This morning, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum (Republican) announced his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination, telling ABC's George Stephanopoulos, “We are ready to announce that we are going to be in this race and we're in it to win.” But Santorum — who is possibly most famous for his “Google problem” — may have an uphill climb to the nomination. He currently polls in the single digits in the early primary states and has a long history of making offensive statements about gay people, African Americans, women, and Muslims. Below is a short recap of his record:
GAYS:
1. “In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be….If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything.” [4/2003]
2. “Is anyone saying same-sex couples can't love each other? I love my children. I love my friends, my brother. Heck, I even love my mother-in-law. Should we call these relationships marriage, too?” [5/22/2008]
3. On repeal of DADT: “I'm worried when many people will stand up and say, 'well whatever the Generals want.' I'm not too sure that we haven't indoctrinated the Officer Corps in this country that they can actually see straight to make the right decisions.” [2/20/2010]
4. On gay adoption: “A lesbian woman came up to me and said, 'why are you denying me my right?' I said, 'well, because it's not a right.' It's a privilege that society recognizes because society sees intrinsic value to that relationship over any other relationship.” [5/3/2011]
5. On teaching history of gay Americans: “I certainly would not approve of [a bill moving through the California legislature compels the state to add gay history to the state education curriculum], but there's a logical consequence to the courts injecting themselves in creating rights and people attaching their legislative ideas to those rights that in some respects could logically flow from that. So I'm not surprised.” [5/10/2011]
RACE:
6. “I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say 'now we are going to decide who are people and who are not people'.” [1/19/2011]
7. “Marriage is an institution that's a bridge too far for too many African-American women and is not desirable among African-American males….I think [Obama] has to realize that flying to New York is…self-indulgent. Go down to the corner bar and have a drink, a shot, and a beer.” [6/2/2009]
WOMEN:
8. “In far too many families with young children, both parents are working, when, if they really took an honest look at the budget, they might find they don't both need to….The radical feminists succeeded in undermining the traditional family and convincing women that professional accomplishments are the key to happiness.” ['It Takes A Family,' 7/6/2005]
ISLAM:
9. Santorum responded to the Pentagon's decision to rescind its invitation to evangelist Franklin Graham to speak at the upcoming National Day over his statement that Islam is “evil” by saying that Graham's comment was “a reasonable statement at the time.” [3/23/2010]
10. “I think the Democrats are actually worried [Obama] may go to Indonesia and bow to more Muslims.” [3/23/2010]
11. “The creeping Sharia throughout Europe and here in this country and in Canada. The Islamization of Europe that is already on the way and will visit these shores not too soon is a concern for us and something that we need to identify and we need to talk about and we need to fight with every ounce of our being.” [2/28/2009]
12. “Now we have the Attorney General confirming to Osama bin Laden just bide your time and the effeminate and pampered Americans will cower away.” [2/28/2009]
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