Rick Santorum

This is my second article on the U.S. presidential campaign. Previously, I wrote about some general aspects relating to the process that the Republican Party has started to select a presidential candidate during its convention this coming August. The Republican candidate will face President Barack Obama in the November 4 general election. President Obama is seeking reelection as the Democratic Party candidate.

This time I will give a brief synopsis of Rick Santorum. Santorum and Mitt Romney are the two people most likely to claim the Republican Party nomination. The Republican candidate will attempt to dethrone President Obama, which may be difficult due to the sympathy Obama enjoys, as well as his eloquence.

Santorum, who has had some success – I would call it temporary – is a former Senator from Pennsylvania who was criticized for using anti-immigration rhetoric. It is easy to see that he will not get the Hispanic vote, especially after rejecting immigration reform for more than 12 million undocumented immigrants seeking to regularize their status. On the contrary, Santorum threatened massive deportation of illegal immigrants. He is also unpopular among African Americans for claiming, in his public appearances, that they receive a lot of social welfare benefits.

As a devout Catholic (in contrast to Romney, who is a Mormon) Santorum causes concern among many when he tries to explain his religious ideas, from the divine origin of things, to his opposition to abortion. There is also concern over the homophobic comments he has made while speaking against civil unions.

Many are also dismayed by his bellicose plans for Syria and Iran. He calls these countries parts of an Islamic fascism that he considers to be America’s enemy. He advocates drawing up plans to bomb the two countries in order to prevent nuclear expansion and threats to the West.

Santorum, a politician who has lived off the salary and benefits he received as a U.S. senator for over 16 years, lacks the wealth of his main rival, Mitt Romney. Santorum also lacks the support of large corporations. But he has the support of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. Murdoch, a media magnate, owns many American television channels and some print media like The Sun and The Times. It is considered the second largest, and most influential, media corporation in the world. It has been accused of many things, such as channeling company profits through tax havens. True or false, for Murdoch, Santorum could be the missing link and more.