An Open Letter to Rick Santorum

I was fortunate enough to have two letters published recently in my local newspaper, the Perkasie Herald.  The first, to candidate Rick Santorum appears below after this additional comment about Mr. Santorum.  It seems he is being skewered over his statement that he doesn't care about the unemployment rate, he is more concerned about the bigger issue of government takeover of our lives.  Of course, his opponent in the Republican candidate nomination process jumped on the initial part of this comment, by making it clear that he does care about the unemployment rate and that should he be elected the CEO of America, he will be able to create jobs thereby reducing the ranks of the unemployed.  I imagine that, as conservatives, both men believe that the best way for a president to create jobs is to get out of the way of business and let them do their thing.  Perhaps Mr. Romney thinks he can teach the business community a thing or two about creating jobs, but then, wouldn't that mean interfering in the market, the very thing that conservatives abhor about the government?  Perhaps Mr. Romney's version of conservatism assumes that government intervention is OK when the intervention is from a conservative, but not when it originates from a liberal. 

I thought that the more interesting comment made by Mr. Santorum was that he would eliminate all the government programs designed to help Americans because he believes that Americans should take care of each other, not expect the government to do it for us.  On the surface, that sounds good.  Take care of each other.  A very Christian attitude.  And, when a community is hit with a natural disaster, this attitude would result in other communities helping out.  One could continue this analogy until we reach the point where all Americans participate in the assistance to all other Americans who need some help.  An entire nation sharing the mindset that we have each others' backs.  Isn't that precisely how local, state, and federal assistance programs started?  Isn't food stamps for the disadvantaged, unemployment for the recently laid off, subsidized medical assistance for the sick who can't afford the private sectors' premiums, a social security check for the elderly who can no longer work, aren't all those programs the logical result of Americans helping each other, caring for each other, doing their part to prevent fellow Americans from being hungry, going without medical care, losing their home? 

I guess I just don't understand why a government program to help the citizens of America is bad?  Isn't the government supposed to be "we the people".  Aren't each of us, collectively, the government of the United States of America?
   
Anyway, here is my letter to candidate Santorum.

An Open Letter to Rick Santorum,


Congratulations! Through personal hard work and via a consistent message, you have become a serious candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. While you still face an uphill battle until the national convention, it is clear that you have secured the backing of enough deep pocket donors, the support of the evangelical community, and the respect of many everyday Americans, to be a force to be considered for the remainder of the primary season. You have demonstrated a faith in your candidacy when few political pundits took you seriously. Truly, your rise to become one of the potential nominees in a two man race is a wonderful example of the American dream where persistence and fortitude are rewarded. And, if the trend continues and you are victorious in August, you will have accomplished the herculean task of overtaking the presumed candidate in a very short time.

But, Mr. Santorum, there will be no time to revel in your success. The presidential election will be here in the blink of an eye. Your opponent will surely have a huge advantage of monies available to spend. And, while I expect those nominees whom you have bested will lend their verbal support, I would not expect them to be daily advocates of your campaign. You may need to go it alone, just as you have up until now.

More importantly, you will need to convince the middle 20% of voters, those that haven’t already decided to vote for the incumbent or the challenger, that you are the better choice. The problem is that these voters do not believe as you do. Perhaps it’s the insulating nature of a political campaign, but just because those who surround you every day, those who attend your rallies, those who advise and support you, just because they all tell you that your message is on target and your vision is shared by all Americans, it doesn’t mean that is true.

You see, the reality is that a large percentage of Americans do not share your religious convictions about gay marriage, abortion, birth control, war. Many Americans, Americans of similar, dissimilar and no faith at all, patriotic Americans who have personally served or have family currently in a branch of the service, or who may have lost loved ones in service of our great country, many Americans believe differently than you. And many of these Americans comprise that middle 20% of the vote that you will need for your dream to come true and gain the White House.

Mr. Santorum, it is easy to make friends of and gain support from those who agree with you. It takes no great effort or persuasive personality. It is those that disagree with you that require the effort. And while you will most likely fail in the effort to make your opinion that of all Americans, it is precisely this disparity of opinion that makes America the great nation that it is today. Not in our ability to agree with each other, but in our ability to disagree and still respect each other. In our ability to take opposing viewpoints and find common ground. In our freedoms which allow everyone’s perspective to see the light of day even when that perspective violates our religious tenets.

In the end, sir, you do not have all the answers despite what your strong faith might suggest. It is in a diversity of opinion and perspective that the real solutions to our problems will be discovered. As in nature when too much commonality produces a strain that is most susceptible to disease or extinction, so to must human interactions include the range of ideas and expressions to survive and flourish.

Your path so far has been admirable. But if you really mean to cross the finish line first, you must untangle yourself from the bible. While it is a wonderful inspiration for personal growth, it is not the basis for this great American experiment in government. By insisting that we use it in place of the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, you impose a viewpoint that denies access to the American Dream to those with a different religious perspective. And, ultimately, a theocracy is not the direction that the middle 20% of voters are willing to embrace.