Is Rick Santorum helped or hurt when he talks morality?
(Read article summary)Rick Santorum says President Obama has “a world view that elevates the Earth above man." Theology-tinged rhetoric may appeal to part of the Republican base, but it could hurt him in a general election.
Rick Santorum said on Sunday that President Obama has a “phony ideal” in regards to mankind’s relationship with Earth's resources.
Man is not here to serve the Earth, as “radical environmentalists” seem to believe said Santorum on “Face the Nation” on CBS. It’s the other way around – the Earth is here to provide man with resources which he needs to use wisely.
The GOP presidential aspirant added that he’s not suggesting Obama is not a Christian. He’s saying that Obama has “a world view that elevates the Earth above man”, something that in the end is just an attempt to “centralize power and to give more power to the government.”
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Santorum then said he’s skeptical that mankind’s actions are changing the world’s climate. But let’s leave aside the scientific and theological implications here, and just consider the political implications of this kind of discussion. Is Rick Santorum helped or hurt when he talks about morality in such direct terms?
We ask this question because some conservatives think it’s a big problem for him. “Is Santorum the Sharron Angle of 2012?” asked the Washington Post’s conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin on Sunday.
Sharron Angle was the Tea Party favorite who won the Republican nomination for Senate in 2010, if you’ve forgotten. She lost to Majority Leader Harry Reid after she got tangled up trying to explain her moralistic remarks. Ms. Rubin believes that Santorum risks that same fate.
