Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum
Junior Senator, Pennsylvania
In office January 1995–Present
Preceded by	Harris Wofford
Succeeded by	Incumbent (2007)
Personal details
Nationality	american
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Karen Garver Santorum

Richard John Santorum (born May 10 1958), commonly known as Rick Santorum, is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990 from a suburban Pittsburgh district and to the U.S. Senate in 1994. Santorum is a Republican and is chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the number-three job in the party leadership of the Senate. As Conference Chairman, 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.

Santorum is well known for his conservative social and fiscal stances, and many describe him as the Senate's most outspoken Christian fundamentalist. In recent years, Santorum's comments and public statements, particularly on homosexuality and sexual privacy rights, have made him a controversial figure. He is running for re-election in the 2006 U.S. Senate election.

Early life, education, and legal career

Santorum was born in Winchester, Virginia, and raised in Butler County, Pennsylvania. He lists his residency as Penn Hills, Pennsylvania and maintains a home in Leesburg, Virginia for his work in Washington, DC. His father was an immigrant from Italy.

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. Santorum left private practice after being elected to Congress in November 1990.

Santorum and his wife, Karen Garver Santorum, have six children: Elizabeth Anne; Richard John ("Johnny"), Jr.; Daniel James; Sarah Maria; Peter Kenneth; and Patrick Francis. 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 (ISBN 1568145284). She is also the author of a book on etiquette.[1]

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.

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. 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.

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. His likely Democrat 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 importantly 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."

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 state legislatures rather than courts.

Teaching of evolution and intelligent design

In 2001, Santorum tried unsuccessfully to insert language into the No Child Left Behind bill that would have required that "a full range of views" on human origins be taught in public schools. This so-called "Santorum Amendment" attempted to relativize the teaching of biological evolution in U.S. public-school classrooms. The amendment would have required schools to discuss controversies surrounding scientific topics, and gave the theory of evolution as an example; many people interpreted this to mean that Intelligent Design would have to be taught in science classrooms.

The Senate passed a weaker, non-binding version of the amendment, which two Ohio Congressmen have invoked to suggest that the state should include Intelligent Design in its science standards. During an interview with National Public Radio in 2005, Santorum clarified his views, saying he is "not comfortable with intelligent design being taught in the science classroom".

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 [2] to "clarify the duties and responsibilities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service (NWS), and for other purposes". 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.

CARE Act

The cornerstone of Santorum's current legislative agenda is 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.

He has worked closely with Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman to pass the CARE Act.

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 aforementionied right, and on that basis, overturned a law prohibiting the sale and use contraceptives.

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.

2006 re-election campaign

Main article: Pennsylvania U.S. 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 more conservative members of the Senate and his views have brought a great deal of criticism from Democrats. Santorum has one of the lowest "net approval" ratings in the Senate. [3] Consequently, he is considered to be a prime target of Democratic efforts to gain Senate seats in the 2006 elections.

Various polls have shown Casey, the most likely Democratic candidate, leading Santorum by anywhere from 2 to 20 percent.

Santorum's national finance director (fundraiser) is David Girard-diCarlo, a managing partner at Philadelphia-based law firm Blank Rome. That firm has numerous lobbying clients; Girard-diCarlo oversees a group of more than 40 Washington lobbyists who hope to raise $4 million for Santorum's re-election bid. "The senator is most appreciative" of such fundraising help, said Robert Traynham, a spokesman for Santorum.[4]

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. "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."[5] Santorum said it would take "a strange, remote set of circumstances" to change his mind.[6]

Political views

Santorum has attracted support and criticism because of his socially conservative and outspoken views, primarily because of his stance 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.

Remarks about homosexuality

Consensual homosexual acts

Main article: Santorum controversy on homosexuality and privacy

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 are "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.)

Marriage as homeland security

On July 20, 2004, while debating the Federal Marriage Amendment, Santorum said "defending marriage" was the "ultimate homeland security."

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 issued this statement:

Robert Traynham ... is widely respected and admired on Capitol Hill, both among the press corps and among the congressional staff, as a communications professional. Not only is Mr. Traynham an exemplary staffer, but he is also a trusted friend confidente to me and my family. Mr. Traynham is a valued member of my staff and I regret that this effort on behalf of people who oppose me has made him a target of bigotry in their eyes. It is entirely unacceptable that my staffs' personal lives are considered fair game by partisans looking for arguments to bolster my opponent's campaign. Mr. Traynham continues to have my full support and confidence as well as my prayers as he navigates this rude and mean-spirited invasion of his personal life. [7] [8]

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.[9]

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 and wrote

I'd remind you this is the same Senate leader who recently likened Democrats fighting to save the filibuster to Nazis, who once equated homosexuality with bestiality and who claimed the Catholic priest pedophile scandal in Boston should be no surprise since Boston is 'a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America.'[10]

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 Communcations, 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." [11] 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: "[I]t's [...] no surprise that the culture affects people's behavior. [...] [T]he 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.[12]

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.[13]

The campaign of Bob Casey, Jr., his Democratic opponent for the Senate, criticized Santorum's remarks.[14] 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. [...] Many didn't have cars [...] And that really was a failure on the part of local officials in not making transportation available to get people out.[15]

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.[16] [17]

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".[18]

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 reported that this tax-credit scheme was a multibillion-dollar scam.[19] 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 Controversy

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. But as a Senator, he lives at his home in Leesburg, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. (Leesburg is located about one hour's drive west of Washington, D.C., and about 90 minutes' drive south of the Pennsylvania border). It is about 35 miles from his birthplace of Winchester, VA. Santorum's five older children received education through the Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School with 80 percent of tuition costs paid by the Penn Hills School District. At a meeting in November 2004, the Penn Hills School District announced that it did not believe Santorum met the qualifications for residency status since he and his family spend most of the year in Virginia. They demanded repayment of tuition costs totaling $67,000.

Santorum's supporters said that the controversy is politically motivated as 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 noted 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.

In November 2004, the Penn Hills Progress, a local paper, reported that Santorum and his wife pay about $2,000 per year in property taxes on the home they own. They also found that another couple - possibly renters - were registered voters at the same address.[20]

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.'" [21]

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's 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 between 2001 and 2004, but devoted just 40 percent of that to charity. [22]

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. [23]

Bibliography

• Santorum, Rick It Takes a Family : Conservatism and the Common Good (2005) ISBN 1932236295
• Santorum, Rick Rick Santorum (2005) ISBN 0976966808

External links

• Santorum's Senate website
• Rick Santorum for U.S. Senate
• Santorum NWS controversy
• DumpSantorum: A blog dedicated to getting Rick Santorum un-elected.
• Santorum Exposed: Anti-Santorum Website
• "It Takes a Family"
• The Conservative Future: Compassion by Rick Santorum
• Fox executives funnel cash to Santorum, GOP
• Excerpt from Santorum interview April 23, 2003
• American Prospect Cover Story: Rick Santorum: With A Little Help From His Friends
• Lawsuit Abuse Critic Explains Suit, Primetime ABC - November 10, 2005
• Big donor to Rick's charity was seeking federal aid
• Editorial: Charities on the Hill Washington Post, March 7, 2006