Santorum's wins shake up Republican race
The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
-
U.N. Security Council blames Syrian gov't for Houla killings
( 3 )
-
U.S. drones kill 5 militants in Pakistan
( 8 )
-
NATO has fight on its hands in Afghanistan - Panetta
( 1 )
-
Iran may rethink 20% enrichment: spokesman
( 0 )
-
Egypt's uprising activists weigh Brotherhood vote
( 0 )
-
- English Instructor (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
- Berlitz Japan, Inc. (ベルリッツ・ジャパン株式会社), Kansai
- Salary: ¥125,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month
-
- ALT - Mie Prefecture - Yokkaichi City - June start
- NPO法人グローバル教育推進機構（GLAD), Mie
- Salary: ¥230,000 / Month For a full working month. Some months differ.
-
- Business Teaching Positions - Part-time - Kanto Region
- Interac, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥3,000 ~ ¥5,000 / Hour
Order by Time Order by Popularity
42 Comments
Login to comment
1
SushiSake3
Conservatives this time are spoilt for choice.
They have a man who, in the midst of a crippling recession, is very, very keen to outlaw sodomy and control what ordinary Americans do in their own bedrooms, a lying serial adulterer and former speaker who was kicked out on ethics charges, and a financial elite who likes to pretend America's poor have what they need and that corporations are, in fact, people too.
Wow, if I were a conservative I'd be praising the Lord for such an outstanding selection of candidates who so closely reflect the base. :-)
-1
JapanGal
Ineresting comment Sushi-san.
My friends want me to join the Nader camp. But the way I look at American politics with the way delegates are forced to vote against their own will just does not sit well with me at all. Should be one person, one vote.
-1
SushiSake3
BTW, what's become of the Tea Party that should be supporting these guys?
Where do they stand in this race?
Oh that's right - they don't.
TP man Herman Cain endorsed Newt before the Florida primary.
TP sweetheart Our Sarah said she'd vote Newt if she were a Floridian.
The result? Newt lost Florida by double digits, ha ha ha ha ha. :-) I mean :-(
Then TP showman - oops, I mean frontman Donald Trump endorses Mitt before the Nevada caucuses.
The result? Polling showed Trump's endorsement hurt Rmoney more than it helped it.
Then TP darling of only 2 short years ago, Sharron Angle (was she the hardline Christian who participated in that witchcraft ritual?), endorsed Rick Santorum with all the force of a wet tissue, while the TP in Nevada is falling apart.
Oh dear. :-)
0
Herve Nmn L'Eisa
Sushi, you seem to have omitted a candidate, the one who has been consistent throughout his career, standing for constitutional government, individual liberty as protected by the Constitution, open communication and trade with all other nations, non-intervention (as promulgated even by George Washington in his farewell address ), limited government that does not intrude into personal lives(4th Amendment), and sound economic policy.
-4
shanabelle
Nice Herve...Ron Paul is the only candidate amongst them bordering on sane! The media are set on ignoring him though....
1
GW
republicans are looking more & more like j-politicians haha, what a GOD awful bunch!
4
Mirai Hayashi
Except that he's a total racist, an anarchist, and borderlined senile
0
SushiSake3
It's not difficult to notice the irony - conservatives are quitting on Newt in much the same way as he quit on not 1 but 2 ex-wives.
0
smithinjapan
GW: "republicans are looking more & more like j-politicians haha, what a GOD awful bunch!"
Actually, they're starting to make J-politicians look good.
0
Sarcasm321
I wish my country had such a wide selection of excellent candidates as the americans do at election time...
1
Mirai Hayashi
If these guys held TRUE conservative values, then it wouldn't be so bad. But the fact of the matter is, they are not main stream conservatives, but rather extreme right radicals.
0
skipbeat
Obama will win because...the country is liberal, the court is liberal, the media is liberal, congress is liberal, Obama is all things to the majority. The direction of the country is a mirror image of Europe. That is the current state of the country.
That's why the Republicans candidates are not being take seriously by the majority of the people, and they have themselves to blame. If the Republican debates were base on credibility and merits in producing jobs and keeping jobs they would have gotten the people's attention. The debates didn't even have substance instead they were attacking each other so it became a circus.
There is no real differences between Republicans and Democrats anymore. Republicans may want a smaller government. Whereas, the Democrats may want a larger government. Republicans may support corporations and the Democrats supports workers(unions). Republicans may support the 1% and Democrats say they support the 99%. Republicans is for cutting spending and Democrats is for spending,it's all relative. The end results is the same...the jobs are not coming back, the middle class is shrinking, the people are the ones stuck with the check.
Regardless of being a Democrat or Republican, people should take a moment to reflect the direction the country is going. The Constitution is at risk. The Constitution is the foundation of the country. Once that foundation is eroded, it is going to be hard to bring it back.
1
noriyosan73
The primary election system is incomprehensible to any foreign and even many Americans. Any candidate's wins have no value. All the wins for all the candidates have no value. Count the population in all of the states that have voted, then compare this to the City of Los Angeles, California. In 2008 before the censuses it was 9,862,049. Unfortunately, candidates just give up before California can vote in June. California's population is over 38,000,000.Why are the previous states' election insignificant? The answer is in one of the causes of the Civil War in 1800s. STATES' RIGHTS. Each state just have primaries the way it want to do it. However, the main reason is the Republican and Democratic parties are under control of the national organizations. Good luck in understanding any of this process.
0
cactusJack
Mitt Romney's involvement with Bain Capital has put a bunch of skeletons in his closet. Probably will bring him down.
1
Mirai Hayashi
Not quite. The us is more center-left (not liberal). The supreme court is conservative, the media sides with whomever gives them access (except Fox News which is always radical right), and congress is definitely conservative (otherwise Obama would have made a lot more progress with his health care proposal, and we would have had REAL financial reform)
Obama himself is not even a liberal. He's center right with most of his views and policies, but morphs into a liberal during campaign season. Everything has pretty much shifted to the right. Republicans are now extreme radical conservatives, Democrats are where traditional republicans use to be, and anything to the left of that are considered "progressive" (or where democrats once where and should be)
If Ronald Reagan were alive today, with the views and positions he had back then, he would be considered a Democrat. The US does not need extreme conservatism. Its very dangerous and the country will collapse if we continue down that road. You know who were extreme conservatives? Osama Bin Laden, Adolf Hitler, Kim Jong Il, Benito Mussolini, and Genghis Kahn. You know who were progressives? George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, FDR, and JFK.
0
genki5
@Tatanka: I'd vote for Santorum. And, I am a registered Independent that really wants an end to the current administration. I certainly do not want my vote to have to go to Romney, Gingrich, or Paul.
1
Mirai Hayashi
Money does make a difference. In this case Romney and Gingrich use it to attack each other to the point where it canceled both of them out and you were the benefactor.
-2
skipbeat
Fox News is a business and being conservative because it works for them because the other channels are liberal. News are no longer objective but subjective.
Would have to disagree with the Supreme Court being conservative. Besides the Supreme Court, the courts in general are becoming more liberal.
Congress is definitely not conservative because the Senate have Democratic majority.
The health care reform is all about generating profits and cutting cost for the insurance companies and drug comapnies. If Obama wanted to pass the health care reform than why was't there a public hearing about the reform on C-SPAN? Without Fox News people would have been clueless. Why is it just now that the public is hearing about making the Catholic Churches and hospitals pay for their employees birth control. Why didn't Obama just have birth control become an over the counter drug and make it cheap for woman to have access to it? Why make health insurance and the employer paid for it since it is the woman who make that choice in the first place? The health care reform is not a TRUE reform at all. If hospitals are non-profit then why are doctors allowed to charge $245 for an initiate visit. If the costs for treatments and x-rays were affordable people would be able to go the doctors. Obama's health care reform doesn't address cost instead it shifts the cost to employers and employees.
For REAL financial reform, Obama should just be allowed to borrowed more trillions from China. That will balance the budget. The budget will balance when there is less foreign aid given to countries,less money to the UN, less money to IMF, less money for the military. With all the billions spent on R&D for the military there is a lot of military posts around the world.
Perhaps you are confused, that described the Tea Party not Republicans.
@Mirai Hayashi
From a historical point the country have shifted from being a conservative country to a liberal/socialism country.
0
sailwind
The growing national debt and increased power of the federal government are two top concerns for self-identified Tea Party supporters, a Gallup poll indicated.
Eight in 10 Tea Party supporters said the federal government is doing too much in areas that should be left to individuals and businesses, Gallup said.
Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews conducted with of 2,063 adults May 24-25 and June 11-13. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.
Doesn't seem very radical to me, Libertarian and being fiscally conservative are pretty mainstream views after all, ask the Bluedog Democrats.
0
Mirai Hayashi
Lets look at some of the political stances of our GOP candidates shall we?
Santorum (a Republican) strongly opposes abortion. As a matter of fact he opposes it so much that he believes that a woman has no right to abort a fetus EVEN if it were conceived through rape. He further stated that even it the child was conceived through violent act of rape, the woman should feel happy to be blessed with a child.
Gingrich (a Republican) believes that children should be allowed to go to work at an earlier age. He stated that schools should get rid of unions and make the kids do janitorial work. Yeah, forget education and grab a broom and get to work!
Romney's (a Republican) net worth is a quarter of a billion dollars, yet he paid less that 15% federal income tax in 2010. He went on to state that if he became president, that everyone's taxes will be below 15%. FANTASTIC, that's a great way to reduce the federal deficit!
Paul (a Republican) pretty much believes we should get rid of everything including sexual harassment laws. He later went on stating that those who experience sexual harassment in the work force should just quit.
Perry (a Republican) stated in a GOP debate that, leaving Iraq was a mistake and that if he were elected, we would go back. Wow, aren't we lucky W.'s clone is out of the race.
Bauchmann (a Republican) called for the abolishing of social security and medicare, when over 70% of the US population are for it (including the tea party!!!!) Glad she gone too.
Cain (a Republican) thinks we should get rid of money all together and go back to carrying gold (LOL) Do you have any idea how much gold weighs?!?! Gone...and rightfully so.
So as you can see, all of these candidates and former candidates are self proclaimed Republicans, and were / are looking to be the REPUBLICAN nominee for president, hence making all of their political positions (as crazy and radical as they are) republican positions.
Fox News is conservative because its owner and CEO, Roger Ailes is a conservative and dictates to all of his newsmen (using the term REALLY loosely) what to tell its followers. He receives billions of dollars a year from his conservative sponsors to push a conservative agenda to influence public opinion. Other cable news outlets such as CNN, tend to more center right, and MSNBC is center left.
I really hope you're joking. Isn't the US already deep in debt? For real financial reforms Obama and congress need to pass more progressive tax laws to make the 1% pay their far share and not just 13.9% like Romney did in 2010.
Just because they are democrats doesn't mean that they are not conservatives. There are such things as conservative democrats like Joe Lieberman who do very little for the democratic part and pushes for more Republican agendas. Congress is center right, that's why Obama can't get anything passed; they block him evey step of the way.
The countries is no where near liberal/social but more center left, but the government is center right
0
sailwind
He said absolutely nothing close to that at all. I don't really agree with his view as I am very reluctantly pro-choice, but it is coming from a place of strong personal conviction and I do respect his view on abortion. It is a horrible decision no matter what side you fall on the issue for any woman with a conscience to make in the first place.
Asked by CNN's Piers Morgan what he would do if his own daughter approached him, begging for an abortion after having been raped, Santorum explained that he would counsel her to "accept this horribly created" baby, because it was still a gift from God, even if given in a "broken" way.
"Well, you can make the argument that if she doesn't have this baby, if she kills her child, that that, too, could ruin her life. And this is not an easy choice, I understand that. As horrible as the way that that son or daughter and son was created, it still is her child. And whether she has that child or she doesn't, it will always be her child, and she will always know that," Santorum said.
"And so to embrace her and to love her and to support her and get her through this very difficult time, I've always, you know, I believe and I think the right approach is to accept this horribly created -- in the sense of rape -- but nevertheless a gift in a very broken way, the gift of human life, and accept what God has given to you. As you know, we have to, in lots of different aspects of our life we have horrible things happen. I can't think of anything more horrible, but nevertheless, we have to make the best out of a bad situation and I would make the argument that that is making the best."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/23/rick-santorum-abortion-rapen1224624.html
0
SushiSake3
Sail, when I read this article last week it almost made me sick - Santorum is sick.
Notice this section:
'Asked by CNN's Piers Morgan what he would do if his own daughter approached him, begging for an abortion after having been raped, Santorum explained that he would counsel her to "accept this horribly created" baby, because it was still a gift from God, even if given in a "broken" way.'
"counsel her"??
This is a very deceptive way of saying he will tell her to keep the baby because HIS warped religious views - NOT the views of the mother of the baby but the views of a man - tells him that this would be the 'right' thing to do.
No matter if she doesn't love the baby. No matter if she rejects it and even adopts it out. No matter if she abuses or neglects the baby due to it being the product of rape.
What Santorum is saying is that the views - not to mention physical and emotional health - of the woman are essentially irrelevant.
Irrelevant.
That's one very good reason Santorum should never in a million years be elected president.
The guy is a disgrace to society and a potential threat to the health and livelihoods of women in America.
And that's putting it mildly....
Apologies for the rant.
0
sailwind
Notice this section:
'Asked by CNN's Piers Morgan what he would do if his own daughter approached him, begging for an abortion after having been raped, Santorum explained that he would counsel her to "accept this horribly created" baby, because it was still a gift from God, even if given in a "broken" way.'
"counsel her"??
Notice that he never said he ever said he would counsel. Notice that is what the reporter is saying not him. Notice the article is from Huffington post. Notice the bias slant? Notice that the quotes were taken out of context in the first paragraph so as to get folks like you riled up?
Notice this is exactly what he said and the counsel isn't even mentioned.
I've always, you know, I believe and I think the right approach is to accept this horribly created -- in the sense of rape -- but nevertheless a gift in a very broken way, the gift of human life, and accept what God has given to you.
0
Mirai Hayashi
geez sorry for misquoting. As if what he actually said was any better. The guy is really fundamentally flawed in his logic and values
-1
SushiSake3
Sail, I see what you're saying, and you're right.
But when you look at his actual words, you'll see your point is moot - "I've always, you know, I believe and I think the right approach is to ******accept ******this horribly created -- in the sense of rape -- but nevertheless a gift in a very broken way, the gift of human life, and accept what God has given to you.
Accept, accept - he says 'accept' twice.
Where is the woman's choice in 'accept' (the baby)?
That's not a choice, and that's the key point.
Who goes through the pain of childbearing and labor? Whose life is potentially at risk during childbirth?
The man??
No, obviously, it's the woman.
But people like Santorum say the woman should have no choice in the matter.
That they should subjugate themselves to the precepts of a religion they may not even be part of, let alone believe in.
I think one of the key problems with anti-abortion laws is that they attempt to fit a one-size-fits-all approach on situations where that simply doesn’t work.
For example, what if a single or widowed mother had, say, 5 young kids, all who were dependant on her. She gets pregnant and her doctor tells her that giving birth will kill her.
The Rick Santorum’s of your country will imply, through their carefully crafted words – “Screw it – let her die!”
The result? Five kids whose futures, lives and mental states will very likely be damaged beyond repair – all for the sake of one unborn fetus who – chances are – may die during childbirth or shortly after anyway.
No, abortion needs a case-by-case assessment, and the opinions and health of the women – the very people who are the MOST valuable and essential people to the newborn and already born – MUST be taken into account, and not steamrolled over by some male with hard line religious views whose life is not at risk.
I’m really not sure what is difficult to understand about this.
-1
Madverts
Fetus schmetus and buggery. Literally.
What is it with radical conservative control freaks dictating other peoples lives?
-3
unreconstructed
deep left field hypotheticals like that are so 2000. Vote for Obama - - if you think you can.
0
yabits
Santorum is a freaking lunatic. A woman who is the victim of a rape should immediately be allowed to take a "morning-after" pill so that the woman can comfort herself in the knowledge that this "gift" gets flushed out of her body the way more than 70% of zygotes do naturally. (That's fertilized eggs, people.)
That way, the woman won't have to explain to the poor kid when he demands to know who his daddy was (as is his right): "The only thing I know about him is he's a violent rapist." Ruin her life? Hell, for we know she's unleashing on society another human being with a hereditary proclivity towards violent crime.
As a personal code of conduct, what Santorum suggests might be worthy of respect. But he wants to go much farther than that -- so that the laws and machinery of the state come to enforce his own religious beliefs. The man is sick.
-1
SushiSake3
Yabits, of course Santorum is sick.
It's just sad that folks like unreconstructed appear to tacitly approve of it.
0
sailwind
That wasn't the question he was asked.
He was asked.......'Asked by CNN's Piers Morgan what he would do if his own daughter approached him, begging for an abortion after having been raped,
Which implies that his Daughter was already pregnant and so the "morning after" wasn't even in consideration in his thinking or answer to the question. It would be interesting if he was asked if a woman was raped would he approve of taking the "morning after pill". I would hazard it may very well be yes as at time there is nothing to show that conception had taken place such as a positive pregnancy test.
Secondly if the is "sick" because he holds religious beliefs that have been pretty much mainstream Catholic doctrine for centuries you might as call the Pope a sick man also.
-1
SushiSake3
Sail, was you last statement a joke question?
-2
pointofview
Mirai,
Sounds like you are watching too much mainstream news. You want peace, freedom, more control over the elitists Ron paul it the guy. If not, get ready for some big bad stuff in a city near you.
-1
SushiSake3
Sail, you seem to be implying that traditions should be accepted without question because they are traditions?
Care to explain that?
Slavery, torture and human sacrifice were 'traditions' in many cultures in the past. Were they acceptable too, in your view?
And hey, it seems child molesting has been 'traditional' in the Catholic church for most of last century; that's the same religious institution headed by the current Pope, who was allegedly behind some of the coverup attempts.
Yes, it's the religious beliefs that have corrupted Santorum in this case.
If he were a pregnant woman himself, I'm quite certain he wouldn't be spouting this insulting garbage.
Try putting yourself in the shoes of a pregnant woman whose life is at risk if she gives birth.
Wouldn't YOU want a say in whether you lived or died??
No?
-1
Serrano
Santorum has said a man who rapes can't be executed for it, but the innocent child conceived as a result of the rape can be. I guess this is what makes him "sick" and a "freaking lunatic."
0
yabits
Santorum's response was the wrong answer, and demonstrates his being unfit to be senator of Pennsylvania, much less president of the nation.
The right answer: "First of all, Piers, my daughter would never have to come begging me to have an abortion because she'd never be in the position to need one after a rape. We as a family discuss these matters and our daughters know that they can depend upon us to provide them with the morning-after pill if, God forbid, such a tragedy as this one actually occurred. But the more important matter is what my fellow Americans could take away from my response, since that is real reason you are asking the question. As an American citizen, I recognize the separation of church and state, and therefore my personal religious-based beliefs must be made secondary to the settled law of the land, which includes the right of any woman to have an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy."
-1
SushiSake3
Serrano, do you also think a blanket one-size-fits-all anti-abortion law is good enough to cover all possible pregnancy scenarios?
Care to explain why, let alone how?
And no religious references please - you know full well your nation's seperation of church and state.
-1
The Truth Matters
It seems the the "Anybody-but-Romney" crowd is a little bigger than previously anticipated. When Mitt wins the nomination in the fall, will they come out to vote or will they stay home? The primary numbers say they are staying home, big time.
Think of it this way Mitt, you're making Bob Dole look really good by comparison.
-1
SushiSake3
Sail - one more: Santorum said - from the quote you posted - "And so to embrace her and to love her and to support her and get her through this very difficult time, I've always, you know, I believe and I think the right approach is to accept this horribly created -- in the sense of rape -- but nevertheless a gift in a very broken way, the gift of human life, and accept what God has given to you."
This "gift" that God has "given" to a woman who has been raped?
I honestly don't know which is sicker - Santorum's clear assertion and belief that raped women must not abort and keep their babies irrespective of any and all other factors, or his stunningly ignorant and incrediby callous and unthinking comment that a baby that is a product of rape is somehow a "gift" from God.
A "gift"? So, is he saying that God - somehow - "gifts" babies to women who are raped?
Honestly mate, I am speechless......Santorum needs help and a lot of it.
Rick Santorum is a very sick individual, imo.
0
yabits
From a spiritual perspective, I know where Santorum is coming from. He's taking on the mantle and message of a Mother Teresa. Good on him; the world needs more saints.
But he's also running for political office -- the most powerful office in our nation. Political, temporal power is something a genuine "saint" would shun.
And that is what makes Rick so twisted. And dangerous.
0
yabits
And Santorum's handing of the rape of his daughter ought to generate some sympathy for Mike Dukakis.
0
Alphaape
@SushiSake3: At least the Reps are putting up people with different viewpoints, even if you don't like them. You can't tell me that every Dem is happy with Obama and that there are some that want to see the party go in a different direction, whether that be more to the left or center. But, the bosses that control the Dems will have none of that. I understand standing behind your party choice after the nomination convention, but to not even put up another candidate in the primaries makes it seem like the party just doesn't care if you like who they have annointed or not. They just expect you to vote for them no matter what. The problem I see with that is the elected officials will not have to worry about the people, and only concern themselves with keeping power.
1
Mirai Hayashi
Wrong again Bob. The facts I get that shaped my opinions can't be found through mainstream media. Mainstream media is so pro Obama and pro status quo government, that its highly unreliable. I get my info from new media and multiple sources.
BTW, what's wrong with peace and freedom? Oh. I forgot conservatives hate that stuff; they'd rather be involved in every nook and cranny of your life including what goes on in your bedroom.
There is nothing wrong with religious beliefs. If you believe abortion in wrong and women should give birth to their rapist's child because your sky god says so, have at it. HOWEVER, there is something wrong with trying to impose those belief on others and creating laws and policies based on them. Church beliefs need to stay in the church and confined to your own household. There is no place for it in government. As soon as you start introducing religious beliefs into government, you start destroying the very foundation and principals on which the country was founded on.
Geez, I hope you're kidding. There is so many things wrong with Santorum I don't know where to start. Here are a few quotes for starters:
-If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything
-the right to privacy "doesn't exist in my opinion in the United States Constitution"
-There are people who were gay and lived the gay lifestyle and aren’t anymore. I don’t know if that’s the similar situation or that’s the case for anyone that’s black. It’s a behavioral issue as opposed to a color of the skin issue, and that’s the diff for serving in the military.
-There are no Palestinians. All the people who live in the West Bank are Israelis. There are no Palestinians. This is Israeli land.
-One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country. It’s not okay. It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. [Sex] is supposed to be within marriage. It’s supposed to be for purposes that are yes, conjugal…but also procreative. That’s the perfect way that a sexual union should happen…This is special and it needs to be seen as special
-You can say I’m a hater. But I would argue I’m a lover. I’m a lover of traditional families and of the right of children to have a mother and father. I would argue that the future of America hangs in the balance, because the future of the family hangs in the balance. Isn’t that the ultimate homeland security, standing up and defending marriage?
-I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them other people’s money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn their money and provide for themselves and their families. The best way to do that is to get the manufacturing sector of the economy rolling.
-I believe that any doctor that performs an abortion, I would advocate that any doctor that performs an abortion, should be criminally charged for doing so.
-9/11 families and everybody else in America should be furious at this president that he’s walking abound taking credit for, you know, getting Osama bin Laden. He didn’t get Osama bin Laden! … The president of the United States simply said — courageous act, give him credit for saying yes — but that’s all he did, is say yes. He didn’t do the hard work. The people he’s going after did the hard work. And that is an outrage
-I don’t want to go to a trade war, I want to beat China. I want to go to war with China and make America the most attractive place in the world to do business.
-I would be saying to the Iranians, you either open those facilities, begin to dismantle them and make them available to inspectors or we will degrade those facilities though air strikes. And make it very public that we are doing that. Iran would not get a nuclear weapon under my watch.
Should I go on? There are a whole lot more...I'm just getting warmed up!
Back to top