Santorum Blasts Romney on Contraception

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright March 2, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

                 After basking in his victories in Michigan and Arizona, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney stepped on his shoelaces over a contraception amendment to Obamacare, giving religious exemptions to employers to opt out of federally mandated health care plans.  President Barack Obama was forced to back down Feb. 10 on an executive order requiring Catholic or Church-affiliated hospitals to pass out free condoms.  When asked whether or not he’d support the Sen. Roy Blunt’s (R-Missouri) amendment to Obamacare wending its way through the U.S. Senate, Romney said no, giving religious groups, mostly Catholics, the right to opt out of health insurance because of opposition to contraception.  Obama’s reversed himself on the contraception issue when religious groups went on the warpath.  Now Romney, a Mormon, feels the heat as former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn.) lashes out.

            Before dying in the Senate, the Blunt amendment would have given employers an exemption to federal mandates, e.g., contraception, if it conflicts with religious beliefs.  With so many big social and economic problems facing voters, the GOP continues to focus on hot-buttons to religious conservatives.  Romney’s big wins in Michigan and Arizona prompted his closest rival Santorum to take another cheap shot.  Santorum called Romney a flip-flopper, the same label applied to him by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the 2008 campaign.  When pressed on the Blunt amendment, Romney said he “misunderstood” the question, giving Santorum the opening.  “We saw an insight into what’s in the gut of Gov. Romney, yesterday,” Santorum told supporters in Atlanta, pointing out the inconsistency.  Romney’s conservative rivals have done their best to paint him as moderate.

             Four years ago the otherwise maverick McCain pivoted to the right to win the nomination.  He pandered to conservatives, ultimately biting the poisoned apple of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for his vice president.  Santorum continues to push Romney in the same direction, believing that only a conservative Republican can beat Obama in November.  Santorum can’t possibly believe his analysis of the last presidential election.  He’s on record saying the GOP couldn’t win with a moderate like McCain.  In reality, picking a very conservative running mate like Palin sabotaged McCain’s campaign.  Not only was Palin too conservative, she lacked the experience to be president, scaring off voters.  But, truth be told, no Republican could have beaten Obama after former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney left the economy in shambles

          Satorum’s criticism of Romney goes to the heart of the current civil war inside the Republican Party.  Whether religious or social conservatives, they’ve become so out-of-step with mainstream values when it comes to women’s reproductive rights.  Conservatives also go over the deep end opposing same-sex marriage, pandering too much to the kind of intolerance that makes the GOP look reactionary.  “A lot will tell you what kind of president you’re going to be when you haven’t been properly briefed by your consultants,” said Santorum, swiping at Romney's apparent change of heart.  Romney’s in a no-win situation pandering to his Party’s right wing while, at the same time, appearing electable to crossover Democrats and independents.  Santorum continues to advance his self-serving theory that only a real conservative can prevail against Obama on Election Day. 

             Santorum’s rant against moderate Republicans divides the Party more than its current internal conflicts.  “We need the people of Georgia to stand with the conservative to make sure the Washington establishment doesn’t again give us another moderate Republican who will not motivate our country and will lose this election in the general election,” Satorum told supporters.  He forgets that his idol, the late President Ronald Reagan, was moderate by his standards.  Reagan didn’t interfere with women’s reproductive rights or try to impose his religious views on the Party.  If Santorum gets his way, Christian evangelicals would dictate Washington’s economic and social policies, leaving the country more polarized.  Naming McCain, former Sen. Robert Dole (R-Ks.), former President George H.W. Bush, or even the late President Jerry Ford, Satorum blames GOP failures on moderates.

             Whether Satorum admits it or not, Romney’s recent wins in Michigan and Arizona prove that a moderate Republican can galvanize the GOP.  In case anyone forgets, former President Richard M. Nixon would be considered moderate by today’s standards.  Santorum’s tendency to wear his religion on his sleeve runs counter to generations of conservatives that kept their religious beliefs private.  If 2008 is any guide, voters slapped McCain and Palin, precisely because she pandered too much to religious conservatives.  While it worked for Bush and Cheney twice, the same trick didn’t work for McCain and Palin.  Republicans’ electability has little to do with Santorum’s prescription of religious conservatism.  Romney’s on the right track restoring a more secular voice to the GOP.  If he does well on March 6, Super Tuesday, religious conservatives could jump on the Romney bandwagon.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.       

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