Jump to content

Rick Santorum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 140.146.230.186 (talk) at 21:07, 15 October 2006 (→‎External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Rick Santorum
Junior Senator, Pennsylvania
In office
January 1995–Present
Preceded byHarris Wofford
Succeeded byIncumbent (2007)
Personal details
NationalityItalian American
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKaren Garver Santorum
"Santorum" redirects here. For other uses, see Santorum (disambiguation).

Richard John Santorum (born May 10 1958), commonly known as Rick Santorum, is the junior United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Republican Party and is chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the number-three job in the party leadership of the Senate.

Santorum is well known for his conservative social and fiscal stances, and many describe him as the Senate's most conservative Christian. In recent years, some of Santorum's comments and public statements, particularly on homosexuality and sexual privacy rights, have been controversial. He has also been criticized for his stance on Social Security, intelligent design, and the Terri Schiavo case.[1]

Santorum is running for re-election in the 2006 U.S. Senate election. Rasmussen Reports, a public opinion polling firm, calls him the "most vulnerable congressional incumbent this election season," citing the unpopularity of President George W. Bush and the emergence of a pro-life Democrat, Bob Casey, Jr., the son of the former Pennsylvania governor. [2]


Santorum was born in Winchester, Virginia, and raised in Butler County, Pennsylvania, the son of Aldo Santorum (born 1923) and Catherine D. Santorum (born 1918), but he graduated from Carmel High School in Mundelein, Illinois. He lists his residency as Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, and maintains a home in Leesburg, Virginia, for his work in Washington, D.C. His father was an immigrant from Italy.[3]

Santorum received a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Political Science, from Pennsylvania State University in 1980, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1981.

In 1986, Santorum received a law degree from the Dickinson School of Law, was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar, and began practicing law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While working at the law firm of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, he represented the World Wrestling Federation, arguing that professional wrestling should be exempt from federal steroid regulations because it was not a sport.[4] Santorum left private practice after being elected to Congress in November 1990.

Santorum and his wife, Karen Garver Santorum, have six children: Elizabeth Anne (born 1991); Richard John ("Johnny"), Jr. (born 1993); Daniel James (born 1995); Sarah Maria (born 1998); Peter Kenneth (born 1999); and Patrick Francis (born 2001). In 1996, their son Gabriel Michael was born prematurely and lived for only two hours (a sonogram taken before Gabriel was born revealed that his posterior urethral valve was closed and that the prognosis for his survival was therefore poor). Karen Santorum wrote a book about the experience: Letters to Gabriel: The True Story of Gabriel Michael Santorum.[5] In it, she writes that the couple brought the deceased infant home from the hospital and introduced the dead child to their living children as "your brother Gabriel" and slept with the body overnight before returning him to the hospital. The anecdote was also written about by Michael Sokolove in a 2005 New York Times magazine story on Santorum.[6] Karen is also the author of a book on etiquette for children.[7]

Santorum and his family attend Latin Mass at a Roman Catholic Church near Washington, D.C. On weekdays, he attends another church. On November 12, 2004, Santorum and his wife were invested as Knight and Dame, respectively, of Magistral Grace of the Knights of Malta in a ceremony at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, New York.[8]

Political career

Santorum first became actively involved in politics volunteering for the late Senator John Heinz.

After getting his MBA in 1981, Santorum became an administrative assistant to Republican State Senator J. Doyle Corman (until 1986). He was director of the Pennsylvania Senate's local government committee from 1981 to 1984, then-director of the Pennsylvania Senate's Transportation Committee until 1986.

In 1990, at age 32, Santorum was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating a seven-term Democratic incumbent, Doug Walgren. He served two terms (1991–1995). During that time, as a member of the Gang of Seven, Santorum also worked to expose congressional corruption by outing the guilty parties in the House banking scandal.

As Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, Santorum directs the communications operations of Senate Republicans and is a frequent party spokesperson. He is the youngest member of the Senate leadership and the first Pennsylvanian to hold such a prominent position since Senator Hugh Scott was Republican leader in the 1970s. In addition, Santorum serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee; the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; the Senate Special Committee on Aging; and the Senate Finance Committee, of which he is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy.

In 1994, Santorum was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating the incumbent Democrat, Harris Wofford, who is 32 years his senior. Santorum was re-elected in 2000.

In January 2005, Santorum announced his intention to run for United States Senate Republican Whip after the 2006 election.[9] His Democratic opponent in the 2006 election is Bob Casey, Jr., son of late Pennsylvania governor Robert P. Casey.

Political philosophy

In September 2005, Santorum gave a speech that outlined the successes and failures—but, more centrally, the future—of conservatism, at the Heritage Foundation's First International Conservative Conference on Social Justice. In November 2005, he adapted his speech into an op-ed piece for the political website Townhall.com outlining his vision for "Compassionate Conservatism".

What I call "Compassionate Conservatism" has something unique to offer to the shaping of our future.

Compassionate Conservatism relies on healthy families, freedom of faith, a vibrant civil society, a proper understanding of the individual and a focused government to achieve noble purposes through definable objectives which offers hope to all. [...]

Conservatism is based upon the idea of preserving the good in our society, adding to it the wisdom of experience coupled with the courage and optimism of a new generation. This formula inspired Reagan and Thatcher to hope, and to work together to change the world. Let us build upon their example to be a beacon of hope in this troubled world.[10]

Legislation and issues

Santorum has been active in welfare reform and government accountability. He is a self-described conservative who favors legislation that would restrict or prohibit abortion. Santorum has said he is personally against abortion and has expressed disapproval of homosexuality, issues that he believes should be decided by elected officials rather than the Supreme Court: "what I’d like to do is have these kinds of incredibly important moral issues be decided by the American public, not by nine unelected, unaccountable judges."[11]

Illegal immigration

Santorum opposes the current Senate proposal that addresses illegal immigration.[12] Instead, the Senator believes that we should first act to enforce currently existing laws. He has openly stated his strong opposition to amnesty for illegal immigrants. He supports the construction of a barrier along the U.S.-Mexican border, an increase in the number of border patrol agents on the border, and the stationing of National Guard troops along the border. He also believes that illegal immigrants should be deported immediately when they commit crimes, and that illegal immigrants should not receive benefits from the government. Finally, the Senator believes that English should be established as the national language in the United States.

Teaching of evolution and intelligent design

Main article: Santorum Amendment

In 2001, Santorum tried unsuccessfully to insert language which came to be known as the "Santorum Amendment" into the No Child Left Behind bill that sought to promote the teaching of intelligent design while questioning the academic standing of evolution in public schools.[13] The amendment, crafted with the assistance of the Discovery Institute,[13][14] would have required schools to discuss alleged controversies surrounding scientific topics, and gave the theory of evolution as an example, opening the door for intelligent design as an opposing theory to be presented in science classrooms.[15]

Though not included in the final version of the Act made law, the language from the amendment was included in a report attached to the Act known as the Conference Report. The Discovery Institute and many intelligent design proponents, including two Ohio Congressmen, have repeatedly invoked this to suggest that intelligent design should be included in public school science standards as an alternative to evolution.[16][17]

In a 2002 Washington Times op-ed article Santorum wrote that intelligent design "is a legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in science classes."[18] By 2005 Santorum had adopted the Discovery Institute's Teach the Controversy approach,[19] stating in an interview with National Public Radio "I'm not comfortable with intelligent design being taught in the science classroom. What we should be teaching are the problems and holes, and I think there are legitimate problems and holes in the theory of evolution"[20], a statement which mirrors the Teach the Controversy strategy, the most recent iteration of the intelligent design movement.[21] The day after the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District decision that intelligent design is not science and is essentially religious in nature[22] conclusion came down, Santorum announced that he was resigning from the advisory board of the Thomas More Law Center which had defended the Dover school board.[1] Most recently Santorum wrote the foreword for the March 2006 book, Darwin's Nemesis: Phillip Johnson And the Intelligent Design Movement a collection of essays largely by Discovery Institute fellows honoring the "father" of the intelligent design movement, Phillip E. Johnson.

Workplace Religious Freedom Act

Santorum and U.S. Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, are the lead sponsors of the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (WRFA), which would require employers to accommodate the religious observances of their employees as long as such accommodations would not impose an "undue hardship" on the employer. Thus, employers would be required to afford employees flexible work shifts so that they could observe religious holy days and to permit employees to wear religiously required garb at work. Versions of the WRFA have been introduced in 1997, 2000, and 2003, but have failed to be enacted.

National Weather Service

On April 14, 2005, Santorum introduced the National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005 to "clarify the duties and responsibilities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service (NWS), and for other purposes".[23] This legislation, if enacted, will provide for equal access by the public and private sector to the data collected by the National Weather Service. It prohibits the NWS from competing with private-sector entities, such as AccuWeather in Santorum's home state, for the publication of weather data.

Opponents of this bill contend that it will prevent the NWS from providing user-friendly presentation of the data it collects, thereby assisting private sector weather services in retaining their own customers. They argue that, since this data is collected at taxpayer expense, it should be made freely available to the public, and not provided solely to private corporations that will charge fees for access. They also claim that the vague language in the bill is an attempt to prevent the NWS from issuing free forecasts because such functions are currently provided by the private sector and would be considered competition. Supporters of this bill deny this and say that it does not change the data collection and dissemination functions of NWS. Moreover, it explicitly requires the weather service to provide "simultaneous and equal access" to its information. Critics of the NWS complain that the agency shows favoritism in its data dissemination practices.

Politicizing the CARE relief organization

The cornerstone of Santorum's current legislative agenda is the politicization of the Charity, Aid, Recover and Empowerment (CARE) Act. The CARE Act provides incentives for charitable giving, opportunities for low-income families to build their individual assets, and equity between sectarian and secular organizations as they provide charitable social services. Senator Santorum has been advised on this matter by James Dobson of the Family Research Council. On the subject of CARE, Senator Santorum has accused CARE of being "anti-American," and having what he describes as "a pro-prostitution agenda" (The Boston Globe, Monday, October 9, 2006[citation needed])

Other

As a key member of the Gang of Seven (a group of seven freshmen Republican Congressmen), Santorum helped expose a scandal at the House Bank. The Gang of Seven's reform-minded agenda is often cited as a foundation of the 1994 Republican takeover of the House of Representatives.

In 1996, as a U.S. Senator, Santorum served as Chairman of the GOP Task Force on Welfare Reform and was the author and key sponsor of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The legislation passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

Though not a named author of the special Terri Schiavo legislation, Santorum played a key role in shepherding the bill through the Senate to a vote on March 20, 2005. Santorum has frequently stated that he does not believe a "right to privacy" exists under the Constitution, even within marriage; he has been especially critical of the Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), which held that the Constitution guaranteed the aforementioned right, and on that basis, overturned a law prohibiting the sale and use of contraceptives. [24]

Santorum is also a supporter of partial privatization of Social Security. Since the 2004 presidential election, Santorum has held forums across Pennsylvania on the topic.

In 2005, Santorum sponsored the Iran Freedom and Support Act, which appropriated $10 million aimed at regime change in Iran. The Act passed with overwhelming support. However, Santorum nevertheless voted against the Lautenberg amendment which would have closed the loophole which allows companies like Halliburton to do business with Iran through their foreign affiliates. [25]

2006 re-election campaign

Main article: Pennsylvania United States Senate election, 2006

Santorum is seeking re-election to a third term in the U.S. Senate. He is considered to be one of the most conservative members of the Senate and his views have brought a great deal of praise from Republicans. Some analysts believe that Santorum may end up being too conservative for Pennsylvania, which is a swing state that has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988.[26] Consequently, he is considered to be a prime target of Democratic efforts to gain Senate seats in the 2006 elections.

Republican strategists have taken as a bad omen Santorum's primary result in 2006, in which he ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Republican gubernatorial nominee Lynn Swann garnered 22,000 more votes statewide than Santorum in the primary, meaning thousands of Republican voters abstained from endorsing Santorum for another Senate term.

On May 22, 2006, the polling firm Rasmussen Reports declared that Santorum was the "most vulnerable incumbent" among the Senators running for re-election.[27] However, as of August 2006, polling showed Mr. Santorum with his highest approval rating in months, 48 percent, a twelve-point jump between July and August. Nearly as many Pennsylvanians, 45 percent, said they have an unfavorable view of the Senator.[28]

Most polls during the summer of 2006 showed the race between Casey and Santorum becoming increasingly competitive, but a poll released by Quinnipiac University on September 26 showed Casey's margin ballooning to a double-digit lead.[29]

One day before the Quinnipiac poll was released, a Pennsylvania state judge ruled against a potential third-party candidate, Carl Romanelli of the Green Party. Mr. Romanelli fell about 8,900 petition signatures shy of the threshold needed to be placed on the statewide ballot in November. On October 4, 2006, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court also rejected Mr. Romanelli's legal challenge.[30] This is a potential blow to the Santorum campaign, as Romanelli was expected to siphon off some Casey voters.[29]

There is also some question as to whether Mr. Romanelli and Pennsylvania's Green Party violated federal election laws when they accepted tens of thousands of dollars in donations from people also backing Mr. Santorum's campaign.[31][32]

Mr. Santorum found himself mired in controversy over his residency; his detractors highlighting the fact that while he maintains a modest residence in suburban Pittsburgh, his family lives in the Virginia suburbs when the Senate is in session, which is the majority of the year. Critics argued it was not unlike the living arrangements he denounced in his 1990 House race against Representative Doug Walgren, the Democrat he defeated. Mr. Santorum accused Mr. Walgren of being out of touch with his Pittsburgh-area district, symbolized by his home in the Virginia suburbs. On NBC's Meet the Press on September 3, 2006, Mr. Santorum admitted that he only spends "maybe a month a year, something like that" at his Pennsylvania residence.[33] Santorum also pointed out in the debate that Walgren lived in a single Congressional district and that Walgren only spent 28 days of the entire year in his district, while he represents an entire commonwealth. As such, he spends much of his time in Virginia but he visits every one of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania every year.

Mr. Santorum has also drawn criticism for enrolling five of his six children in an online "cyber school" in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County, despite the fact the children lived in Virginia. The Penn Hills School District was billed $73,000 in tuition for the cyber classes.[34]

And at least one of Mr. Santorum's television ads calls into question his campaign's use of the facts regarding Mr. Casey and persons who have donated money to the Casey campaign. According to the ad, some of the persons who have given Mr. Casey money are or have been under investigation for various crimes. An editorial in Mr. Casey's hometown newspaper, The Scranton Times-Tribune, points out that all but one of the contributions "[was] made to Casey campaigns when he was running for other offices, at which time none of the contributors were known to be under investigation for anything."[35] In fact, two of the persons cited in the Santorum campaign ad have actually given contributions to Mr. Santorum's 2006 Senate campaign. Another died in 2004.[36] However, the Santorum campaign pointed out that the money the Santorum campaign received from those donors was not kept by the campaign, but rather donated to educational institutions.[37]

2008 presidential campaign

On July 25, 2005, in an interview with the Washington Post, Santorum said that he did not intend to run for the presidency in 2008.[38] "I have six children ages 4-14. And the idea of coming off a race of the intensity that I am engaged in at this point and turning around and running another two-year campaign for president is not something that I believe is in the best interest of my family", Santorum said, referring to his 2006 campaign. "I can't speak for other politicians but I can speak for me, and my intention is not to run in 2008".

Many believe this statement to mean that he was definitely not going to run in 2008, but Santorum later said "I wouldn't say the door's—I mean, OK, it's not locked and bolted, but the door itself is closed. It's just not locked. The reason I leave this little window open is because I have no idea what's going to happen between now and 3-1/2 years from now".[39] Santorum said it would take "a strange, remote set of circumstances" to change his mind.[40]

Political views

Santorum has attracted support and criticism because of his socially conservative and outspoken views, primarily because of his stances on same-sex marriage, homosexuality, and abortion. His views on social and cultural issues are presented in his 2005 book, It Takes a Family, published by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute of Wilmington, Delaware.

Controversial statements regarding homosexuality

Homosexual acts

Main article: Santorum controversy

Santorum as defined by Dan Savage as "the frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex."

A controversy arose following Santorum's statements about homosexuality in an interview with the Associated Press that was published on April 20, 2003. In response to a question about how to prevent sexual abuse of children by priests, Santorum described homosexual acts as part of a class of deviant sexual behavior that is "antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family". Santorum further stated that he does not agree with the extension of privacy rights dependent on Griswold v. Connecticut.

Santorum said the priests were engaged in "a basic homosexual relationship" with "post-pubescent men", and went on to say that he had "a problem with homosexual acts"; that the right to privacy "doesn't exist in my opinion in the United States Constitution"; that, "whether it's polygamy, whether it's adultery, whether it's sodomy, all of those things are antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family"; and that sodomy laws properly exist to prevent acts that "undermine the basic tenets of our society and the family". When the Associated Press reporter asked whether homosexuals should not then engage in homosexual acts, Santorum replied, "Every society in the history of man has upheld the institution of marriage as a bond between a man and a woman. Why? Because society is based on one thing: that society is based on the future of the society. And that's what? Children. Monogamous relationships. In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing. And when you destroy that you have a dramatic impact on the quality".

Democratic politicians, including 2004 Democratic presidential candidates, gay rights advocates (such as Dan Savage), and other liberal commentators condemned the statements. Republican politicians, religious conservatives, and other conservative commentators supported Santorum and called the condemnations unfair. Some critics argued that Santorum's position might also affect heterosexuals, in that Santorum said that he did not believe there was a Constitutional right to engage in private consensual sexual acts.

Santorum did not retract his remarks, stating that they were intended not to equate homosexuality with incest and adultery, but rather as a critique of the specific legal position that the right to privacy prevents the government from regulating consensual acts among adults (such as bigamy, incest, etc.).

Robert Traynham

In July 2005, Santorum's Director of Communication, Robert Traynham, confirmed speculation that he was gay, describing himself as an "out gay man" who strongly supported Santorum, "a man of principle, he is a man who sticks up for what he believes in." Santorum responded that it is upsetting that those who are opposed to him would target the private lives of his staff, in attempts to gain ground with his opponents. He stated that Traynham "is widely respected and admired on Capitol Hill" and "continues to have [his] full support and confidence."[41]

Comments about the Boston Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal

In 2005, a controversy developed over comments about Boston, Massachusetts, that Santorum made in a 2002 article about the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. Santorum wrote:

It is startling that those in the media and academia appear most disturbed by this aberrant behavior, since they have zealously promoted moral relativism by sanctioning "private" moral matters such as alternative lifestyles. Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture. When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm.[42]

These comments came to wider attention through an opinion column in the Philadelphia Daily News on June 24, 2005. Columnist John Baer cited Santorum's article, stating, "I'd remind you this is the same Senate leader who recently likened Democrats fighting to save the filibuster to Nazis."[43]

Santorum's remarks were criticized, especially in Massachusetts. On July 12, 2005, Boston Globe columnist Brian McGrory called on Santorum to explain his statement, and reported that Robert Traynham, Santorum's Director of Communications, told him "It's an open secret that you have Harvard University and MIT that tend to tilt to the left in terms of academic biases. I think that's what the senator was speaking to." Julie Teer, a spokeswoman for Governor of Massachusetts, Republican Mitt Romney, said "What happened with the church sex abuse scandal was a tragedy, but it had nothing to do with geography or the culture of Boston."

Later that day, Senator Ted Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, delivered a personal rebuke to Santorum on the Senate floor, saying "The people of Boston are to blame for the clergy sexual abuse? That is an irresponsible, insensitive and inexcusable thing to say."[44] Santorum has stood by his 2002 article and has not apologized.

On July 21, 2005, Rush Limbaugh interviewed Santorum about Kennedy's speech. Santorum said that he was being targeted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which, he said, coordinated with the media to publicize Kennedy's speech. He argued that his statement about Boston was taken out of context from an article he had written three years earlier. Santorum agreed with Limbaugh's summary that it was "no surprise that the center of the Catholic Church abuse took place in very liberal, or perhaps the nation's most liberal area, Boston." Santorum reiterated his broader theme of a cultural connection, saying that it is "no surprise that the culture affects people's behavior. [...] the liberal culture—the idea that [...] sexual inhibitions should be put aside and people should be able to do whatever they want to do, has an impact on people and how they behave." When asked why Boston specifically was mentioned, Santorum pointed out that, in July 2002, the outrage of American Catholics, as well as his own, was focused on the Archdiocese of Boston.[45]

Hurricane Katrina

On September 4, 2005, Santorum spoke to a Pittsburgh television station, WTAE, about the evacuation warnings given for Hurricane Katrina:

I mean people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings [...] There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving.[46]

The campaign of Bob Casey, Jr., his Democratic opponent for the Senate, criticized Santorum's remarks.[47] On September 6, in a follow-up interview with WTAE, Santorum said, "Obviously most of the people here in this case, an overwhelming majority of people, just literally couldn't have gotten out on their own."[48]

On September 8, during an interview with public-radio station WITF, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Santorum said

[T]he weather service gave no warning, or not sufficient warning in my opinion, as to the effects when it came on land in Florida as a Category One hurricane [...] Predictions were that it wasn't going to go out to the Gulf and affect the western Gulf coast, it was going to sort of head up to Florida or go right off the coast of Florida [...] I'm not going to suggest when it comes to Katrina that there were any major errors. I don't know. This is something that I think needs to be investigated.[49]

On September 9, Senator Jim DeMint, Republican of South Carolina, issued a press release: "After reviewing the actions taken by the National Weather Service, I am convinced that this was one of the most accurate hurricane predictions we have ever seen".[50]

Santorum is the sponsor of legislation proposed to prevent the National Weather Service from competing with private-sector weather services, as discussed above.

Santorum added a synthetic-fuel tax-credit amendment to a larger bill introduced in the Senate by Charles Grassley, the Iowa Republican who heads the Senate Finance Committee. Time Magazine called this tax-credit scheme "a multibillion-dollar scam."[51] The amendment was inserted in the Tax Relief Act of 2006, which provides aid for Hurricane Katrina victims and sets new policies for tax-exempt groups.

Political controversies

In September 2006, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) included Santorum in their second annual report on members of Congress with ethics issues, titled "Beyond DeLay: The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and five to watch)".[52] He was also in the first report. According to the report, "Santorum’s ethics issues stem from the manner in which he funded his children’s education and his misuse of his legislative position in exchange for contributions to his political action committee and his re-election campaign."[53] CREW's list contains seventeen Republicans and three Democrats; however, Melanie Sloan, CREW's director, says that CREW is non-partisan, but tends to focus on Republicans because they are the party in control of the House and the Senate. "You have to have power to abuse it," she says.[54]

After the report was issued, Sloan was asked[citation needed] if she could prove that Santorum received money from organizations because of his work with them. She said, "I don't have proof that there's a direct exchange, but the timing of the contributions are enough to warrant an investigation."[55]

Residency and tuition controversy

In November 2004, a controversy developed over education costs for Santorum's children. Santorum's legal address is a two-bedroom house in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, which he purchased for $87,800 in 1997. But since 2001, he has lived in Leesburg, Virginia, a town about one hour's drive west of Washington, D.C., and about 90 minutes' drive south of the Pennsylvania border, in a house he purchased for $643,000. The Penn Hills Progress, a local paper, reported that Santorum and his wife paid about $2,000 per year in property taxes on their Pennsylvania home. The paper also found that another couple — possibly renters — were registered voters at the same address.[56]

At the time the issue arose, Santorum's five older children attended the Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, with 80 percent of tuition costs paid by the Penn Hills School District.[citation needed] At a meeting in November 2004, the Penn Hills School District announced that it did not believe Santorum met the qualifications for residency status, because he and his family spent most of the year in Virginia. They demanded repayment of tuition costs totaling $67,000. Santorum said he would make other arrangements for his children's education, but insisted that he did not owe the school board any back tuition.

On July 8, 2005, a Pennsylvania state hearing officer ruled that the Penn Hills School District had not filed objections to Santorum's residency in a timely manner and dismissed the complaint. Santorum hailed the ruling as a victory against what he termed "baseless and politically motivated charges". Santorum told reporters that "[n]o one's children — and especially not small, school-age children — should be used as pawns in the 'politics of personal destruction.'"[57] In September 2006, the Pennsylvania Department of Education agreed to pay the district $55,000.

The matter rose again in May 2006. Santorum has said that his family stays during holidays and at times on weekends at the Penn Hills house. But the Progress reported in May that the house appeared unoccupied, and Casey's campaign noted that in a press release. Santorum then accused Casey's campaign of supporting trespassing on his property, saying of Casey "Now that he is a nominee, it is time for him to start acting like a candidate instead of a thug." Casey, in a statement, called the charges "false and malicious." His campaign, in a news release, described Santorum's actions as "weirdness".[58]

In September 2006, Santorum formally asked that the county remove the homestead tax exemption from his Penn Hills residence. He said that he had made similar requests to county officials in conversations in 2005 and earlier in 2006, but to no avail. In his letter, Santorum insisted that he was entitled to the exemption, which is worth about $70 annually, but chose not to take advantage of it because of the political dispute.[59]

Santorum's supporters have said that the controversy is politically motivated because the school board is controlled by Democrats (Erin Vecchio, the school board member who first publicly raised the issue, is the chair of the local Democratic Party). They also have said that since Santorum votes in Penn Hills and pays property and school taxes there, he is entitled to the same privileges as any other Penn Hills resident and should not be deprived of these privileges as a result of his service in the U.S. Senate.[citation needed]

Operation Good Neighbor Foundation

On his campaign Web site, Santorum boasts of winning $8.5 million in federal aid for the riverfront redevelopment of an abandoned Peco Energy plant—an effort that culminated in the earmarking of $6 million in highway money last year.

But good-government experts were troubled by the appearance of a developer giving money to the senator's charity at the same time it was lobbying for federal dollars. Unlike a campaign contribution, checks to a charity can be written by a corporation and are not subject to any limit.

"It's a neat window into how Washington works", said Gary Ruskin of the Congressional Accountability Project, one of several watchdogs troubled by the potential conflicts when a member of Congress also solicits funds for a charity he runs. "It shows that, more and more, Washington is for sale".

The Operation Good Neighbor Foundation is a charity that Santorum established in 2001 with the aim of helping faith-based groups and others battling poverty and social ills. But it came under fire for spending considerably less on aid and more on expenses than the Better Business Bureau and other charitable watchdogs recommend. Further, several campaign aides are on the payroll or connected with the charity, including Santorum's campaign finance chief, lobbyist Rob Bickhart, who has been paid $75,000 by Operation Good Neighbor in salary and whose company, Capitol Resource Group, rents office space to the charity. A Santorum campaign fundraiser, Maria Diesel, received nearly $200,000 in fundraising fees from Operation Good Neighbor. All in all, the foundation spent $1.25 million in 2001–2004, but devoted just 40 percent of that to charity.[60]

In 2002, the Preferred Real Estate Inc., the developer of the Wharf at Rivertown project in Chester wrote a $25,000 donation to the foundation—the largest known giver. This occurred during the time Santorum working to win as much as $8.5 million in federal aid for the donor's project in Delaware County. In addition to the charitable gift, officials from Preferred Real Estate and their spouses have donated $22,350 to Santorum's re-election campaign and $6,000 to his political action committee, America's Foundation.[citation needed]

Declaration regarding WMD in Iraq

In June 2006, Santorum declared that weapons of mass destruction (WMD) had been found in Iraq. [61] The specific weapons he referred to were chemical munitions dating back to the Iran-Iraq War that were buried in the early 1990s. The report stated that while agents had degraded to an unknown degree, they remained dangerous and possibly lethal. [61]

Santorum's declaration was based in part on declassified portions of a classified report from the National Ground Intelligence Center of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command.[62] Portions were declassified in a summary that made 6 key points:

  • Since 2003, Coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agents.
  • Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq’s pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist.
  • Pre-Gulf War chemical munitions could be sold on the black market. Use of these weapons by terrorists or insurgent groups would have implications for Coalition forces in Iraq. The possibility of use outside Iraq cannot be ruled out.
  • The most likely munitions remaining are sarin and mustard-filled projectiles.
  • The purity of the agent inside the munitions depends on many factors, including the manufacturing process, potential additives, and environmental storage conditions. While agents degrade over time, chemical warfare agents remain hazardous and potentially lethal.
  • It had been reported in open press that insurgents and Iraqi groups desired to acquire and use chemical weapons.

Pay raise controversy

Santorum stated when he became a Senator that he would not accept pay raises, and has been accused of accepting three pay raises since then. However, on September 3rd, XXXX, on Meet the Press, he claimed that he did not take those pay raises, and wrote a check to congress for the extra money he received.

Bibliography

  • Rick Santorum (2005). It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good. Intercollegiate Studies Institute. ISBN 1-932236-29-5.
  • Rick Santorum (2005). Rick Santorum. Monument Press. ISBN 0-9769668-0-8.
  • Rick Santorum (2006). Darwin's Nemesis: Phillip Johnson And the Intelligent Design Movement. IVP Academic. ISBN 0-8308-2836-2.

References

  1. ^ a b Peter S. Canellos (January 10, 2006). "The Religious Right Faces its Purgatory". The Boston Globe. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ ""Pennsylvania Senate: Casey by 23"". Rasmussen Reports. May 31, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ ""The Senator's Biography"". Santorum's Senate web-site. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  4. ^ Mike Newall (September 29, 2005). ""The Path of the Righteous Man: How Rick Santorum became the nation's evangelical poster boy"". Philadelphia citypaper.net. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Karen Garver Santorum (1998). Letters to Gabriel. CCC of America. ISBN 1-56814-528-4. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)
  6. ^ Michael Sokolove (May 22, 2005). "The Believer". New York Times Magazine. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Karen Santorum (2003). Everyday Graces: Child's Book Of Good Manners (Foundations) (Hardcover). Intercollegiate Studies Institute. ISBN 1-93223-609-0. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ ""HOSPITALLERS"" (PDF). Volume 1. Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and Malta. Winter 2004/2005. Retrieved 2006-08-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Maeve Reston (January 26, 2005). "Santorum focusing on re-election to Senate, not White House run". post-gazette.com. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Rick Santorum (November 17, 2005). ""The Conservative Future: Compassion"". Townhall.com. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ ""George Stephanopoulos Interviews Sen. Rick Santorum"". Think Progress. July 31, 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ ""On the Issues"". RickSantorum.com. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  13. ^ a b Peter Slevin (March 14, 2005). "Battle on Teaching Evolution Sharpens". Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ ""We'd Like Some Answers Origin of man, universe continues to cause debate"". Alumni News Stories. Oral Roberts University Alumni Foundation. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  15. ^ "Language on evolution attached to education law". Issues in Science and Technology. National Academy of Sciences. Spring 2002. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  16. ^ Phillip E. Johnson, (May 9, 2003). ""Intelligent Design, Freedom, & Education"". Breakpoint.org and Discovery Institute News. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  17. ^ Bruce Chapman. ""Why the Santorum Language Should Guide State Science Education Standards"" (PDF). Discovery Institute. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Rick Santorum (March 14, 2002). "Illiberal Education in Ohio Schools". The Washington Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Rick Santorum (January 14, 2005). "Teach the Controversy". Allentown Morning Call. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Rick Santorum, 'It Takes a Family'". Interview with Rick Santorum. National Public Radio Morning Edition. August 4, 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ George J. Annas (May 25, 2006). "Intelligent Judging — Evolution in the Classroom and the Courtroom". New England Journal of Medicine. 354: 2277–2281. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District: Conclusion
  23. ^ ""National Weather Services Duties Act of 2005 (Introduced in Senate)"". Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  24. ^ Senator Rick Santorum (July 19, 2005). "The Constitutional Wrecking Ball". National Review. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Bonnie Squires (September 18, 2006). ""Rick Santorum On Iran: His record does not match his rhetoric"". Op/Ed. Philadelphia Jewish Voice. Retrieved 2006-09-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ ""Casey Widens Lead Over Santorum In Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Lean To Pro-Choice Side Of Abortion Debate"". Quinnipiac University. February 13, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ ""Pennsylvania Senate: Casey by 23 Santorum Remains Most Vulnerable Incumbent"". Rasmussen Reports. May 31, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "Approval Ratings for all 100 U.S. Senators as of 08/17/06". SurveyUSA. Retrieved 2006-09-09.
  29. ^ a b Kimberly Hefling (September 26, 2006). "Casey Doubles Lead Over Santorum". York Dispatch. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "forbes.com" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  30. ^ Elizabeth Skrapets (October 7, 2006). "Ousted Romanelli Now Faces Money Problems". Scranton Times-Tribune. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ Carrie Budoff (August 1, 2006). "Santorum donors give to Green Party". Philadelphia Enquirer. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/15167552.htm" ignored (help)
  32. ^ Martha Raffaele, Associated Press (September 14, 2006). "Lawyer: Green candidate's Senate petition is invalid". Philadelphia Enquirer. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/montgomery_county/15524018.htm" ignored (help)
  33. ^ "Meet the Press transcript". NBC. September 13, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14568263/page/10" ignored (help)
  34. ^ Vera Miller (September 20, 2006). "Dems Press Cyber Cost Issue". Penn Hills Progress. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "http://www.gatewaynewspapers.com/pennhillsprogress/65799/" ignored (help)
  35. ^ Editorial (September 15, 2006). "Santorum hurls the low hard one". The Scranton Times-Tribune. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid= ignored (help)
  36. ^ Larry Eichel (September 14, 2006). "Santorum ad impugns ethics of Casey "team"". Philadelphia Enquirer. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/philadelphia_county/philadelphia/15512905.htm" ignored (help)
  37. ^ Kimberly Hefling (September 13, 2006). "Santorum ad shows Casey "campaign team" behind bars". Associated Press. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/15511495.htm" ignored (help)
  38. ^ Geoff Earle (July 27, 2008). "With Santorum out in '08, conservatives up for grabs". The Hill. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ Steve Goldstein (July 27, 2005). "(unknown title)". Philadelphia Daily News. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. ^ David T. Cook (July 28, 2005). ""Rick Santorum"". Christian Science Monitor. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ Michael Rogers (July 14, 2005). "Rick Santorum's Communications Director confirms to PageOneQ he is gay, stands behind Senator". PageOneQ. Retrieved 2008-08-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. ^ Rick Santorum (July 12, 2002). "Fishers of Men". Catholic Online. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  43. ^ John Baer (June 24, 2005). "A look into Santorum's brain". Philadelphia Daily News. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  44. ^ Susan Milligan (July 14, 2005). "Kennedy rips Santorum comments: Says senator owes victims apology". Boston Globe. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  45. ^ "Senator Rick Santorum (Interview)". RushLimbaugh.com. July 21, 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ ""Senator suggests penalties for survivors who stayed in flood zone"". The Raw Story. September 6, 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  47. ^ Sean D. Hamill (September 7, 2005). "Santorum retreats on evacuation penalty remarks". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  48. ^ Sean D. Hamill (September 7, 2005). "Santorum retreats on evacuation penalty remarks". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ Charles Babington (September 10, 2005). "Some GOP Legislators Hit Jarring Notes in Addressing Katrina". Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  50. ^ ""DeMint Gives National Weather Service "A" Grade for Katrina Prediction"". Jim DeMint's Senate web-site. September 9, 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  51. ^ Donald L. Barlett (February 26, 2006). "A Magic Way to Make Billions". Time. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coathors= ignored (help)
  52. ^ ""CREW Releases Second Annual Most Corrupt Members of Congress Report"". CREW. September 20, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  53. ^ "CREW summary of ethics issues of Santorum". Beyonddelay.org. September, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  54. ^ William Bender (September 21, 2006). ""Weldon blasts report labeling him corrupt"". Delaware County Times. Retrieved 2006-09-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  55. ^ ""Santorum, Murtha Make Watchdog Group's 'Corrupt List'"". WJAC TV. September 20, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  56. ^ Vera Miller (November 17, 2004). "More questions raised about Santorum residency". Gateway Newspapers. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  57. ^ Amy McConnell Schaarsmith (July 12, 2005). "Penn Hills loses bid to charge Santorum for online school tuition". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  58. ^ Carrie Budoff (May 20, 2006). "Santorum calls Casey a 'thug' in residency flap". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved 2006-08-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  59. ^ James O'Toole, "Santorum asks county to drop tax exemption", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 27, 2006
  60. ^ Editorial (March 7, 2006). "Charities on the Hill". Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  61. ^ a b "Report: Hundreds of WMDs Found in Iraq". Fox News. June 22, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  62. ^ "Report on Iraqi Chemical Munitions" (PDF). June 21, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district
1991 – 1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 1) from Pennsylvania
1995–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rick_Santorum&oldid=81664235"