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Santorum Questions Death Penalty

by TChris

As support for the death penalty continues to erode, some conservative politicians are starting to reconsider the pro-death stance that has been politically popular for so long. Among them, Sen. Rick Santorum, a Catholic who appears to be open to the church's renewed interest in abolishing death as a punishment.

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.

Santorum agrees that "the application of the death penalty should be limited" -- not much of a concession, but a start. At least he's thinking about the issue.

"I never thought about it that much when I was really a supporter of the death penalty. I still see it as potentially valuable, but I would be one to urge more caution than I would have in the past," he said.

Santorum's comments come in response to a recent poll showing that opposition to the death penalty among Catholics has nearly doubled since 2001.

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    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 11:22:52 AM EST
    Kudos, Santorum. You get my "no spin" award for the day.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 12:59:03 PM EST
    Didn't we used to call a politician who changed his position based on polls a flip-flopper? Wasn't there also a big stigma toward politicians who heed the word of the church instead of the voices of their constituents? Yes, its important to have all the voices we can against the death penalty, but we can't expect to take a Senate seat in 2006 from this creep if we start softening up on him.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 01:26:45 PM EST
    Interesting. At one time, Catholics seeking elected office had to go to great lengths to ensure that the public did not believe that they would be taking their marching orders from the Vatican. Now, Santorum is doing everything possible to embrace Papal decrees as justifications for his stances as a lawmaker (see the current Schiavo case). It will be interesting to see how the Penn. voters will react in 2006.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 01:49:01 PM EST
    Congrats on the TalkLeft plug that you guys got on 'Inside the Blogs'. I posted the video over at my place.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#5)
    by wishful on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 02:20:59 PM EST
    I had a clairvoyant moment. In it, Santorum was worrying about the Aug. 2006 front page headline: Catholic Bishops say No Communion for Santorum.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#6)
    by glanton on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 02:28:40 PM EST
    This is nothing more than the whelp of a beaten dog. He will never successfully ba able to fashion himself as a reasonable or moderate thinker in a year and a half. His goose is cooked.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#7)
    by charles on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 02:50:09 PM EST
    The idea of Rick Santorum "thinking" is not only unthinkable, it is unimaginable. Charles

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#8)
    by scarshapedstar on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 02:56:57 PM EST
    Quick, call Dog-Lovers for Truth.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 03:23:53 PM EST
    it seems like he has no moral reasons for questioning the death penalty, he's just afraid of losing votes

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 04:05:33 PM EST
    The timing is odd on his change of mind on this one. At the same time, it is laudable that he is changing his mind on the death penalty. Those of us who are opposed to the death penalty should be pleased that the tide is turning.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 04:44:49 PM EST
    Be advised, Santormu is as slippery as dog sex. The only thing he advocates is his own agenda. This man is bad -- very bad news.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 04:53:52 PM EST
    Does anyone have the "Man-on-Dog" interview on video?

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#13)
    by jimcee on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 05:05:49 PM EST
    And the tide is turning away from the death penalty and I as a supporter am less inclined to agree with it. If there is really the chance of life-time confinement for serious offenders I would support it and give over the death penalty. Some hard labor to boot wouldn't be a bad thing either,IMHO. But once the Left wins the battle that no one should be executed it starts that "slippery slope" thing that allows miscreantes to re-enter society unalloyed, so to speak. Honestly it is up to the Left to not keep moving the goal posts when it comes to "Life in Prison". Life means Life, period. Otherwise at least give the state the option of the Death Penalty anything less is hypocracy. IOW, stop coddling criminal sh*tbums to implement your cheap ideologies. Start offering answers instead of knee-jerk responses. I am tired of the "questioning" Left and Right, I want solutions, not attacks but both sides seem to be in short supply of solutions. Probably because media thrives on "stirring the pot" it will never help solve problems, only make them worse because bad news is news. Both sides need some wiggle room.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 05:46:08 PM EST
    ok lets see what kind of a show this one will become? if i am right, by the end of this show we will all be on death row.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 06:53:15 PM EST
    Could it be that the record of the most killingest governor in Texas has got people thinking? Him and Gonzales didn't actually spend much time reviewing each case, with even a mentally retarded man going to his death. The Cowboy doesn't have a conscience, but I'd wager people with a conscience are waking up.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 08:16:54 PM EST
    I just hate it when politicians mix their religion with their positions. It's so, so, wrong unless I agree with it then it's so, so, right. Which is it leftists? Against Catholics when it's abortion? Or for Catholics when it's death penalty?

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Mar 22, 2005 at 10:23:56 PM EST
    Lovely. Another Republican who doesn't base his positions on the latest poll numbers. Given the infallibilty of the Pope's decrees on the death penalty, I'm not sure why Santorum thinks his opinions on the death penalty "carry less weight" than those on abortion. I can only imagine that that public grandstanding on the death penalty issue "carries less weight" with right wingers than public grandstanding on the abortion issue.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#18)
    by glanton on Wed Mar 23, 2005 at 07:19:07 AM EST
    BocaJeff: You're entirely missing the boat on this thread. Santorum is a self-righteous blight on society in general; his efforts to impose his moral and religious views on the rest of us is despicable, and it's quite fun to see him twisting a little bit in response to polls and fellow Catholics. When he leaves the Senate it will be a much better day for America. It might even be a good moment fo wave a "Mission Accomplished" banner! ;-) Those who strongly oppose the death penalty might be softening to him; I personally waver on that issue, but even if I were 100% against capital punishment I still wouldn't be anymore impressed with that Pennsylvania hate-monger today than I was three days ago.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 23, 2005 at 07:41:50 AM EST
    I love that Santorum openly admits he never actually thought about his position on the death penalty-- he just blindly supported it-- until now. What kind of a nimrod do you have to be to never actually question or contemplate it seriously? Especially if you're a freaking senator? It's an issue that most political folks I know thought about a lot, as early as middle school or high school. I'd love to ask him this-- what other issues have you blindly supported without thinking about them for yourself first?

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#20)
    by Adept Havelock on Wed Mar 23, 2005 at 06:30:55 PM EST
    Sounds to me like Senator Frothy-Mixture is noticing the polls, and getting a bit nervous about his reelection numbers.

    Re: Santorum Questions Death Penalty (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 23, 2005 at 08:07:13 PM EST
    "I'd love to ask him this-- what other issues have you blindly supported without thinking about them for yourself first?" He was busy crafting his position on other matters of import facing America, like forming a policy stance and drafting legislation against "Man on Dog."