Last updated on April 7th, 2012 at 11:54 pm
Wow. Just when you think you’ve seen it all. A Republican strategist is claiming it’s hypocritical of Rick Santorum to not quit the race after he went home to be with his sick daughter. I guess I don’t understand Republicans at all.
While the modern day Republican Party exemplifies hypocrisy on a daily basis, Rick Santorum’s decision to go home to see his sick daughter is not one of those moments. Nor is his decision to stay in the race.
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Republican strategists are suggesting that it’s hypocritical of him to stay in the race as a family values conservative. My god, do they view any parent as unfit for office? Any act of compassion and empathy as worthy of scorn?
The Washington Post reported:
Patrick Griffin, a New Hampshire-based Republican consultant, said some voters may see hypocrisy in Santorum’s decision to stay on the trail, while the tragedy of his daughter may, for others, personalize the candidate.
“I do think there are people who will say this is an example of courage and bravery, of doing what he has to do to be with his family, but also doing what he has to do for the rest of us, for the country. But I think those are already believers,†Griffin said.
“I’d only say that, for me, I’d want my butt off the campaign trail and wouldn’t be calling in to any tea partyer or anywhere else. The value of family that is so important in our party . . . I would not be surprised if some voters did not find some hypocrisy in this.â€
What they mean by family values? It is impossible to have family values and work? It seems to me as if they are suggesting that Rick Santorum should get out of the campaign because he has a very sick child. How else is it hypocritical for him to continue in the race while he takes a few days with his daughter? And by the way, his daughter is doing better (thank goodness for that).
Do Republicans think that elected officials never have sick people in their families?
What does it mean to be a family values conservative –– who can guarantee the Republicans that they will never have a sick family member? How could anyone who has a family promise to be a family values conservative if it means dropping out if your family needs you or you need to be with them?
It’s a warped world already in family values land, where it seems being thriced-married and cheating on a sick wife is part of a conservative’s resume. And we all know just how hideous the hate is for gays and women who don’t know when to obey. But here we have Rick Santorum, a man I do not agree with on pretty much anything, honoring his love for his family while running for office. He is doing exactly what he should be doing, and they criticize him for it in the name of family values.
Why should he be forced out of the race just because he is taking a few days off? Perhaps the real issue here is that Republicans want him to drop out and they’re using his sick daughter and his desire to spend some time with her as an excuse to beat him up for daring to go back to work now that she’s feeling better. Oh, how family values of the Republican Party. If you have a sick child, you will be expected to drop out/quit. It’s almost as if they are treating Rick as they want women treated; using his child as a reason why he can’t run.
Plenty of people have sick family members and they go to work each day. The fact that Rick Santorum went home for a few days is honorable, and pretending that he should drop out so he’s not a hypocrite suggests that no candidate whose family gets sick can possibly run.
Somehow the rest of America manages to work and take care of sick family members. Maybe Rick Santorum in some small way can remind the Republicans of this salient fact.
Of course, that would require compassion on their part. And we all know how likely that is. About as likely as them ever getting what’s so hypocritical about their alleged family values.
Image: San Francisco Gate
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