Santorum reflects on four years ago, says there may be surprises

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Rick Santorum says it?s time to separate the wheat from the chaff.

This was part of Santorum?s opening remarks during his Wednesday visit to the Wellspring Evangelical Free Church, in Mt. Pleasant, to court voters in Henry County.

The Republican presidential candidate, who won the Iowa caucuses four years ago, noted he isn?t near the top in polls, but quickly added that is no different than his last time campaigning in Iowa.

?I went through this same thing four years ago. I think I was at about three percent at this juncture and we went on to win Iowa,? he reflected. ?There were some surprises four years ago, the polls were incorrect and I think there will be some surprises again this year.?

A former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, Santorum is regarded as conservative and a strong proponent of the family. For those hoping to hear his views on family values, they went home disappointed as nearly 75 percent of his hour-long remarks were on foreign affairs.

Taking a few subtle shots at his GOP rivals and the Democratic candidates, Santorum said that what separates him from other candidates is his experience and following through on promises made on the campaign trail.

?Everyone knows things are a mess in Washington, D.C.,? he stated. ?How often do you send someone to Washington and then they do the opposite of what they said they would do while campaigning??

Santorum also had a jab for GOP front-runner Donald Trump asking why the American people would send someone to Washington with very little political experience. ?If you want to put someone in the White House that has no experience in national security issues, that is fine, but you will suffer the consequences.

?If you don?t understand or haven?t lived foreign policy, you won?t succeed,? Santorum continued. ?There is no substitute for experience.?

Another difference between him and the other candidates, he said, is that he would commit ground troops in the fight against ISIS. ?The ability for ISIS to spread terror is a lot easier than it was 1,000 years ago because of technology. Islam is not only a religion but also a doctrine with the objective of bringing about an Armageddon.?

Currently, the country has a president who will not keep America safe, Santorum claimed, saying President Obama is more concerned with the political correctness of Islam.

Santorum also said he was the only presidential candidate mentioned in an ISIS? publication, naming him an enemy of ISIS.

The candidate termed terror as a military tactic not an ideology. ?The past two administrations have not been honest with the people. The current administration, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are all lying to us?Sometimes, you just have to recognize the truth and say it.?

?If we don?t pay attention to what Islam is doing, we will have serious problems. They (ISIS) are only doing what they are told to do and that is spread Islam throughout the world,? Santorum said.

Shifting to domestic issues, the former senator said the United States has an opportunity due to China?s economic woes. ?I know this country is suffering, but we have an opportunity because China is hurting. They have over-industrialized. They have produced more concrete in the last four years than the United States has used in a century. We now have an opportunity to get some of those jobs back.?

?The key for us (GOP) winning,? he said, ?is by telling the people how we are going to create jobs for the American worker. I believe we need someone who can connect with the American worker and who understands what must be done to create jobs.?

He also pointed out that he is the only candidate for president that opposes bringing Syrian refugees to the country. He said he doesn?t believe we should take any refugees from a country controlled by ISIS, or any refugees without a legitimate background check.

Santorum also supports a 20-percent flat tax. ?I?m a pro-growth guy. If you are looking at someone who has a fair flat tax to grow the economy, I am that guy.?

Later in his remarks, he did compliment Trump ?for saying a lot of things that need to be said. I don?t think his solutions are good or he has the experience. However, I would give him a lot of credit. He has been able to touch a nerve and gain attention. If you think our answer in Washington is to have someone who demeans everyone, we have that now.?

The Republicans, Santorum assessed, have an opportunity to win the election ?because of how Obama has left the country.?

In his final pitch to county residents, Santorum urged taking a hard look at the candidates before going to caucus Feb. 1.

?The last thing we need to do as a Republican Party is elect someone who says they are going to do something and then they don?t have the experience to do it,? he commented. ?We need someone who can fight and win and do what they say they are going to do.?