Rick Santorum on Satan Speech: ‘I Will Defend Everything I Say’
EmailPHOENIX — Rick Santorum made a veiled mention this evening of a controversy that bubbled up after audio of a speech the candidate gave in 2008 in which he said Satan was attacking U.S. institutions in government and religion made its way around the Internet.
“I think the reason we are doing so well is because we are available to the American public, no teleprompters, no speeches … sometimes, I’ve been told that when you don’t read off a teleprompter, they may find a thing or two and say, ‘Oh, he said this and he might mean this,’” Santorum said at a rally here.
“And the media complains so much about these structured candidates and how they are all so robotic,” he said. “And then of course when they have a candidate that doesn’t do any of those things they say, ‘Oh he’s really out there, you have to worry about what he says.’ No you don’t, because I will defend everything I say.”
In the speech at the conservative Catholic Ave Maria University in Florida, Santorum praised the Catholic Bishop Samuel Aquila for pledging to deny communion to politicians who support abortion rights and said the matter went beyond politics and was a symptom of Satan’s reach in U.S. society.
The story was the lead item on the Drudge Report today and the candidate was asked about it after the address to about 250 people.
“These are questions that are not relevant to what is being discussed in America today; what we are talking about in America today is trying to get America going,” Santorum said today. “That’s what my speech is about, that’s what we have been talking about in this campaign. If you want to dig up old speeches of me talking to a religious group, then go right ahead and do so, but I’m going to stay on message and I’m going to talk about things that Americans want to talk about: creating jobs , making our country safe and secure and, yeah, taking on the forces around this world that want to do harm to America.”
Santorum again seemed to mention the issue when he said to the crowd that his campaign “has been about very simple things” and America is a country “that when someone is in trouble, and forces of evil are moving, America would stand up and call evil by its name.”
“Ronald Reagan did that. He called the Soviet Union an evil empire and the media went wild. How dare you describe terms like good and evil to regimes? Because Ronald Reagan told the truth, he didn’t sugarcoat it,” Santorum said.
The latest Gallup tracking poll shows Santorum up 10 points over Mitt Romney nationally, and a new Time/CNN poll shows Romney with a slight lead in Arizona with 36 percent support to Santorum’s 32 percent. Santorum also told reporters his campaign has raised $6 million in the month of February alone.
Santorum did not spend time discussing issues Arizona is grappling with, such as the foreclosure crisis or even illegal immigration, an issue still very important to Republicans here. He did take on Romney, though, saying his rival “has run as a liberal, a moderate, and a conservative.”
“He endorsed and supported a whole host of liberal groups, including Planned Parenthood, when running for governor, and then as president decided to run as a conservative. I have never changed my views, ever,” Santorum said. “See who will win and run as a conservative. I will ensure you that I will actually run as a conservative. There is a handful of swing states. We put Pennsylvania in play, Ohio, Michigan, Indian, Wisconsin. I share their values, understand where they grew up, lived that life and understand we need a Republican Party out there providing opportunities for everyone in America, not just those on Wall Street.”
Santorum has been playing up his blue collar roots as he campaigns in Ohio and Michigan and now Arizona.
He will campaign in Tucson Wednesday ahead of the CNN debate tomorrow evening. When asked how he thinks he will do in this state when they vote Tuesday he answered: “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think we would do well in Arizona.”
<i>ABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf contributed to this report.</i>
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Satan IS attacking America. His puppet Santorum is running for President!
Posted by: thomas | February 22, 2012, 12:07 am 12:07 am
Rick Santorum is right. He is simply speaking the truth which most people don’t want to hear. Satan does exist and he wants to destroy any nation that believes in Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. He is also right about most mainline churches in America. They are becoming apostate because for the sake of political correctness and for fear of what the media and politicians might say about them if they preach the truth, they have watered down the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m not Catholic, but I would vote for a man who has the values of Rick Santorum.
Posted by: David | February 22, 2012, 1:18 am 1:18 am
The Democrats adore all the forces that are acting to destroy the United States. Draw 2 circles, separate, then label one “evil” and one “good”. In the “good” circle write down faith in God and Christ, being a friend to the Sons of Abraham the Jews, justice, work, family, honesty, economy, justice, law and order. In the “evil” circle, write drugs, Rock Hudsonism, Ellen DeGeneresism, felony, profligate immorality, anarchy, dishonest gain, laziness, godlessness, Islam. The “good” circle describes the Republican Party, and “evil” circle describes Democrat Party. The Democrat Party stands for all that will destroy America..
Posted by: LogicNotHuff | February 22, 2012, 1:40 am 1:40 am
Democrats are destroying a once great nation, after this next election more attention will be paid to the left and its secular ways. They are who do not pay their way. They are those who take and do little building.
Posted by: joe | February 22, 2012, 3:20 am 3:20 am
I just want to remind the right-wingers on here that the ones who drank the KoolAid in Jonestown weren’t “secularists” – they were people following a Santorum-like leader. they got their “heaven” all right – they got it literally.
Posted by: bajacalla | February 22, 2012, 3:52 am 3:52 am
The media is so transparently campaigning for Obama, they should be embarrassed. Notice how every GOP candidate that shoots up in the polls is immediately the target of hit-pieces and intense scrutiny? Where was this love of investigative jounalism when Manchurian Obama was shooting up in the polls in 2008? The press has no integrity, and there is a abdication of journalistic duty when it comes to the President. They refuse to give Obama the same level of investigation they gave to Clinton for fear of exposing him.
Posted by: King of Scotland | February 22, 2012, 4:30 am 4:30 am
So whenever a candidate gets called on saying something stupid it’s the medias fault?
Posted by: FrankBlourtango | February 22, 2012, 4:36 am 4:36 am
Santorum is crazy. If the GOP wants to be taken seriously they better dump him.
Posted by: whatever | February 22, 2012, 5:21 am 5:21 am
The magnitude of negative remarks against Santorum are astounding, yet the lunatic fringe still believes he is the best candidate to beat Obama. It’s eye opening. Wow.
Reply
Posted by: Al | February 22, 2012, 5:48 am 5:48 am
Seriously, if this is the Best that the GOP has going up against Obama, then Obama should clear 50% of the vote in November and easily win a 2nd term.
Santorum is scary even to my parents, and they are both devout, devoted Christians!!!
Posted by: Squincher | February 22, 2012, 6:06 am 6:06 am
AL: If you think there are a lot of ‘negative remarks’ against Santorum in these forums and elsewhere in the US you should check out what the rest of the world is saying about him, He is seen as an absolute idiot and a joke, albeit more scary than funny. Creationists aren’t taken at all seriously outside of your borders and the idea that the most technologically advanced nation in the world could consider electing one of that ilk as its President has the whole world shaking its head. Here in the UK any politician that even mentioned Satan in passing would likely become unelectable and any politician that made a big deal out of their faith would definitely be so.
Posted by: 2hundredthousand | February 22, 2012, 6:35 am 6:35 am
Note to Joe:you say the democrats are killing this country? Remember during Clinton we had a surplus…Bush and the republicans took overe and we went into a recession.I think this kind of proves you wrong.
Posted by: Talmag | February 22, 2012, 10:26 am 10:26 am
“…Where was this love of investigative jounalism when Manchurian Obama was shooting up in the polls in 2008? …”
They investigated. YOU just weren’t paying any attention.
Posted by: MyTakeOnThis61 | February 22, 2012, 10:29 am 10:29 am
I will try this again [computer going crazy today]. LOGICNOTHUFF wrote”The Democrats adore all the forces that are acting to destroy the United States. Draw 2 circles, separate, then label one “evil” and one “good”. In the “good” circle write down faith in God and Christ, being a friend to the Sons of Abraham the Jews, justice, work, family, honesty, economy, justice, law and order. In the “evil” circle, write drugs, Rock Hudsonism, Ellen DeGeneresism, felony, profligate immorality, anarchy, dishonest gain, laziness, godlessness, Islam. The “good” circle describes the Republican Party, and “evil” circle describes Democrat Party. The Democrat Party stands for all that will destroy America..”…. There are plenty of Democrats who are for family , justice, honesty, just as there are plenty of profligate, lazy, immoral Republicans. it is the Absolute “We are good, they are bad” mentality that is ruining this country. What is needed is a candidate who does NOT pander to the Far Right or the Far Left but listens to the people about the real issues and not just to those with the most money. Know of anyone?
Posted by: pksk531 | February 22, 2012, 1:02 pm 1:02 pm
That’s right Rick. Lucifer is attacking our nation, the world and every living thing on Earth. Hell, I got a rrrreeeally good idea. Let’s get rid of the medical system and start replacing physicians and nurses with demonologists and exorcists. As far as I’m concerned, the scientific knowledge we have acquired over the years is absolutely wrong. The Devil is virtually everywhere and he’s out to get us! Aaaah! Everyone run for your life!
Posted by: Marcos | February 23, 2012, 12:36 pm 12:36 pm
I am a Christian and practice a life of Christian values, but this guy terrifies me. Is this supposed to be some kind of joke that he is even a consideration?
He has never changed a political position? That isn’t necessarily a good quality. To me, that sort of implies pig-headed-ness (is that even a word?). So tired of listening to people complain about family values. That doesn’t happen with government, that happens in the home.
Posted by: Andy | February 26, 2012, 4:55 am 4:55 am
The real reason they don’t want to abandon Afghanistan is, because of the Exxon Mobile’s pipeline pumping oil from Afghanistan. George Bush Jr. brags he went to Iraq for the oil, to show off to his affluent friends. So instead of half the national deficit, we have it double, they want to build permanent bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, so big oil, and the Republican’s can get rich. So why do they want to make Afghanistan a permanent duty station so they can protect the interest’s of big oil and the pipeline, before they started drilling and pumping oil out of Afghanistan, the country was considered the largest untapped oil resource in the world. They don’t talk much about the pipeline now because the Billionaire’s and corporations have silence everyone. I don’t vote and support neither party. George Bush Jr and the Republican party wanted to control the oil infrastructure of Iraq, and Afghanistan to enrich themselves, Billions traded for the corporations, while America accumulated Trillions in national debt, not such a good trade off, but it was for 1% of the population. The people of Afghanistan live simple lives as farmers and ranchers, living off of mountain goats, and sheep’s, and simple crops, too stupid to realize what they have an abundant source of natural resources that they do not benefit from, while Hamid Karzai hordes over 100 Billion in secret accounts for himself. The people of Afghanistan use horses and donkeys, and pick up trucks, as their main weapons, while military contractor’s keep building new weapon system’s for themselves and get richer, America goes down hill in debt. China owns 11% of the national debt, and Japan owns 10% and they are over 200% over GDP in national debt. So who owns most of the national debt Private Security Firms profiting off the national debt of the U.S. Now they want to go to war with Iran to further their own vanity, in a failed attempt to control and profit of the world oil infrastructure. What boutght the French to Vietnam the Gold Mines, back in the old days they found some oil off the coast of Vietnam, and the U.S. didn’t know how to explore for oil in the old days, and they thought the tropical rain forests, underneath was a pool of oil, and they wanted to exterminate all the natives, by profiting of the sale and manufacture of weapons to pull the U.S. economy out of a recession. Back in the Old days The Director of the CIA and Assistant Director of the CIA, a CIA field agent, 2 Dallas Police Officers, and their loaned uniforms to 2 Marine Snipers on the Bridge, weapons provided by Jimmy Hoffa, plus lodging at his Dallas night club, and one Marine hiding in the Bushes, arranged to Kill John F. Kennedy, Lindon B. Johnson promised to keep the war going, but instead of two clean shots one from the front, and one from the back, they could not tell if Lee Harvey Oswald made the shot, too many back up Snipers, the back ups, fired to many rounds they could not perfectly time it, because firing from the bottom side of the bridge, they mis-timed their Sniper shots.
Posted by: Danny Liu | February 26, 2012, 10:09 pm 10:09 pm