Santorum: The economy doesn't matter to me.

[DiabloViejo]

Rick Santorum Says He Doesn’t Give A Damn About The Unemployed, Jobs ‘Don’t Matter To Me’ (VIDEO)
March 20, 2012
By Stephen D. Foster Jr.
Addicting Information (http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/03/20/rick-santorum-says-he-doesnt-give-a-damn-about-the-unemployed-jobs-dont-matter-to-me-video/)

The unemployment rate has been falling in the last few months, but millions of Americans across the country are still unemployed, so it stands to reason that they expect to hear what the Republican Presidential candidates plan to do to create jobs. At least one candidate, Rick Santorum, doesn’t give a damn about unemployment of jobs at all. During a campaign stop in Illinois on Monday, Santorum addressed jobs and made it clear that if you care about the economy, Santorum should not be your candidate.

<span style="color: #FF0000">“We need a candidate who’s going to be a fighter for freedom,” Santorum said. “Who is going to get up and make that the central theme in this race because it is the central theme in this race. I don’t care what the unemployment rate’s going to be. Doesn’t matter to me. My campaign doesn’t hinge on unemployment rates and growth rates. It’s something more foundational that’s going on. We have one nominee who says he wants to run the economy. What kind of conservative says that the president runs the economy? What conservative says I’m the guy, because of my economic experience, that can create jobs? I don’t know. We conservatives generally think that government doesn’t create jobs. That what government does is create an atmosphere for jobs to be created in the private sector.”</span>

Rick Santorum--I don't care (http://youtu.be/VPRXLda_lEc)

Santorum just confirmed what most of us already knew. Republicans simply care more about waging war against women and homosexuals than they do about creating jobs for people who desperately need them. The number one issue for a majority of Americans right now is the economy and Rick Santorum says he doesn’t care about that. His comments are equivalent to Mitt Romney’s comment of not being concerned about poor people and should land him in hot water with the majority of the American people who actually do care about the state of the economy and jobs outlook. While President Obama offers a bold plan to create millions of jobs for Americans, Rick Santorum says jobs don’t matter to him. He’d rather give corporations millions of dollars of tax breaks that he knows won’t be used to create jobs in America. Corporations will merely hoard the cash overseas and outsource even more jobs. If I was unemployed, I know who I’d want as my President. The guy who actually cares about making sure I get employed. 

[eg8r]

Actually what Santorum confirmed is that you don't understand what is being said. While the actual words he said, "I don't care what the UE rate's going to be. Doesn't matter to me", come out the way you perceive them it only takes someone a quick second to finish listening to what he said to understand those words did not mean what you wanted them to mean.

eg8r

[DiabloViejo]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: eg8r</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Actually what Santorum confirmed is that you don't understand what is being said. While the actual words he said, "I don't care what the UE rate's going to be. Doesn't matter to me", come out the way you perceive them it only takes someone a quick second to finish listening to what he said to understand those words did not mean what you wanted them to mean.

eg8r </div></div>

No. I do understand what he's saying. I just don't happen to agree with it, that's all.

[eg8r]

So you disagree that a government creating an atmosphere for jobs to be created would help resolve the UE issue?

eg8r

[DiabloViejo]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: eg8r</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So you disagree that a government creating an atmosphere for jobs to be created would help resolve the UE issue?

eg8r </div></div>

No, it's not quite as simple as that. No sensible person can disagree with the sentiment of that statement. It's a matter of how it is implemented. On the one hand there is the laissez-faire, unregulated (or aggressively deregulated), Wild West model of free market capitalism and on the other there are those who believe that government has a crucial economic role to play i.e.,the production of services which private firms are either unwilling to produce, or for some reason, are not allowed to produce. This public role includes things that provide immediate benefits (e.g. defense, law and order) or deferred benefits (e.g. investment in roads and other public infrastructure). Another important role of government is the stabilization of the economy by attempting to reduce fluctuations in income and employment and to control movements in the general price level.

To me it's not an either/or choice. Government can, and should, encourage private enterprise because it is the driving engine of our capitalist economic system, and it should refrain from overly heavy handed regulation. But there are things that only the government can do to put people back to work that not only benefit the workers but provide a benefit to all such as much needed highway repairs, dam repairs, and the like.

[llotter]

It is true that the federal government's job is to protect our liberty, not control the economy and affect employment levels. It is also true that the federal government has ventured far beyond its job, resulting in a sick economy with high unemployment. So, the best solution for the feds is to stop venturing beyond its basic job and the economy will get better fast.

[llotter]

It is true that the federal government's job is to protect our liberty, not control the economy and affect employment levels. It is also true that the federal government has ventured far beyond its job, resulting in a sick economy with high unemployment. So, the best solution for the feds is to stop venturing beyond its basic job and the economy will get better fast.

[eg8r]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">No, it's not quite as simple as that. No sensible person can disagree with the sentiment of that statement.</div></div>Well that is all Santorum said and you misrepresented him in your subject line. If you consider yourself sensible and you find you cannot disagree with the statement then why would you purposefully misrepresent what he said.


eg8r

[Soflasnapper]

I think the author's take you link to here is a lazy reliance on a fatuous Romney smear.

Yes, one may construct such a meaning out of Santorum's remarks, but only by selectively editing out the entire remarks and their context.

Clearly enough, Santorum was working to undermine the key rationale for Romney's candidacy-- that the economy was horrible, and the country needed Romney's sole area of supposed expertise-- his alleged business acumen-- to handle this bad economy.

Thus, as many have stated, including RedState's Erik Erickson, if the economy is improving (Erickson would say, and has said, on its own), then why would we need the expertise of a hedge fund/predatory venture (vulture) capitalist, when the job is already being accomplished?

Santorum says instead that whatever the UE rate may be, his candidacy has a rationale anyway, never having relied on a "I can fix the economy" claim, which as has been said, is impossible based on conservative theory anyway.

The better, more factually based argument against Santorum is that he has no particular economic knowledge, expertise or campaign plan to deal with improving any of the economy (plus his social policy ideas are fringe wet dreams of the religious right). Not to gin up something he said by invidiously edited semi-quotation.

[eg8r]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The better, more factually based argument against Santorum is that he has no particular economic knowledge, expertise or campaign plan to deal with improving any of the economy (plus his social policy ideas are fringe wet dreams of the religious right). Not to gin up something he said by invidiously edited semi-quotation.</div></div>Thank you sofla.

eg8r

[Soflasnapper]

Old commentary on 3 differing baseball umpires' theories of what they do:

"I calls 'em like I sees 'em!" (honestly, but by subjective criteria)

"I calls 'em like they ARE!!!" (claiming infallibility)

"They ain't nothing 'til I SAY what they are!!" (complete egomania)

I try to do the first thing, leaving the other positions for prophets and... baseball umpires, I guess. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

[eg8r]

Seems like we "see 'em" the same way in response to this thread.

eg8r