Rick Santorum Shares Story of Daughter Meeting Pope | The View

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youtube.com/watch?v=Hf7xFs_hXXM

 

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youtube.com/watch?v=Hf7xFs_hXXM

Thanks for posting that.

The longer segment of which the above is part, is even more impressive.

youtube.com/watch?v=Nqi_hgBSavs

It was nice that the View finished UP with the little vignette about Santorum and his daughter and the Pope … but before that the rest of the panel threw him hardballs on the topics of Planned Parenthood, abortion, Gay Marriage, and Gay adoptions.

IMO Santorum was brilliant in turning a somewhat hostile and confrontational panel (and hooting audience) into one that seemed surprised at his engaging personality, command of the facts, and conciliatory diplomacy. He turned a gay marriage question into an explanation about the virtues of traditional marriage … especially for children … that actually drew applause from “The View’s” audience!

His being a proud Dad of a disabled little girl seemed to warm the panel toward him personally too (notwithstanding the political differences that probably still remained).

Santorum has been made out to be such a monster in some quarters that this appearance (though not a program most GOP voters watch so much) is likely to change some minds about him on the personal front.

The conversation never got around to his foreign policy stands, his “Blue Collar Conservative” outreach to workers, unions, and manufacturing businesses – but Whoopi Goldberg, his main antagonist in the beginning, warmly invited him back on the show at segment’s end. I was impressed (more than usual, I should say). I wasn’t the only one.

Rick Santorum vs. The View = Advantage Santorum

americanirony.us/rick-santorum-vs-the-view-advantage-santorum/#sthash.Ba7CSbmb.dpbs

Having seen the clip, I’d have changed the headline to “The View vs. Santorum” in that order, as the panel, not the candidate did most of the challenging.

Twice Santorum seemlessly had critical facts at hand

– that Planned Parenthood’s own spokesperson said the day before that PP does not do Mammograms;

– and parrying a “why don’t you drop out, you have no support” question – with his similar state prior to his Iowa victory in 2012 (with late support from just 2% a week before the voting).

Also noting the fact that Scott Walker, the GOP leader not so long ago, has dropped out while Santorum still has a presence.

Even people who aren’t “pro-life” per convictions probably won’t see Santorum as much of a condemning martinet or exasperating moralist on the matter once they’ve seen him as just a Dad walking the talk and loving the pieces out of his special needs daughter.

If THIS is the face of “the War on Women”? Some might start humming

… “Oh it’s 1, 2, 3, what are we fightin’ for?”

 

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That picture of the Pope with Santorum’s disabled daughter is worth a thousand words.

The mainstream media likes to manufacture news, looking for wherever a Catholic candidates’ public positions might seem to be “at odds with” something the Pope may have said. Santorum, Bush, Rubio, Christie, will all be questioned endlessly regarding their faith and seeming disagreements with the Pope.

Some interpreted Pope Francis’ offhand comment explaining the Catholic position on birth control (NOT artificial birth control) as a critique of big families in an overpopulated world. And the headlines seized upon the Pontiff’s out of context phrase … breeding “like rabbits,” playing it as a mild (or more severe) scolding of big families to … what (?) … plan their families better than just letting God create children whenever they might come together?

Well. While THIS story also does a bit of speculating beyond what the Pope said … there’s an aspect of peacemaking and concord I appreciated in its account.

Santorum is the father of seven — and one of the parents Francis may have sought to appease when he appeared to walk-back his comment by praising large Catholic families.

“Healthy families are essential to society,” Francis said. “It provides us with consolation and hope to see so many large families who welcome children as a gift from God. They know that every child is a blessing.”

Rick Santorum unhappy with Pope Francis for ‘rabbits’ comment
*Pope Francis Later Praises Large Families “… who welcome children as a Gift from God” *

washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/22/rick-santorum-is-mad-at-pope-francis-for-rabbits-comment/ < Washington Post Headline on this implied a controversy between Santorum and the Pope … that apparently is done with now. If it EVER really existed.

 

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… But RICK wasn’t there!

thonline.com/news/tri-state/article_e2af8296-e4cd-5494-a311-32c33306cd4d.html < campaign story from the Dubuque Telegraph Herald revealed that fact …

Four years later, Santorum still spends much of his time on the road. But this time, he missed an experience far more joyful than life-risking surgery. Last month, Bella received a blessing from Pope Francis in Philadelphia.

"I wasn’t there.

Karen and the kids went up," said Santorum, a Catholic. “We got tickets a few days before and when we got up there, some friends that we knew actually had front-row seats – we didn’t – and they said ‘Oh, if you have Bella, we want her in front.’”

The pontiff held, kissed and blessed Bella – something Santorum said has positively affected family life.

“It’s made life around the house a lot better,” Santorum said. “It’s a real blessing.”

I don’t know why, but I thought Rick had probably gotten tickets to the venue and being recognized, people gave him a front row seat.

With him not there and his low key wife Karen just having Bella there and people letting them get closer to the Pope is sort of a different story to me now. But a nice one.

Even when he’s not with his family he speaks of “them” as a “we”.

He may never be President. But … nice DAD! And if the other thing works out … I won’t complain. :nope: