The radical conservative right and common sense: Rick Santorum

Rich Santorum, republican candidate for the parties presidential nominee, has been much in the news the last few days.

Part 1: Separation of church and state from ABC's This Week on Feb. 26, 2012.

STEPHANOPOULOS: That speech has been read, as you know, by millions of Americans. Its themes were echoed in part by Mitt Romney in the last campaign. Why did it make you throw up?
SANTORUM: Because the first line, first substantive line in the speech says, "I believe in America where the separation of church and state is absolute." I don't believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country.

This is the First Amendment. The First Amendment says the free exercise of religion. That means bringing everybody, people of faith and no faith, into the public square. Kennedy for the first time articulated the vision saying, no, faith is not allowed in the public square. I will keep it separate. Go on and read the speech. I will have nothing to do with faith. I won't consult with people of faith. It was an absolutist doctrine that was abhorrent at the time of 1960. And I went down to Houston, Texas 50 years almost to the day, and gave a speech and talked about how important it is for everybody to feel welcome in the public square. People of faith, people of no faith, and be able to bring their ideas, to bring their passions into the public square and have it out. James Madison—

Not even Newt Gingrich agrees with this bit of nonsense saying according to the AP

Gingrich and Santorum, each a Catholic seeking the GOP nomination, view Kennedy's words differently. Santorum says he felt sick after reading Kennedy's 1960 speech and believes it advocated absolute separation of church and state.

Gingrich calls it a "remarkable speech." He told Fox News Channel on Tuesday that Kennedy was reassuring voters that he wouldn't obey any foreign religious leader. Gingrich said Kennedy was declaring "that his first duty as president would be to do the job of president, and I think that's correct."

You can read the speech for yourself here and decide for yourself.  In this case Common Sense and Mr. Gingrich agree, the speech goes to the duty of the president not the participation of people of faith in government.  Perhaps Mr Santorum had allowed his pursuit of the radical religious right to overcome common sense and truth.

Part 2: President Obama and college.

"President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college,"Santorum said. "What a snob. There are good, decent men and women who go out and work hard everyday and put their skills to test that aren't taught by some liberal college professor that (tries) to indoctrinate them."

The problem here is that President Obama simply didn't say this.  In fact what he's said repeatedly is a) those who want to go to college should be able to afford to, and b) high school graduates should be encouraged to go to college.  In case there's any doubt here's what he said on Feb 27th:

The issue received such attention that Obama on Feb. 27 addressed the issue obliquely, telling the National Governors Association that "the jobs of the future are increasingly going to those with more than a high school degree. And I have to make a point here. When I speak about higher education, we’re not just talking about a four-year degree. We’re talking about somebody going to a community college and getting trained for that manufacturing job that now is requiring somebody walking through the door, handling a million-dollar piece of equipment.  And they can’t go in there unless they’ve got some basic training beyond what they received in high school. We all want Americans getting those jobs of the future. So we’re going to have to make sure that they’re getting the education that they need."

It should be noted that Mr Santorum has an undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University, an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, and a law degree from the Dickinson School of Law.  His wife, Karen, has a number of college degrees and is both an attorney and nurse.

Clearly Mr Santorum believes in education for himself, his wife, and presumably his children.  Why then does he grossly misrepresent Obama's views?  Could it be a completely crass attempt to appeal to blue collar Michigan voters who used to be able to get a good job making autos, never mind that those jobs are increasingly scarce?  Perhaps Mr Santorum has allowed his desire to win in Michigan to trump the simple reality that good jobs in the future will increasingly require more than a high school education. 

Part 3: College kills faith.

STEPHANOPOULOS: All he said was he wants, quote, "every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training." In your interview with Glenn Beck this week, you seemed to go further. You said I understand why Barack Obama wants to send every kid to college, because they are indoctrination mills. What did that mean?
SANTORUM: Well, of course. I mean, you look at the colleges and universities, George. This is not – this is not something that's new for most Americans, is how liberal our colleges and universities are and how many children in fact are – look, I've gone through it. I went through it at Penn State. You talk to most kids who go to college who are conservatives, and you are singled out, you are ridiculed, you are – I can tell you personally, I know that, you know, we – I went through a process where I was docked for my conservative views. This is sort of a regular routine (ph). You know the statistic that at least I was familiar with from a few years ago -- I don't know if it still holds true but I suspect it may even be worse – that 62 percent of kids who enter college with some sort of faith commitment leave without it.

Turns out it's just not true according to a report published last year in The Review of Religious Research and based on a 1998 study.  According to the study:

The Effects of Education on Americans’ Religious Practices, Beliefs, and Affiliations, 2011:While education has a positive effect on switching religious affiliations, particularly to mainline denominations and “other” religious traditions, it is unrelated to religious disaffiliation. Education also has a positive effect on religious participation, emphasizing the importance of religion, and supporting the rights of religious authorities to influence people’s votes.

Summary

So what do these recent events mean?  What do they say about the radical religious right?  About Mr. Santorum?

Clearly reality and facts simply do not support Mr. Santorum's views.  To the degree that these views reflect conservative religious views, those views are not based on reality or facts.

Common Sense believes that when any group ignores reality, ignores facts, or distorts to the degree these events exhibit they loose any legitimacy.  They loose any claim on a place in reasoned political discourse.  To this degree, they are their own worst enemy.