Rick Santorum: Only dirty commies support the separation of church and state

The social conservative favorite is playing to type

Published December 1, 2014 7:07PM (EST)

  (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
(Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)

Rick "Man on Dog" Santorum made his political career as a champion of theocratic conservatism, so it's hardly a surprise that he's no fan of the separation of church and state.

But to Santorum, the concept of church-state separation isn't merely misguided. It's downright communist.

Santorum delivered this sizzling take in a conference call with social conservatives posted online today and flagged by the watchdog group Right Wing Watch. A caller told Santorum that that many of the policy priorities of President Obama and "the Democrat Party" appeared in Karl Marx's "The Communist Manifesto"; the caller proceeded to cite a number of things, including same-sex marriage, that appear nowhere in the tome.

"Well, I was just thinking," Santorum chimed in, "that the words ‘separation of church and state’ is not in the U.S. Constitution, but it was in the constitution of the former Soviet Union. That’s where it very, very comfortably sat, not in ours.”

The fact that the phrase "separation of church and state" doesn't appear verbatim in the Constitution is a favorite right-wing talking point -- one that conveniently glides over the founders' explicitly expressed support for a "wall of separation." It's been a particular hobbyhorse of Santorum, who made headlines during his 2012 presidential campaign for saying that he "almost threw up" upon reading then-Sen. John F. Kennedy's famed 1960 speech in which he advocated an "absolute" separation of church and state.

Santorum's latest remarks don't mark the first time he's tarred an idea he doesn't like with the pinko label. Earlier this year, he said that using the term "middle class" is "Marxism talk."

“Since when in America do we have classes?" Santorum asked at the time. "Since when in America are people stuck in areas or defined places called a class? That’s Marxism talk.”

Early indications suggest that Santorum is prepared to take his anti-commie crusade to the 2016 presidential race, although it's looking like America will be deprived of the chance to be led by the warrior for all that is good and godly. RealClearPolitics' polling average finds Santorum in 11th place in the GOP field, garnering just 3 percent support.

Listen to Santorum's newest comments below, via Right Wing Watch:


By Luke Brinker

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