Rick Santorum Suspends His Presidential Campaign

[Etheric1]

While I had nothing to make me want to support him as a candidate I have to at least respect his desire to do something. It's not that easy to place yourself in the public eye and have every little thing you say or do placed beneath the magnifying glass. Taken in any content or slant that the person hearing, reading or whatever desires to take it as and putting words in ones mouth.



I wonder just how many here that are making jest of it would be willing to place thier lives beneath the magnifying glass of public scrunity? Myself I'd place my life on the line for my beliefs and my country but I wouldn't want to have it analyzed and subject to the whim of every person. To have to safe guard against everything I said today and x number of years ago in the stupidy or arrogaunce of my youth.

This is going to sound harsh, and it is not intended as attacking anyone here. I will say it reflects the intensity of my opinions on this particular politician.

I can admire the courage that takes to put one's beliefs out there, but I will NOT respect the opinions and thoughts he speaks. It's been disgusting, degrading, and ignorant on a scale that should embarrass our entire country. So I won't apologize for taking shots at him, even if they are low. IMO he is an evil individual and I do not think tolerating his types of opinions is acceptable. Although I will admit I'm taking the low road when it comes to insulting him. I do think it is important to speak out against people such as Santorum because his ideas should be discouraged from spreading.

Would I put my life under a magnifying glass? Hells no, which is why I have no desire to be famous or in politics. Courage can be an admirable trait, but it's what's done with it that is more important.

[yewberry]

While I had nothing to make me want to support him as a candidate I have to at least respect his desire to do something.

I'll just get Godwin out of the way and say people like Hitler put themselves out there and were highly motivated too. I find no need at all to respect a hate-mongering misogynist grasping for power. I actually laughed out loud today when I heard him say he was proud of running a "positive campaign".

In short, oh hell no.

Brina

[MadZealot]

Would I put my life under a magnifying glass? Hells no

Worth 1000 words.

[monsnoleedra]

.. I can admire the courage that takes to put one's beliefs out there, but I will NOT respect the opinions and thoughts he speaks. It's been disgusting, degrading, and ignorant on a scale that should embarrass our entire country. So I won't apologize for taking shots at him, even if they are low. IMO he is an evil individual and I do not think tolerating his types of opinions is acceptable. Although I will admit I'm taking the low road when it comes to insulting him. I do think it is important to speak out against people such as Santorum because his ideas should be discouraged from spreading.

Would I put my life under a magnifying glass? Hells no, which is why I have no desire to be famous or in politics. Courage can be an admirable trait, but it's what's done with it that is more important.

Like I said there is nothing he has done to encourage me to vote for of consider him as a candidate. As a citizen it would be my duty to speak out against him and his policies based upon my particular beliefs. That to me is how we show we do not tollerate his type of opinons and position by voting.

Yet as an individual with enough determination to toss in his hat into the ring and run I have to give him respect and credit for that. There's lots of people who will belittle or make comments but few of them willing to place thier own heads on the chopping block or put their opinons on view for public scrunity.

One may not like his opinons or positions he endorses but unless your willing to toss your hat into the arena and run its all mouth chatter. People say they can't but there are plenty of independents that toss their hats in as well. Do they have a chance? Probably not under the current situations and political postuering.

[monsnoleedra]

I'll just get Godwin out of the way and say people like Hitler put themselves out there and were highly motivated too. I find no need at all to respect a hate-mongering misogynist grasping for power. I actually laughed out loud today when I heard him say he was proud of running a "positive campaign".

In short, oh hell no.

Brina

Why did Hilter win? Because no one else really stood up against him. They stood on the side lines complaining about it but not doing nothing about it nor tossing in their own hat into the foray.

Its not so much about respecting thier positions or opinons its their willingness to do more than sit on the side lines and complain. It's real easy to say this or that about a person and their politics, its a whole different ball game to put yourself out there and try to change or take a position regardless of which it is.

But the majority of Americans will sit in the shadow and make comments about them and complain but never step forward. Then complain even more when they don't like who wins or the change they bring or supposedly bring.

[yewberry]

Why did Hilter win? Because no one else really stood up against him. They stood on the side lines complaining about it but not doing nothing about it nor tossing in their own hat into the foray.

What?

Hitler ran against then-president Paul von Hindenberg. Several other candidates ran too. There were plenty of others doing something, but the German people made a horrible, horrible mistake. President Santorum would not, of course, have been a mistake of the same magnitude, but I'm utterly convinced that it would have been a big one based on his platform and campaign speeches.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is what's your point? Or are you suggesting folks here are lazy because we didn't run for president ourselves?

Brina

ETA: Perhaps if the Internet had existed and people were able to talk about why Hitler was a terrible idea he never would have been elected. A lot of "lazy" Germans (and presumably others) could have made a huge difference.

[monsnoleedra]

What?

Hitler ran against then-president Paul von Hindenberg. Several other candidates ran too. There were plenty of others doing something, but the German people made a horrible, horrible mistake. President Santorum would not, of course, have been a mistake of the same magnitude, but I'm utterly convinced that it would have been a big one based on his platform and campaign speeches.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is what's your point? Or are you suggesting folks here are lazy because we didn't run for president ourselves?

Brina

ETA: Perhaps if the Internet had existed and people were able to talk about why Hitler was a terrible idea he never would have been elected. A lot of "lazy" Germans (and presumably others) could have made a huge difference.

Hitler won because he promised change. Everyone else was still seen as part of the old regime that had caused the war and the depression / recession that followed it. He won because he faught against the status quo that had existed and promised a bright future.

Non of those running against him came from that perspective that I recall. So in essence there was no one standing up against him and he promised all the things that the people wanted to hear.

Santorum did the same in basically promising the people what he though they wanted to hear. Hoping to give them something that was not simply the same old tired regime. You may not like it but he did nothing no one else has not done.

But where he gets my recognization is the fact he did run. Didn't know if he could win or not but tried. Presented his platform and gave the populace the chance to accept or reject it and placed himself before public scrunity over his idea's,morales and what he though was the right direction to take the country.

Would it have been a mistake if he should have been elected? Who knows, to some yes to some no to some it simply wouldn't matter either way. But heck that can also be said of Obama right now.

I'm not suggesting anyone is lazy or not. I'm simply stating that regardless of how I felt about his positions I still think he deserves acknowledgment for having the guts to at least try. Something the majority of American's, or any nationality for that matter, are not willing to do while they sit and complain about it.

Lets face it is very easy to sit and cast stones when your not the one being aimed at. Arm chair quarterbacks dominate the political arena all the time but are never willing to step upon the playing field and put their game forward.

[MadZealot]

Hitler won because he promised change. Everyone else was still seen as part of the old regime that had caused the war and the depression / recession that followed it. He won because he faught against the status quo that had existed and promised a bright future.

Hey, that sounds just like.... naaaaaah.

[Catherine]

I'm not suggesting anyone is lazy or not. I'm simply stating that regardless of how I felt about his positions I still think he deserves acknowledgment for having the guts to at least try. Something the majority of American's, or any nationality for that matter, are not willing to do while they sit and complain about it.

Lets face it is very easy to sit and cast stones when your not the one being aimed at. Arm chair quarterbacks dominate the political arena all the time but are never willing to step upon the playing field and put their game forward.

Damned straight it's easy! He put himself in the position of being scrutinized by running. He made himself a target.

You seem to be suggesting that we should keep our mouths shut unless we're willing to run ourselves. You know that's not how things work. It doesn't even make any sense! Why on earth should anyone sit quietly when there's some asshat trying to take away their rights?

If you personally respect him for... whatever reasons, that's fine. For you. Don't expect it from me. That man will never receive one shred of respect or admiration from me. Ever.

[Altair]

This is actually a general response to the thread.

At the risk of getting myself in trouble, much as I dislike Santorum as a politician and disagree with his policies, I'm not sure the jokes should happen like this. In another thread, umbrage was taken about that kind of speech from the other side.

Interesting point.

Should speech *always* be respectful? And if not, what are the boundaries?

(I suspect my answer to the first is No; but if you asked me to delineate guiding principles or to identify appropriate contexts for different levels of disrespectful speech, I'd have a hard time doing it.)