Rick Santorum: Pursuing happiness means doing what God wants
TIFFIN — Speaking before a large gathering of 2nd Congressional District Republicans, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum painted himself as the GOP’s best bet for defeat of Barack Obama in 2012, and continued his ongoing stump speech that defines key pieces of the Declaration of Independence for caucus-goers
Jul 31, 202016.8K Shares527.4K Views
Image has not been found. URL: http://images.americanindependent.com/2010/08/MahurinElephant_Thumb.jpgTIFFIN — Speaking before a large gathering of 2nd Congressional District Republicans, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorumpainted himself as the GOP’s best bet for defeat of Barack Obama in 2012, and continued his ongoing stump speech that defines key pieces of the Declaration of Independence for caucus-goers.
“Really the core and heart of our country is at stake right now,” Santorum told the crowd of about 200 gathered at Clear Creek Amana High School. “Our country transformed the world. Our country made the world a completely different place.”
It’s a message that has been a key component of Santorum’s public remarks across the state for the past several weeks. Before the birth of America, he says, the world was comprised of rulers and subjects. When the country’s founders put into writing the “truly revolutionary” idea that all people are created equal by their creator, the act itself, he believes, changed the entire global landscape — and specifically enhanced the human condition so intensely that for the first time in 2,000 years life expectancy jumped from 40 years to 80 years.
Rick Santorum and many of the 2012 candidates at a Friday evening 2nd District GOP event in Tiffin, either arrived early or stayed late to allow for one-on-one time with local activists. (Photo: William Dahlsten/Linn County GOP)
“Think about this: America, this moral enterprise that valued every life, to given them the freedom, the opportunity to do God’s will and, therefore create a great nation,” he explained.
“A handful of elite people trusted you — people who had the power to form any kind of government they wanted trusted you, the average hard-scrabble American in 1776. How profound that must have been to let go and let the people be free. And what happened? … Eighteen hundred years of a few men ruling and people being subjects of that rule resulted in no discernable improvement of the human condition. And then: America happened.”
Santorum briefly discussed two of the three “inalienable rights, endowed by our creator” in his remarks, noting his anti-abortion record while discussing life and defining what the Founding Fathers intended when they wrote about happiness.
“You notice they didn’t say provide happiness; they didn’t say guarantee happiness,” Santorum said. “They said the right to pursue happiness — and happiness not in the sense that … well … those in the current contemporary culture would like you to think of happiness: Pleasure [or] seeking what you want to do. No, that’s not what our founders saw as happiness.
“They saw happiness in the classical sense, because they knew true happiness comes from not pursuing pleasure, not pursuing what you want to do, but from pursuing what you ought to to do — in fact, what God is calling you to do. That results in true happiness.”
Those on the left, and specifically President Barack Obama, were derided as narcotic pushers for their support of entitlement programs and government benefits by Santorum, who believes health care insurance to be the reason conservative changes have not taken hold in Europe.
“For 100 years the left has been trying to do something they were never able to accomplish. And they pushed and they pushed and they tried and they were never able to do it. They got around the edges, but they knew if they could get this one thing done, American would flip. The one thing was government-run health care,” said Santorum.
“Forty to 45 percent of all Americans now receive some sort of benefit from the federal government; after ObamaCare it will be close to 100 — and it will be over. It will be over. Margaret Thatcher, when she left England, commented about the difference of what she had accomplished in England and what Reagan accomplished, and she said she was never able to do there what Reagan did — turn America around, turn back from the precipice and get people to believe in themselves again, cut the cord from government. She was never able to do it and she said the reason [was the] British national health care system.”
Despite his having bested several long-term Democratic incumbents in order to win his past seats in the U.S. House and Senate, name recognition for his campaign has not risen, he said, because elements within the media are purposefully against him.
“This is your moment in Iowa. In about a week now you’re going to have the obligation to probably narrow the field — it seems to always happen in the straw poll. And I would say to you, take a look at the candidates in this race, take a look at how the mainstream media is treating them. Who are they talking about? Who are they pumping up, giving lots of press coverage to and who are they ignoring? Who are they saying nothing about? Who are they leaving off the polls, and why?” Santorum asked.
“Well, if you take this rather radical assumption that I believe to be a rather common sense one that the main stream media does not want to promote a candidate that can beat the man they want to get reelected. You might want to take a look at the fact that in the last six months, according to Gallup, every presidential contender’s name recognition as gone up — everyone except one, mine. … If you want the people in New York and Washington to decide who the nominee of this party is then just go ahead and pick who they put at the top of polls. If you want to make a decision about who you think is the person to go out there and go toe-to-toe, has the fire in the belly, the experience, the leadership and the record of accomplishment in winning tough elections, then I would ask you to give us a shot. Go to Ames, and put us out there. We have an opportunity to deliver that message, and to fight-the-fight for the principles and value that you believe in — and win. And win.”
Paula M. Graham
Reviewer
Latest Articles
Popular Articles