Jesus, gays and health care: New Hampshire voters hammer Santorum
Updated 6 p.m. ET
KEENE, N.H. - The Christian values candidate in the Republican field is getting his baptism by fire in New Hampshire.
As he campaigns among the state's notoriously grumpy electorate, presidential candidate Rick Santorum has spent as much time arguing with prospective voters over same-sex marriage as he has asking them for their support. In the most recent flare-up on the campaign trail, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania was challenged Friday about his opposition to gay rights and President Obama's health care plan.
"I have a question and it's about gay people," asked the first man to be called on at a Santorum town hall meeting here today. "They are children of God too. Do they have the right to marriage? Do they have the right to serve in the military? Should they be treated like any other citizen? Under your presidency, would you protect their rights or would you diminish them?"
Santorum answered that he doesn't believe marriage or serving in the military are inalienable rights, but "privileges," adding, "It's not discrimination not to grant privileges."
A few people jeered him.
At another point in the meeting, a woman who said she had a college-aged son with a preexisting medical condition asked Santorum whether he thought it was right for insurance companies to discriminate against her son. The candidate did not address her question directly, but rather discussed market-based solutions to the lack of insurance coverage for some Americans and said Obama's health care plan has not fixed the problem. Some people objected to his answer.
Santorum was interrupted several times during the nearly two-hour event. The local fire chief asked about 50 people to leave the overflow crowd in the basement of the Keene Public Library, spurring further complaints from the audience. At another point, a man shouted "Wall Street got bailed out! We got sold out!" And a band of supporters of rival Republican candidate Ron Paul took to singing carols in an adjoining room.
Things didn't get easier for Santorum as the day wore on. At a town hall meeting at a college prepatory school in Dublin, students asked him repeatedly about gay marriage. At one point, Santorum said, "I think I answered that question. I'm not too sure I can add anything more to it."
Santorum offered the crowd in Dublin a more passionate version of his opposition to same-sex marriage than he had earlier in the day.
Rick Santorum, R-Pa., campaigns at the Keene Public Library in Keene, N.H., Jan. 6, 2012.
/ AP Photo/Charles Dharapak"You're robbing children of something that they need, they deserve, they have a right to. They have a right to be know and be loved by their dad or their mom," he said. "That's what marriage is about. It's not about two people loving each other.
"There's nothing hateful about that. There's something true about that."
Another young woman pressed Santorum on the topics of contraception and abortion rights, and what would happen to pregnant women who could not take care of their children. Santorum, a Roman Catholic, said he and his wife do not use contraception in accordance with their faith, but that he never advocated a legal ban on contraceptives.
"It is my moral judgment but it is not one that I feel like should be, or will be, imposed on anyone," he said. "I have said repeatedly that I would not vote for banning contraception. That is an individual decision. Contraception can and should be made available."
Later still, a woman holding a Bible asked how his "war mongering" reconciled with his faith."Jesus said to love your enemies and feed them, not blow them up!" she said.
A day earlier, on Thursday, Santorum tangled with gay rights supporters at a college convention in Concord, defending his opposition to liberalizing marriage laws by raising the specter of polygamy. "What about three men?" he asked, challenging audience members who sharply questioned his opposition to same-sex marriage.
The comment evoked memories of the ex-Pennsylvania senator's controversial statement to the Associated Press in 2003 in which he associated gay sex with incest and bestiality.
Also on Thursday, Santorum said he wouldn't mind being known as the "Jesus candidate" in the race. Describing a radio interview caller's suggestion that the race didn't need a "Jesus candidate," Santorum said his response is, "I said, 'We always need a Jesus candidate.' I don't mean necessarily that we always need a Christian, but we need someone who believes in something more than themselves."
The exchanges are a sign that Santorum's cultural conservatism message may not play as well with New Hampshire's more moderate and independent voters as it did with Iowa's social conservatives, who make up the vast majority of the state's caucus-goers. Santorum has made his faith and positions on social issues a central theme of his campaign. One of his rivals, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, stressed his opposition to liberal judges in Iowa but has put more emphasis on the economy since the campaign has moved to New Hampshire, which holds the next presidential primary on Tuesday.
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-Matthew 19:21
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."
-Matthew 19:23
ZERO Christians follow the teachings of Christ. You are all a bunch of phonies.
He is a status quo shill, a puppet of the plutocracy.
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO We were given ten rules to live by and they are as valid today as they were then and always will be.
Look at what is going on today and it is getting worse---and people dont know why???? !!!!
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MoronGelical christianity is a CRIME against Humanity.
[/sarcasm]
Jesus ain't running. But I wish he was.
Both invent an interpretation which meets their needs and defends their views.
I prefer to believe in a man who is simply genuine and of great moral fiber by any religion's standards. A smart man who is educated as a doctor, served in the military during war (did not draft dodge like Romney or Gingrich, Santorum never served) who would only send our young men/women to fight for a good reason in a war that has been declared by our congress.
A man who's economic intellect is so superior to all other politicians, he was able to accurately predict this situation with extreme precision when all others were clueless.
A man who knows our history in the middle east and has a very logical foreign policy plan which will not only make us safer, but will save billions/year.
This man has been married to the same woman for 54 years. Grew up on a farm, worked as a paper boy, in a soda shop, educated as a doctor and went to serve in Vietnam, then congressman.
And most importantly, a man who I'd be proud to be like. A man who I want my children to be like.
Please research Dr. Ron Paul!!!!
Dear Dr. Laura:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them.
1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing smell for the Lord - Leviticus 1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am not allowed to have contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Leviticus 15:19-24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why cant I own Canadians?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states she should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill her myself?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Leviticus 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I dont agree. Can you settle this?
7. Leviticus 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair cut, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by the bible, in Leviticus 19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Leviticus 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me
unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Leviticus 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton and polyester blend). He also tends to curse a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Leviticus 24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? Leviticus -20:14 I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging