Santorum rethinks death penalty stance

[johnnyrocket]

Well, looky here...are the Repugs getting soft on crime? Becoming bleeding heart weak kneed pansies!? AGAINST the death penalty?!?!? Whaaa? That would be novel for a Repug...a consistent line of reasoning.

When are these scum all voted OUT!?!? It just can't come soon enough.


--------------------


Santorum rethinks death penalty stance
Tuesday, March 22, 2005

By Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



A new poll showing that Catholics are backing off support for the death penalty was no surprise to U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, an outspoken conservative Catholic, who says he has been re-examining his own view.

He has not become an abolitionist, and he believes church teaching against the death penalty carries less weight than its longer-standing opposition to abortion. But he questions what he once unquestioningly supported.



http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05081/475366.stm

[roguevalley]

1. he's feeling the heat of rejection. Whatever he has to say to stay

in office and milk the gravy train with the rest of the nazis, he will.

[Born Free]

19. Pressure from Casey

Pa (state polls are showing the democrats are very close to replacing this radical right wing "yes" man for the bush team with a open minded thinking democrat. The latest polls show Casey and Santorum virtually, tied.

[rkc3]

23. Sounds like he was readina few polls over the weekend.

Him losing to Casey and Catholics stance on the death penalty.

Greasy little prick - can't stand him.

[Zhade]

36. Maybe you can clear something up for me...

This is an honest question: does, or did, Casey support the war? I have read that he has, but I do not know where that allegation comes from.

I hope he didn't and doesn't.

[PassingFair]

2. Time for a

bitch slapping from Scalia!

[Kimber Scott]

3. Good for him.

Everyone is allowed to change their mind.

[purduejake]

4. It's for votes.

The man has no respect for what's right. He does stuff that helps him and nothing more.

[CAG]

5. Why doesn't his catholic priest "excommunicate" death penalty advocates as

a couple of priests wanted to do with Kerry for his pro-choice stand?

For that matter, if you read much of what the Pope teaches regarding war (particularly the Iraq war) and societies responsibilities towards taking care of the poor and needy, why aren't all these right wing nutcases excommunicated?

[johnnyrocket]

7. Good call, I have SERIOUS suspicions about the religous...

communities in this country...including the priests and others...the Shiavo case only shines more light on the vast network of money and power grab that the theocons CONTROL!

The ultimate irony is how SINISTER this religious right really is.

[saigon68]

14. ITS THE CATHOLIC INQUISITION ALL OVER AGAIN

Burning Heretics at the STAKE ETC.

[hopein08]

33. Hey! That's a good point!

That is exactly what Catholic priests should do. But they won't. But I can dream.

[leesa]

6. Only because he will hopefully one day be on trial for treason.

I suspect even the criminal Bush will be changing his tune soon.

[left is right]

8. my thoughts exactly

you said it slightly better and certainly quicker than I did

on edit: I have a shy x key. It sometimes takes a lot of coaxing to get it to perform

[BrklynLiberal]

9. When someone has the history of lies and hypocrisy that Manondog has,

his sudden conversion to a death-penalty opponent reeks of situational politics more than any re-examination of a conscience which I have no doubt he is totally lacking.

[malachi]

30. Manondog! Beautiful! From now on my friends and I will use this name

when talking about rickie the numb.

[Divernan]

10. He's repositioning himself re running against Bob Casey.

NT

[DetroitDem]

11. gotta elections

It must be let's pretend I'm not a Right-Wing Psycho Week

[msanthrope]

15. Ding Ding Ding--that's the answer!!!

[genius]

12. It may be a trick to get votes.

[MADem]

13. What an INSANE comment in that article

Wrap your head around this phrase, while recalling the Ten Commandments (thou shalt not kill): "... he believes church teaching against the death penalty carries less weight than its longer-standing opposition to abortion."

LESS WEIGHT? Longer-standing??? Rickie is no spring chicken, and I recall that when I was receiving indoctrination into the faith, no one even TALKED about abortion. Years ago, it wasn't even as ISSUE!

The Catholic griping started with Roe V. Wade, not when young girls were being butchered, in backrooms and on kitchen tables because the practice was illegal, like one of Frist's shelter cats. But to the best of my recollection, that little business about not killing was always on the table!!!!

[msanthrope]

16. Cafeteria Catholic Rick!!

Take what you want, leave the rest!!!

[MADem]

18. Yeah, he does like the screwing part, he has SEVEN KIDS

...but he does seem to separate out his killing in a way that I don't think jives with doctrine. He also seems a bit waffly on that war business, even though JP2 has weighed in rather decisively (guess the word IMMORAL has a "mushy" quality to it, in Rick's mind!).

[SoCalDem]

17. (alternate lead)...SANTORUM PANDERS TO AVOID OUSTING

:)

[Moderator]

20. kick to combine

[jefferson_dem]

21. Santorum Re-Examining Death Penalty

PITTSBURGH - Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record), a longtime death penalty supporter, said he is re-examining his stance but not to the point of saying it is wrong in all cases.



"I still support the death penalty, but what I'm suggesting is, number one, we have to be more cautious," he said Tuesday, saying capital punishment should be limited to the "most horrific and heinous of crimes."


Santorum, who is running for a third term, said he is "not saying that I fundamentally believe the death penalty is wrong."


In an interview published in Tuesday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Santorum, a Roman Catholic, said he agrees with the pope that the use of the death penalty should be limited.

<SNIP>

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&e=1&u=/ap/20050323/ap_on_go_co/santorum_death_penalty

[patrice]

22. Does he also agree with the Pope about Bush's War on Iraq?

or is he one of those disgusting cafeteria Catholics?

[TommyO]

24. OOOOH...

Do I see a flippity floppity coming? One more thing to hold against the asswipe in 2006!

[salin]

25. Two points

a) if he is having "deep thoughts" on what "right to life means" - all the way to "rethinking the death penalty" - than certainly his active role in the Schaivo law - was consistent and NOT political opportunism (bad for polls)

b) "reconsidering" doesn't mean anything but words - makes one look "open" where one might not be (good for polls in a state that is far more moderate than he) - don't look for a change - just "deep thinking" about the issues...

Call me exceptionally skeptical - timing on this (per point a) is just TOO convenient.

[Moderator]

26. kick to combine

[Hobarticus]

27. Santorum re-examines death penalty stance

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Sen. Rick Santorum, a longtime death penalty supporter, said he is re-examining his stance but not to the point of saying it is wrong in all cases.

"I still support the death penalty, but what I'm suggesting is, number one, we have to be more cautious," he said Tuesday, saying capital punishment should be limited to the "most horrific and heinous of crimes."

Santorum, who is running for a third term, said he is "not saying that I fundamentally believe the death penalty is wrong."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/03/23/santorum.deathpenalty.ap/index.html

How convenient. Wonder if the reeking hypocrisy of the "Culture of Life" hoopla is getting to him.

[Bridget Burke]

28. The Church believes the death penalty is fundamentally wrong.

They've also got opinions on Aggressive War & Social Justice.

Cafeteria Catholic, indeed. Most CC's stop at using birth control....

[warrens]

29. He's reading the polls and realizes he's going to lose

This is something to try to modify his right-wing kook image without alienating too many of the right-wing kooks who vote for him.

[kentuck]

31. He's gonna get the "moderate" religion just before his election....

then it's back to his crazy right wing behavior. Hopefully, the voters in PA will not be fooled this time.

[JerseygirlCT]

32. Nah. He pulls himself a tiny bit closer to the mainstream

to compete with Casey, who's also anti-abortion and anti-death penalty. Then he pulls out: I'll have more clout in the senate b/c my party's in the majority. Then he hopes to squeak by Casey on that.

Or that's my guess, anyway. The man hasn't a spark of integrity. A move like this is always purely calculated.

[PATRICK]

34. Weaseling response

It is only because of a recent Vatican campaign from the pulpit against the death penalty. This is dodge and weave while the heat is on NOT a change of position. He is likely only mad he must refrain from putting a pro-death issue front and center.

Prediction: ultimately no change of position in the slightest, just moving into the silent area. This is as opposed to Catholic pols dealing intellectually(and painfully) with the abortion issue. Again no change of position but taking the heat for more honesty and principles of the responsibilities of their office.

[Barrett808]

35. "The horror of the actions of those who take the lives of others..."

"The church's opposition to the death penalty in no way minimizes the horror of the actions of those who take the lives of others, particularly when they do so in a senseless and brutal manner."

But when it comes to invading other countries and killing 100,000 citizens, well, the Culture of Life doesn't have a lot to say.

[Dem2theMax]

37. I read the simplest statement today on the death penalty.

Local paper did a story on Helen Prejean, discussing her campaign against the death penalty.

She asked, 'Why didn't Jesus call on his disciples to avenge his death?'

Perfect question to ask any fundie who is for the death penalty.