mozartpc27 wrote:You know, it occurs to me that Rock Santorum should hire some new handlers. Because while he was going off the rails this morning trying to explain why John F. Kennedy's first inaugural speech, and in particular its stated wish to see an "absolute" separation of Church and state, makes him want to "vomit," he at no point mentioned the almost certain reason for the reference to that principle in the speech (because really, who talks about the separation of Church and State on inauguration day?), which, had he known his history, he could have invoked to help make him look good instead of crazy. Kennedy was a Catholic, and there was a lot of real fear in the country at the time that Kennedy would just be a tool of the papal see, Dan-Brown-conspiracy style. So his invocation of the separation of church and state was a political move, meant to assuage fears about himself.
Had Santorum known this - and it's clear now that he didn't, not when he originally made the comment, and not when he was interviewed about it this morning - he could have claimed that the speech, and that line in particular, makes him want to "vomit" because it reminds of him of a time when religious and other types of bigotry was so rampant in this country, etc. Etc., etc.
Instead, he said something nutty and borderline incoherent about how important it is not to have a separation of church and state so we can ensure that non-believers have an opportunity to have their ideas heard too.
it's great because if you go on his website, there is this:
Just now we need to be reminded of what has made us a role model to others and what has made us so great in the past. There are essentially four fundamentally American contributions to the world that define not only how we have organized our government but how we have organized our lives:
...
And finally, a system of governance that promotes human flourishing, seeks the common good and maximizes personal liberty. Rule of law, checks and balances, separation of church and state, subsidiarity, and federalism. Our founders understood that man’s nature is inclined toward self and sin, and that no one person or institution should have the opportunity to consolidate power, lest the freedom of others be taken away.
