for Judge Sotomayor in 1998 for the circuit court. Given what is in the public record so far, I would not vote to put her on the Supreme Court." Santorum argued that her "high reversal rate by the Supreme Court" and controversial statements about race, gender and "out-of-court statements about her judicial philosophy" were the reasons he would not vote for her.[83]
First Amendment to the Constitution
- Santorum, who is CEO of the Christian production company Echolight Studios, released the film "One Generation Away." "In the film, scholars, activists and political leaders like former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee review America’s right to religious freedom and what it has meant to the nation’s founding and culture," according to The Washington Times.[84]
- Santorum co-sponsored S.2572 - the Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2002, which proposed amending "the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide criteria to determine whether an employer has committed an unlawful employment practice by failing to provide a reasonable accommodation to the religious observance or practice of an employee."[85]
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)
| "Rick Santorum defends 'religious freedom' laws," April 5, 2015. |
- On April 5, 2015, Rick Santorum discussed Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act on CBS's "Face the Nation." He said, "The current language that the federal law is and now Indiana is has been held pretty much to have a pretty limited view of what religious liberty really is in the workplace. And I think we need to look at it as religious liberty is being pushed harder to provide more religious protections and that bill doesn't do that. ...We aren't for discrimination against any person. ...No business should discriminate against because of who you are, but it should have the ability to say we're not going to participate in certain activities that we disagree with from a religious point of view. ...Tolerance is a two-way street. If you’re a print shop and you are a gay man, should you be forced to print 'God Hates Fags' for the Westboro Baptist Church because they hold those signs up? Should the government, and this is really the case here, should the government force you to do that?"[86]
Second Amendment to the Constitution
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Rick Santorum said he does not support preventing those on the terrorist watch list from getting guns: “I don't think we should be able to deny someone's constitutional rights based on a list kept by the government that nobody knows how they get on it, or how they get off of it. If you're going to make that list public, if you're going to put criteria out there as to how you're going to get on it, if you're going to deny someone's constitutional right, than I think there has to be more transparency. Let's just be honest, when someone applies for a gun, you do a background check. And, if you're on the terrorist watch list, guess what very well may happen? You may get denied that. That's a discretion of the people -- of the ATF in making that kind of decision. I want to leave that discretion -- as long as this list is not well known, as long as it's not transparent, we have to leave that discretion.”[87]
- During an interview on MSNBC on December 1, 2015, Santorum said that the man who murdered and injured individuals at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado on November 27, 2015. could have been stopped by the organization’s workers if they had guns. He said, "The problem is, the bad guys — the bad guys have guns. That's the problem. The more people that we have responsibly carrying, the less — the less violence we are going to have in this country.”[88]
- In October 2015, Santorum said that gun violence could be attributed to the “breakdown of morals and culture in America.” He continued, “The president’s not going to talk about that. He’s going to blame some inanimate object…and I think most Americans know that’s a bunch of baloney.”[89]
- Santorum co-sponsored S 397 - the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which, among other things, "Prohibits a qualified civil liability action from being brought in any state or federal court against a manufacturer or seller of a firearm, ammunition, or a component of a firearm that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, or against a trade association of such manufacturers or sellers, for damages, punitive damages, injunctive or declaratory relief, abatement, restitution, fines, penalties, or other relief resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of a firearm." It became law on October 26, 2005.[90]
- In 1993, Santorum voted for H Amdt 390 to HR 1025, which proposed amending H.R. 1025 - the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to provide "that a national system of instant background checks on handgun purchasers shall automatically replace the bill's five-day waiting period on handgun purchases five years after enactment of the bill."[91]
Fourth Amendment to the Constitution
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Rick Santorum discussed collecting phone data: “Just because it couldn't have prevented San Bernardino, Calif. doesn't mean that we shouldn't have all tools available to us that doesn't impinge upon people's privacy. This sort of data collection is not collecting people's phones calls, their voices; they're not collecting information that's personal. There's no names attached to these numbers. They're simply numbers and times and relationships that throughout algorithms that computer technology can be able to sort through relationship about what numbers are calling what numbers and be able to track those down to see if there's any leakage's between someone who's potentially a terrorist. That is to me just fundamental that we have to have this type of data to be able to not impinge upon people's privacy. In fact, I would make the argument that the more data we can collect that's anonymous that we can through, through using algorithms, the less we need to involve people in and imposing themselves in people's privacy.”[92]
Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- In October 2015, Rick Santorum attended the Practical Federalism Forum in New Hampshire where he was asked to define “practical federalism.” Santorum said, “The idea that you can handle a problem at the individual, family, community level that is where we should put the burden. If it is too big of a problem for that area then move it up to a local government, then state government, and it is only when the problem becomes overwhelming that the federal government needs to weigh in.”[93]
- In July 2011, Santorum criticized Rick Perry for his belief that the states have the power to make decisions about gay marriage. Santorum said, "States do not have the right to destroy the American family. It is our business. It is not fine with me that New York has destroyed marriage. It is not fine with me that New York is setting a template that will cause great division in this country."[94]
Crime and justice
- During an interview in January 2012, Rick Santorum said, "When there is certainty, that's the case that capital punishment can be used. If there is not certainty, under the law, it shouldn't be used."[95]
- In 1998, Santorum voted against S.Amdt.1682 to S.Amdt.1676, which proposed creating "a national standard to prohibit the operation of motor vehicles by intoxicated individuals."[96]
- In 1995, Santorum voted against S.Amdt.1446 to S.440, which proposed requiring "the witholding of Federal highway funds if a State fails to provide that any minor in the State who operates a motor vehicle and has a blood alcohol concentration above a specified level shall be considered to be driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence of alcohol."[97]
Natural resources
Energy development
- On October 13, 2015, Rick Santorum released his Economic Freedom Agenda, which included provisions to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline; open up market access to all forms of domestic fuel production; and give states the freedom to choose where they want to explore for oil and natural gas and to set their own regulations for hydrofracking. The centerpiece of the agenda is his 20/20 Flat Tax Plan, which proposes a 20 percent flat tax on individual income and a 20 percent flat tax on business income. The plan also proposed increasing the minimum wage; repealing Obamacare in order to pay for the flat tax proposal; creating work requirements for means-tested entitlement programs; and reducing legal and illegal immigration.[98] [99]
- During his 2012 presidential campaign, Rick Santorum created an "Economic Freedom Agenda," which, among other things, proposed approving the Keystone XL Pipeline and "allowing states to choose where they want to explore for oil and natural gas and to set their own regulations for hydrofracking."[100]
- Santorum voted for S.3711 - the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, which proposed expanding oil and gas leasing.[102]
- In 2005, Santorum voted against S.Amdt.168 to S.Con.Res.18, which proposed banning drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.[103][104]
- In 2005, Santorum voted against S.Amdt.2626 to S.2020, which proposed imposing "a temporary windfall profits tax on crude oil and to use the proceeds of the tax collected to fund programs under the Low-Income Energy Assistance Act of 1981 through a trust fund."[105]
- In 2002, Santorum voted for S.Amdt.3132 to S.Amdt.2917, which proposed allowing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.[106][107]
Environmental Protection Agency
- Rick Santorum voted against S.J.Res.20, which disapproved "the rule submitted by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 15, 2005, relating to the removal of coal- and oil-fired electric generating units from the list of major sources of hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act."[108][109]
Climate change
- Rick Santorum appeared on “Real Time with Bill Maher” on August 28, 2015, where he disputed the causes of climate change. “There was a survey done of 1,800 scientists and 57 percent said they don't buy off on the idea that CO2 is the knob that's turning the climate. There's hundreds of reasons the climate's changed,” Santorum said.[110]
Healthcare
- On October 13, 2015, Rick Santorum released his Economic Freedom Agenda. The centerpiece of the agenda was his 20/20 Flat Tax Plan, which proposed a 20 percent flat tax on individual income and a 20 percent flat tax on business income. The plan also proposed repealing Obamacare in order to pay for the flat tax proposal; increasing the minimum wage; approving the Keystone XL Pipeline; creating work requirements for means-tested entitlement programs, and reducing legal and illegal immigration.[111] [112]
- In November 2013 Rick Santorum criticized the Affordable Care Act. He said, "Now it's the law. [The Democrats] knew it was a mess. Now, nobody even knows how bad it is yet."[113]
- In an April 2012 op-ed, Santorum wrote, "As the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of the individual mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we Americans need to remember that we have the freedom to make choices for ourselves. We, not our government, choose the food to eat, the clothes to wear, the ideas to believe. 'ObamaCare' is the opposite of freedom. Under ObamaCare, the government, not the individual, has freedom. We can do better."[114]
- Santorum wrote the following about his 2012 healthcare reform plan: "Companies would be encouraged to compete over state lines, and Americans would have a choice of different plans and premiums, just like with auto and home insurance. Health insurers could offer high-deductible plans with lower premiums combined with health savings accounts, or more traditional managed care or fee-for-service plans. Low-income individuals would get tax credits so they could buy the same kind of health care as other Americans."[114]
Immigration
- During the sixth Republican presidential primary debate, on January 14, 2016, Rick Santorum talked about his position on immigration: “Almost all of the people who are here illegally, and most of the people who came here legally over the last 20 years, they're working in wage-earning jobs. That is why wages have flat-lined. And we have unfortunately two political parties with most of the candidates in this field for some form of amnesty, some form of allowing people to stay here even though they're here illegally and for increasing levels of legal immigration. I'm someone who believes that we need to be the party that stands for the American worker. And when we say we need to send people back, I mean we send people back. And let me just make one point. I was in Storm Lake, Iowa, the other day, near a Tyson's plant, 91 percent of the kids that go to the elementary school there are minority kids. And they said, well, what are you going to do with all of these people, their families, they've lived here for a long time? I said, I'm going to give them a gift. I'm going to give them a gift of being able to help the country they were born in. And I'm going to export America, the education they were able to see. They learned English language. They learned about capitalism. They learned about democracy. You want to stop flow of immigrants? Let's send six million Mexicans, Hondurans, Guatemalans, El Salvadorians back into their country, so they can start a renaissance in their country so they won't be coming over here anymore.”[115]
- On October 13, 2015, Santorum released his Economic Freedom Agenda, which called for sealing the Mexican border with an American-made wall; rescinding the executive actions allowing some of those in the country without documentation to stay; and reduce legal immigration by 25% to ensure that Americans get the first shot at new jobs and higher wages. He also would veto any legislation "aimed at creating amnesty." The centerpiece of the agenda is his 20/20 Flat Tax Plan, which proposes a 20 percent flat tax on individual income and a 20 percent flat tax on business income. The plan also proposed increasing the minimum wage; repealing Obamacare in order to pay for the flat tax proposal; approving the Keystone XL Pipeline; and creating work requirements for means-tested entitlement programs.[116] [117]
- On September 23, 2015, Santorum called for Republicans to shift the debate on immigration and deportation away from “being compassionate.” He said, “Instead of thinking about the Mexican who is here, and being compassionate, any time we talk about the issue we need to talk about what is in the best interests of America. We have allowed Democrats to change the debate.” He added, “I am for an orderly process of removals.”[118]
- In an interview on Fox News on August 21, 2015, Santorum said it was “absolutely proper” for Congress to determine what citizenship is. He explained, “A lot of legal scholars would say Congress has the right to define what citizenship is and a right to look at the 14th Amendment and interpret it and pass a law [so that] children born in this country to illegal immigrants are not legal citizens."[119]
- On August 20, 2015, Santorum said he would have American workers build a wall on the border and press on Mexico to be more vigilant in immigration enforcement. “While I won’t demand the government of Mexico build a wall, I want U.S. workers to do that by the way, I’ll make it clear to the Mexican government that they must stop facilitating the lawlessness on the border and cooperate with our efforts. I will do all I can do change Mexico’s behavior for the benefit of both countries,” Santorum said.[120]
- Santorum published an op-ed in The Iowa Republican on July 30, 2015, to detail his immigration policy. He called for restricting the “chain immigration” of families and H1-B visa program for skilled workers and ending the visa lottery system. “I believe we need to reduce our legal immigration levels by 25%. I believe immigration can be a very good thing. But as with anything, there can also be too much of a good thing. When our labor markets cannot manage the influx we are receiving, then it is time to recalibrate. This is not anti-immigrant, it is common-sense because stagnant wages and joblessness is not good for anyone regardless of race, gender, or immigration status,” Santorum wrote.[121]
- In November 2014, after President Barack Obama announced that millions of undocumented immigrants would not be not deported, Santorum said, "He's doing this as a slap in the face of every working American, and that is what we should be talking about. ...You know, who gets hurt most by what the president just did? Hispanics in America. You're adding 5 million mostly unskilled workers into a labor pool right now, where wages are declining and income in America is declining."[122]
- In June 2013, Santorum criticized Marco Rubio, the Gang of Eight and their immigration reform bill. He said, "Look, I think that the issue of immigration and respecting the rule of law in this country is a very, very important thing for Republican voters across the country and the idea that there are Republicans in Washington, D.C., who are going to say 'well, the rule of law isn’t that important. The idea that people coming into this country illegally and we’re basically going to put them and treat them the same as people who are going to come here legally,' it’s just not going to go over well on the Republican primary. I certainly respect senators from states with different opinions on that but I think there’s going to certainly be consequences for folks who don’t understand the importance of or have respect for the rule of law that Republicans have."[123]
- Santorum voted for HR 6061 - Secure Fence Act of 2006, which directed "the Secretary of Homeland Security, within 18 months of enactment of this Act, to take appropriate actions to achieve operational control over U.S. international land and maritime borders." It became law on October 26, 2006.[126][127]
Education
- In an April 2014 op-ed, Rick Santorum expressed his opposition to Common Core Standards. He wrote, "What troubles me the most is how fast these standards were adopted and how little transparency there was in the process. Not one state legislature voted on the Common Core standards. In the forty-five states where they have been adopted, it was by an act of the governor, the state secretary of education, or the state board of education. The people most affected by this enormous policy change—parents and teachers—never had a chance to weigh in."[128]
- Santorum voted for H.R.1 - the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. It became law on January 8, 2002.[129][130]
- Santorum "drafted language accompanying" H.R.1 - the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which stated that "students should be exposed to 'the full range of scientific views that exist,'" according to The Washington Post.[131]
- In March 2005, Santorum said, "Anyone who expresses anything other than the dominant worldview is shunned and booted from the academy. My reading of the science is there's a legitimate debate. My feeling is let the debate be had."[131]
- During a 2000 debate, "Santorum said he favored providing federal funding that communities could use for school vouchers," according to Philly.com.[132]
Abortion
- On August 25, 2015, Rick Santorum called for Planned Parenthood to be prosecuted. He said, "How low can we go? How much can we walk down this road to depravity that we just see a little child, a child with a beating heart, and your reaction is to dissect it. Your reaction is to remove a brain while the heart is beating. How cruel is this? How much have we dehumanized that child in the womb? How callus are we to human life and what's the effect on the American psyche? What's the effect on who we are as people if we just have such coldness to how we treat innocent human life? Planned Parenthood should not just be defunded, it should be prosecuted. If that child was alive, there are laws in place to prosecute these people who are doing these horrific things."[133]
- Appearing on CNN on August 14, 2015, Santorum said he did not support the use of fetal tissue in medical research. "I wouldn’t, because one of the things that you saw in the Planned Parenthood tapes, was that a lot of women are told, ‘Hey, look, this — if you have an abortion, good things are going come from it, we’re going to be able to use this tissue for a lot of reasons.’ And so it is used in some cases to, I won’t say coerce, but certainly make women feel more comfortable about having [an] abortion. And I think that’s something that I would not want to participate in," Santorum explained.[134][135]
- Santorum sponsored S 3 - Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, which made it a crime to perform a partial birth abortion. It also defined a "'partial-birth abortion' as an abortion in which the person performing the abortion: (1) deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a living fetus until, in the case of a head-first presentation, the entire fetal head is outside the mother's body, or, in the case of a breech presentation, any part of the fetal trunk past the navel is outside the mother's body; and (2) performs the overt act, other than completion of delivery, that kills the partially delivered living fetus." It became law on November 5, 2003.[136]
- In April 2011, Santorum argued for defunding Planned Parenthood. He said, "That's an organization that has a very sordid history and founding and one that I still think focuses in on activities that a lot of people have moral objections to. Public funds should not be used for that purpose."[137]
- Santorum sponsored S 6 - Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 1997, which proposed criminalizing partial birth abortions. It also proposed defining "'partial-birth abortion' as an abortion in which the person performing the procedure partially vaginally delivers a living fetus before killing the infant and completing the delivery."[138]
Gay rights
- Although Rick Santorum said a gay couple could produce “a very positive and nurturing environment” for a child, he maintained in September 2015 that same-sex marriage would destroy the nuclear family. “When you have a law that says, as the [Supreme Court] said, that marriage has nothing to do with children anymore, then what you're gonna have, is you're not gonna a society encouraging the behavior that is in the best interest of children and the future of society,” said Santorum.[139]
- In September 2015, Santorum called Kim Davis’ refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses as a Kentucky county clerk “heroic” and an act of “civil disobedience." He continued in this vein at the September 2015 GOP debate. Santorum said, “16 years ago, this country was tremendously inspired by a young woman who faced a gunman in Columbine and was challenged about her faith and she refused to deny God. We saw her as a hero. Today, someone who refuses to defy (sic) a judge's unconstitutional verdict is ridiculed and criticized, chastised because she's standing up and denying -- not denying her God and her faith.”[140][141]
- In August 2015, Santorum signed a pledge with the National Organization for Marriage “to take several specific actions as president to restore marriage to the law and protect people of faith from discrimination because of their support for traditional marriage.”[142]
- In an interview on FOX News on June 28, 2015, Rick Santorum recommended protecting religious liberty to challenge the decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. Santorum added, "We have to reclaim marriage as an institution that's not about two adults or more than two adults. That it's about children. Marriage has always been about children. It's always been about how to create the best environment for the next generation to be raised in a society, and we've detached marriage from having and raising children, and I think that's the next effort to try to reclaim that."[143]
- In response to Obergefell, Santorum tweeted on June 26, 2015, "Today, 5 unelected judges redefined the foundational unit of society. Now it is the people's turn to speak #Marriage."[144]
- The Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional on June 26, 2015. Following the decision, Santorum said "It’s a decision based on a lie. It’s a decision based on fundamental untruths. And yet it is the law of the land." He continued, "We are now faced not just with a society that’s going to say and is saying that marriage has nothing to do with children,” Mr. Santorum said. “That’s the impact of this decision. Marriage has nothing to do with children. Marriage has to do with adults and what makes adults happy, not what is necessary for children to be raised in a home where they have their birthright, a mother and a father who loves them and raises them into adulthood and into good citizens of America."[145]
- Santorum voted for HR 3396 - the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined "'marriage' as only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife." It became law on September 21, 1996.[146][147]
Rural policy
- In October 2015, Rick Santorum participated in the "Rural Town Hall" series hosted by RFD-TV, focusing on economic, educational and agricultural issues facing rural communities.[148]
- Santorum said he supported more people becoming educated about food production and rural communities. He explained, "There’s a huge disconnect between those who live in urban areas and the problems that occur in the rural areas of our country. And unfortunately, most of the votes are in the urban areas. As a result, you don’t have a champion that understands those issues and is able to communicate to the public."[148]
- Santorum identified declining tax bases resulting from migration away from rural areas and limited access to technology as two major issues facing rural schools.[148]
- He defended crop insurance as necessary to protect farmers from disaster and drought.[148]
- Santorum said he would encourage growth in the dairy industry by reducing taxes to a flat 20 percent.[148]
- On the issue of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), Santorum said, "I’m the only person in the Republican side that has been a strong supporter of the RFS from day one and really one of the few in the race that continues to support it."[148]
- Santorum described the regulatory environment created by the Obama administration "as hostile to Americans in rural areas." He pledged to "either get rid of them permanently or rewrite them if they’re necessary to rewrite."[148]
- Santorum argued that increasing manufacturing in the U.S. would reduce carbon emissions worldwide. "We’re gonna move two to three to five million jobs out of China, out of India where there are no regulations and move them back to the United States. We will create better jobs here. We will lower C02 [sic]. We will have more of an impact in reducing greenhouse gases by actually making more things in America. ... We’ll create more jobs here in America, in rural America," he said.[148]
- In 2006, Santorum voted in favor of an amendment to HR 4939 - Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2006, which proposed striking "a provision providing $6 million to sugarcane growers in Hawaii, which was not included in the Administration's emergency supplemental request."[149]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Rick + Santorum + 2016
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ CNN Politics, "First on CNN: Rick Santorum dropping presidential bid," February 3, 2016
- ↑ ABC News, "Rick Santorum on Running for President 2016: 'Ready to Do This Again'," May 27, 2015
- ↑ NBC News, "Rick Santorum Ends 2016 Run, Endorses Marco Rubio," February 3, 2016
- ↑ [http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/03/politics/rick-santorum-dropping-presidential-bid/index.html CNN Politics, "First on CNN: Rick Santorum dropping presidential bid," February 3, 2016.
- ↑ Bioguide.Congress.gov, "SANTORUM, Richard John (Rick), (1958 - )," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ USA Today, "Santorum: Family holds key on another White House bid," November 18, 2013
- ↑ The Caucus, "Santorum to suspend presidential campaign," April 10, 2012
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Rick Santorum is running for president again — and says this time will be different," December 10, 2014
- ↑ United States Senate, "Senators Who Became President," accessed October 16, 2013
- ↑ Crowdpac, "2016 Presidential Election," accessed July 27, 2015
- ↑ Leadership Project for American PAC, "Candidate's Grades and Comparisons," accessed July 27, 2015
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," March 9, 2023
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Do I need an ID to vote? A look at the laws in all 50 states," October 27, 2014
- ↑ Santorum Economic Freedom Agenda, accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Santorum 2016 website, "Senator Santorum Unveils His Economic Freedom Agenda," accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "A Flat Tax Is the Best Path to Prosperity," October 11, 2015
- ↑ WMUR, "Voters First Forum: Rick Santorum on economic subsidies, business tax incentives," August 3, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Rick Santorum's tax plan," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.922," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.442," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Rick Santorum for President, "Santorum Economic Freedom Agenda," accessed December 10, 2015
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Santorum considers breaking up big banks," July 20, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "CNN Arizona Republican Presidential Debate," February 22, 2012
- ↑ NBC News, "The Ed Show for Monday, September 26, 2011," September 27, 2011
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Republican Presidential Debate (Full Transcript)," October 11, 2011
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Waive CBA Reed Amdt. No. 2737)," February 2, 2006
- ↑ Congress.gov, "Congressional Record, Pages S516-S692," February 2, 2006
- ↑ Fox News, "More Stimulus or Less Government? Rick Santorum on Economic Regulations," March 3, 2012
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "My Economic Freedom Agenda," February 27, 2012
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript: Fox Business undercard GOP debate," November 10, 2015
- ↑ Bloomberg, "Rick Santorum: I’ve Always Supported Fast-Track Authority," accessed May 14, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.2739," accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.3569,” accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.3045," accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ American Enterprise Institute, "Is Santorum a protectionist? Is Romney?" January 5, 2012
- ↑ Bloomberg, "Santorum Pro-Labor Votes Lurk as Rivals Attack Early on Earmarks," January 4, 2012
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.3450," accessed March 16, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.J.Res.47," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.4," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ National Journal, "Candidate Guide: Where Does Rick Santorum Stand?" January 2, 2012
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.3617 to H.R.4939," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Santorum Economic Freedom Agenda, accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Santorum 2016 website, "Senator Santorum Unveils His Economic Freedom Agenda," accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ The Des Moines Register, "Santorum backs age-adjusted fix to Social Security," August 12, 2015
- ↑ MSNBC, "Rick Santorum," accessed December 24, 2014
- ↑ The Hill, “Santorum: 'Get rid of' Medicare agency," January 5, 2012
- ↑ Independent Mail, "Rick Santorum hands out Chick-fil-A in Anderson," November 28, 2015
- ↑ Santorum Economic Freedom Agenda, accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Santorum 2016 website, "Senator Santorum Unveils His Economic Freedom Agenda," accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ The Post and Courier, "Rick Santorum speaks of energy policies in Columbia," July 28, 2015
- ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Santorum: Iran Will Use a Nuclear Weapon to Destroy the U.S.," July 22, 2015
- ↑ Associated Press, "The Latest: Rick Santorum favors curbs on legal immigration," July 18, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, "Santorum: Get Rid of Public Sector Unions," accessed December 24, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.743," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (h.r.743 as amended)," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "Rick Santorum: World War III Has Started," December 8, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "Rick Santorum: Senate Should Vote On Iran Deal As If It Were A Treaty," September 8, 2015
- ↑ The Des Moines Register, "Rick Santorum vows tough stance on Iran," August 31, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "GOP 2016 hopefuls slam Iran nuclear deal," July 15, 2015
- ↑ Facebook.com, "Rick Santorum, April 3, 2015," accessed April 10, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript: CNN undercard GOP debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ North by Northwestern, "Rick Santorum talks foreign policy, floats 2016 presidential run in speech," November 19, 2014
- ↑ National Journal, "Candidate Guide: Where Does Rick Santorum Stand?" January 2, 2012
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript: Fox Business undercard Republican debate," January 14, 2016
- ↑ BuzzFeed News, "Santorum: Refugee Crisis Raises Questions About 'Spread Of Islam,'" September 15, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Rick Santorum backs Donald Trump on Iraq," August 11, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, "Report: Hundreds of WMDs found in Iraq," June 22, 2006
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Lawmakers Cite Weapons Found in Iraq," June 22, 2006
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.J.Res.114," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Joint Resolution (H.J.Res. 114)," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.3162," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "H.R.3162," accessed March 18, 2015
- ↑ Twitter, "Rick Santorum," September 9, 2015
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Counterpoint: U.S. is wrong place for Europe's refugees," September 8, 2015
- ↑ Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, "Santorum says he'd close U.S. embassy in Cuba," August 15, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript: CNN undercard GOP debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Santorum: Obama, Hillary created ISIS," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Rick Santorum suggests housing Syrian refugees in resettlement camps: Rick Santorum in the news," November 21, 2015
- ↑ CBS-Philly, "Rick Santorum Opposes Taking More Refugees from Syria After Paris Terror Attacks," accessed November 17, 2015
- ↑ MSNBC, "Maddow, Santorum go head to head on SCOTUS, gay marriage," July 22, 2015
- ↑ Real Clear Politics, "Santorum vs. Maddow: Can Congress Override The Supreme Court," July 23, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Rick Santorum: I Would Eliminate The 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals," May 25, 2011
- ↑ Politico, "Why I would oppose Sonia Sotomayor," June 2, 2009
- ↑ Washington Times, "Rick Santorum echoes Reagan’s call for religious freedom with new film," accessed March 23, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2572 - Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2002," accessed March 23, 2015
- ↑ YouTube.com, "Rick Santorum defends 'religious freedom' laws," accessed April 16, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript: CNN undercard GOP debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Rick Santorum touts 'good guys' with guns in wake of Colorado shootings: Rick Santorum in the news," December 2, 2015
- ↑ Radio Iowa, "Santorum says it’s ‘baloney’ to blame ‘inanimate object’ for Oregon shooting," October 8, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.397," accessed March 23, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.Amdt.390 to H.R.1025," accessed March 23, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript: CNN undercard GOP debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ Caffeinated Thoughts, "Cruz, Fiorina and Santorum Answer: What is Practical Federalism," October 3, 2015
- ↑ Houston Chronicle, "Rick vs. Rick: Santorum rips Perry on 10th Amendment, social issues," accessed December 24, 2014
- ↑ CNN, "Clips From Friday: Rick Santorum on the death penalty; Karen Santorum opens up about the death of their infant son," January 23, 2012
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.1682 to S.Amdt.1676," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.1446 to S.440," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Santorum Economic Freedom Agenda, accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Santorum 2016 website, "Senator Santorum Unveils His Economic Freedom Agenda," accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "My Economic Freedom Agenda," February 27, 2012
- ↑ NPR, "Rick Santorum Loves Fracking and Drilling, Hates Federal Regulation," February 10, 2012
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.3711," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.168 to S.Con.Res.18," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "S.Amdt. 168 to S.Con.Res. 18," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.2626 to S.2020," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.3132 to S.Amdt.2917," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Murkowski Amendment No. 31323)," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.J.Res.20," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Joint Resolution (S.J. Res. 20)," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Bill Maher Calls Out Rick Santorum On Climate Change," August 29, 2015
- ↑ Rick Santorum for President, "Santorum Economic Freedom Agenda," accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Santorum 2016 website, "Senator Santorum Unveils His Economic Freedom Agenda," accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Times Free Press, "Rick Santorum visits Chattanooga, says Obamacare will fail," November 1, 2013
- ↑ 114.0 114.1 USA Today, "Santorum: My plan offers a better way than ObamaRomneyCare," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript: Fox Business undercard Republican debate," January 14, 2016
- ↑ Santorum Economic Freedom Agenda, accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ Santorum 2016 website, "Senator Santorum Unveils His Economic Freedom Agenda," accessed October 14, 2015
- ↑ The Des Moines Register, "Santorum backs deportations to fix immigration crisis," September 23, 2015
- ↑ Newsmax, "Rick Santorum: 'Congress Has Right to Define Citizenship'," August 21, 2015
- ↑ The Blaze, "Rick Santorum Says American Workers Should Build the Border Wall, Not Mexicans," August 20, 2015
- ↑ The Iowa Republican, "Santorum: America needs an immigration policy that rewards those who do it right," July 30, 2015
- ↑ Newsmax, "Rick Santorum: Amnesty's a 'Slap in the Face' of Working Americans," November 22, 2014
- ↑ Breitbart, “Santorum: Rubio Lacks 'Respect' for 'Rule of Law'," June 26, 2013
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.2611," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S. 2611 (Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006)," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.6061 - Secure Fence Act of 2006," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (H.R. 6061)," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ Townhall, "The Troubles with Common Core," April 21, 2014
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.1," accessed March 20, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "H.R. 1 (No Child Left Behind Act of 2001)," accessed March 20, 2015
- ↑ 131.0 131.1 Washington Post, "Battle on Teaching Evolution Sharpens, accessed March 23, 2015
- ↑ Philly.com, "Santorum, Klink Spar In First Debate Democrat Klink, Unknown To Many Voters, Accused The Gop Senator Of Passing Himself Off As A Moderate.," October 1, 2000
- ↑ Newsmax.com, "Rick Santorum: PP Abortion 'Depravity' Must Be Stopped," accessed September 20, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "Santorum: I wouldn't use fetal tissue, I'm stronger than Trump on immigration," August 14, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Santorum: Fetal tissue research practiced by Carson 'morally suspect,'" August 14, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.3," accessed March 20, 2015
- ↑ CBS News, "Rick Santorum to Mitch Daniels: Defund Planned Parenthood in Indiana," accessed March 20, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.6," accessed March 20, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Rick Santorum Admits Gay Couples Can Be Just Normal Parents, But Still Opposes Same-Sex Marriage," September 30, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "Santorum: Kim Davis is 'Herioc,'" September 4, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "Full transcript: Undercard GOP debate," September 16, 2015
- ↑ CNN Politics, "4 GOP candidates sign anti-same-sex marriage pledge," August 25, 2015
- ↑ FOX News, "Santorum on conservative challenge to gay marriage ruling," June 28, 2015
- ↑ Twitter, "Rick Santorum," June 26, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Times, "Rick Santorum blasts Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling as ‘based on a lie’," June 27, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.3396," accessed March 16, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Passage of the Bill (h.r.3396)," accessed March 19, 2015
- ↑ 148.0 148.1 148.2 148.3 148.4 148.5 148.6 148.7 RFD-TV, "Complete Transcript: Rural Town Hall with Rick Santorum," accessed January 19, 2016
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S.Amdt.3617 to H.R.4939," accessed March 18, 2015
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