Santorum, his kids, Pennsylvania and my two cents

[LynneSin]

I know there has been a ton of heck given about the Santorum kids crying in the background while Santorum himself was giving his concession speech. For some DUers it was pretty funny to watch those kids breakdown and for other DUers they were a tad bid upset that we would drag his kids into the political fray.

Well here is my two cents from a former Pennsylvanian who put up with him as my senator for 6 fricking years.

Rick Santorum is nothing more than an opportunist. I once back in the early 90s wrote a letter to him to ask for his support for some bill that would curtain violence against family planning clinics. The only response I got from him was a campaign letter asking for funds. Oddly enough I'm not the only one who had that experience.

And even after I left Pennsylvania for greener pastures here in Delaware, I have not escaped Rick Santorum. Living in the Philadelphia metro area meant I saw all the same campaign ads I had to live through in 1994 and 2000.

As I said, the man is an opportunist and a person who would not think twice as using his kids as political pawns. Let's face it, it's not uncommon for candidates to have children and hell, it's pretty common place that candidates include their kids a campaign ad shot as the candidate loving looks in the eyes of his/her spouse and then spreads his arms around his/her kids to gather them into the picture. But Santorum took that step even further - he used his kids, they were a pawn in his right-wing rhetoric and stealing of Pennsylvania Tax Dollars. And not once did the man have any regret for doing that.

When Santorum first won a political office in 1990, he hounded his democratic opponent (and the incumbent) about living in Virginia and no longer being a resident of Pennsylvania. Personally, I think that's the norm, I mean what do you do if you're from Hawaii, Alaska or someplace out West where you're stuck away from home for extended periods of time - you move your family to be closer to you. But for Santorum, in 2006 that became Hypocrisy because Santorum did exactly what he pledged not to do in 1990 - he moved his wife & six kids to Virginia. So when the hypocrisy of what Santorum did in 1990 was shoved back in his face, did Rick say "well, I can see why it needs to be done, perhaps I was harsh to past opponents about it"....no. Instead he forced his kids to do a campaign ad claiming that Democrats and Casey were mean to their dad for criticizing their dad's desire to be near his kids. He made them the campaign.

And Rick made them the campaign by stealing Pennsylvania Tax Dollars in order to educate his kids in an expensive cyber homeschool. Although Rick maintained dual residence in both Virginia and his 2bed/2bath Penns Hill, PA home, his wife and kids (all six of them) remained fulltime in Virginia. Although it's not uncommon for eight people to live in a two bedroom home, that's usually for families of low income who have no choice but to live together in crammed conditions. But the Santorums had the means for a palatial home in Virginia and took money from the Penn Hills school district to educate his kids in a program that cost that school district close to $75k in tax dollars. Rick could have easily found other alternatives whether it was to pay for the education out of his own pocket or send the kids to the local school in Virginia. But once again Rick made his kids the pawn in his campaign to dismantle our public school systems and felt no shame in stealing Pennsylvania tax dollars.

So yes, I feel sorry for the kids - but not because their dad lost but because dad was oh-so-willing to once again use his kids as a pawn by putting them right there in plain camera shot to show "Look Pennsylvania you're so cruel to my kids to make them cry".

It's not the kids crying that bugs me nor bugs most people here at DU. It's once again seeing Rick use those kids as campaign fodder.

[H2O Man]

1. One of my

favorite cousins grew up on the same block with Casey, and is still neighbors and friends with him. While she disagrees with him on one issue, she says that he is a very good and decent man. I was very pleased with his victory. And I was glad to see Rick S defeated.

[LynneSin]

8. I feel RoeVWade is 110% safer with Casey as senator

and I feel that for once, we'll have a congress that cares about the fetus once it's born.

Casey won't be on the Judiciary - that's the only committee where he could do some damage. And Labor loves Casey - I must have worked yesterday with six different Labor Unions including Teachers, Service Industry and Steelworkers

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. I say we just drop it.

This discussion ends up in a flame fest of us calling each other "insensitive jerks" and/or "holier-than-thou party-poopers" when we could be doing something constructive like celebrating our victory or planning the next congress.

[Hippo_Tron]

3. I don't think they were crying because Santorum lost

I think they were crying because Rick Santorum is their dad.

[YDogg]

4. Very well put.

[Glenda]

5. oh, he made this too personal for them

thanks for explaining

[Tatiana]

6. AMEN! You're one of the first people I've seen say this.

Instead of pointing the finger at those on this board who chuckled at the (in my opinion) unreal reaction of Santorum's children, we need to be chastising the man who has used his kids as pawns for most his political career. His very YOUNG children did NOT need to be up front, on stage as Santorum delivered his concession speech. He put them there for a reason.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

7. He used his kids as human shields for his own misdeeds.

My children don't live or die on whether my husband wins or loses a client...not should they. They are blissfully unaware of the daily goings on of adult responsibilities.

It was abusive and reckless of him to involve his young kids so deeply.

And, again, as a PA voter I EFFIN KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING FOR THE CAMERAS LAST NIGHT WITH HIS KIDS but, I felt no guilt for voting against him.

Hear that Rick....I VOTED AGAINST YOU AS MY SENATOR AND I FEEL GOOD.

[LynneSin]

10. I couldn't vote against Rick but....

...I think I helped convince about a dozen Pennsylvanian friends & relatives to vote for Casey!

[Rick Myers]

9. Thank you for the details...

I thought it was really cheap of Santorum to do the 'Family Portrait' staging. He could have simply have done the speech himself, but HE CHOSE to do what he did. He is a stupid, cheap like excuse for a man.

[RobinA]

12. Oh, Come On

I hate Santorum, but they all have their kids up there. Every shot I saw last night had the candidate (whoever he/she is) with a bunch of youngsters around with at least one of them looking exactly like a chip off the old block. I kinda think I wouldn't have my kids up there if I lost, but that's just me...

[deadparrot]

19. If my daughter was crying as much as that little girl was,

I probably wouldn't subject her to bright lights, a big crowd, and photographers.

[demokatgurrl]

11. Excellent post, LynneSin! n/t

[mondo joe]

13. IMO, their response showed what SUCKY parents the Santorums are.

I think any politician parent who will trot their kids out like that is obliged to prep the kids to have some dignity.

These kids looked like they had the same sense of entitlement and righteousness as every other damn loser in Santorumland.

[elehhhhna]

14. i'll get flamed but they looked seriously overfed (or fastfooded) into

early health-problems.


IMO that's often a sign of parental negligence.

[fortyfeetunder]

15. It was a shame he did that to his kids.

And I would not be surprised if the six little crying pumps were primed before the loss.

[Missy Vixen]

16. LynneSin, great post

Santorum is the worst kind of political whore -- dragging his small kids through this? What's wrong with him? What's wrong with the wife that allows it to happen?

We live in a small town. My husband ran against the current mayor as a spoiler and lost, but we found it comical that his wife and three children were featured in every piece of campaign literature he could have them plastered all over. I'm nauseated over the fact that it is apparent to anyone familiar with him that he is a less than attentive father and husband, but he'll trot them out at every opportunity. (He was very open in the previous election about "I'm using this" -- re: his family.) Another city councilmember ran for state office (and is, thankfully, getting his ass handed to him in the returns). His four year old carried a sign during a community parade in June: "Vote for my daddy". Awww. :puke: Guess what party both of these men belong to?

Julie

p.s. The mayor in question flipped his affiliation from Democrat to Republican two years ago. I'll bet he's flipping back sooner than later...

[LynneSin]

17. They tried that against Rendell in 2002

Rendell's wife can't campaign with him because she's a district court judge. So the only time you see Midge Rendell is on election night. In 2002, Mike Fisher made it a point to plaster his family all over everything because he knew that Rendell could not do the same thing because of his wife's position. Fisher lost miserable of course!

[JackBeck]

18. How could anyone not laugh at this picture?

It's not making fun of or mocking any of the kids. Just hee-larious. I'd probably do the same.

[jgraz]

20. Shit, I'm just glad he didn't pull out his dead fetus...