It’s hard to remember that not that long ago, Rick Santorum’s Presidential bid was riding high. He had found out that in a recount of the Iowa Caucus ballots, he had won instead of placing second as initial reports had claimed. He had also been endorsed by an association of evangelical preachers, a difficult task for a devout Catholic. Then came this weekend…
Photo by Gage Skidmore
On Saturday, he finished a very weak third in the South Carolina Primary, barely beating Ron Paul and getting pummeled by the candidate seeking the same votes as he, Newt Gingrich. In spite of his denials, the defeat makes it difficult to do anything more in Florida but show up for the debates and hope that his campaign can be revived.
Then today, Joe Paterno passed away. Paterno had been looked up to by Santorum, a Penn State alum, but the main problem for Santorum with Paterno’s passing is that it brings the whole Jerry Sandusky saga into public prominence once more. Back in 2002, while in the Senate, Santorum nominated him for a “Congressional Angels in Adoption” Award for his work with his youth group, The Second Mile. As we now know, in that same year, the Penn State graduate assistant had discovered (allegedly) Sandusky in the shower with a young boy engaging in lecherous behavior. This was the event that eventually last year led to the firing of Paterno and the President of the University, among others.
Also today, a strange story was published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about Santorum’s wife, Karen. While in her twenties and single, she engaged in a live-in relationship for a number of years with a well-known Pittsburgh abortionist. During this period, she was first a nursing student and then a nurse. While attending law school, she broke up with the doctor in 1988, who was 40 years older than her since she wanted children and he refused. While in law school, she met Santorum. They were wed in 1990, and soon began having children.
Honestly, I don’t know what to make of this latter story. If Santorum knew of it, which I assume he did, why would he expose his wife to this scrutiny for something that she did 20 years ago? As we know, Mitch Daniels chose not to compete to save his wife from similar examination.
Here is a video of Karen Santorum being interviewed on Fox and Friends during his losing re-election Pennsylvania Senate campaign:
January 23rd, 2012 at 5:54 am
Why did Herman Cain subject his wife to the scrutiny of the public and the fierce ridicule of the Media? Why do any of these people do it?
E-G-O! Santorum must have a huge ego because for the life of me I cannot understand at all what he thinks he has to offer as a president? He was complaining to Gingrich about having “grandiose ideas”. Well, is that not what we want from a president? Somebody with not just ‘A’ vision but a BIG VISION? Somebody who can articulate that vision?
He needs to drop out and soon. I know he has a few big-money Neo-Con supporters propping him up. Santorum is a fish out of water in presidential politics. Forget about Googling his name, too! LOL!
January 23rd, 2012 at 5:57 am
BTW, the thing with his wife is not so bad. Probably a 2-3 day news-cycle story. But the Sandusky award is a real haunting problem for Santorum. As the trial approaches and the investigation continues, it will dominate the news again at some point.
January 23rd, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Wild wife is she? Makes me want to vote for Santorum for some reason.
January 23rd, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Why people still use to read news papers when in this technological world all is existing on web?
January 24th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Who cares about either story, seriously. She did what she did over 20 years ago, we all make mistakes, and she seems to have straightened out her life. We are all entitled to a pass every now and then and she’s not running for president.
Secondly, I can assume Santorum wouldn’t have nominated him for any awards had the truth been known. Nobody had any idea that the guy was a criminal deviant.
That being said I can care less for Santorum or his candidacy. He’s not presidential, he goes after other candidates in an obvious way to boost himself instead of going after them in a way that makes the point he’s trying to make relevent to the American people, and he can be annoying at times. I wish that “lost weekend” was indefinitely extended!