Rick Santorum and his Zealotry Problem

“Satan has his sights on the United States of America. [He] is attacking the great institutions of America, using those great vices of pride, vanity, and sensuality as the root to attack all of the strong plants that has so deeply rooted in the American tradition…This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country-the United States of America. If you were Satan, who would you attack in this day and age?” 

That lengthy quote is from a speech that Presidential candidate Rick Santorum made at Ave Maria University in 2008. The quote, which was featured prominently on the Drudge Report earlier this week, has been criticized by prominent voices on both ends of the political spectrum. Even Rush Limbaugh, one of the most pro-Republican voices on talk radio, said that Mr. Santorum will “have to answer for these things” and that “[This is] just not the kind of stuff you hear a presidential candidate talk about.” Indeed, Santorum’s apocalyptic rhetoric is unsettling to most moderate Americans, and it should be. Ever since Santorum gained significant ground on fellow Presidential candidate Mitt Romney a couple of weeks ago, rational discussions about the economy and job creation have been latched on to the caboose of the “Family Values” crazy train. Now, the airwaves are filled with people screaming about abortion and gays, the so-called “War on Christianity”, and yes, oh-so worn out accusations of President Obama being a closeted Muslim, along with the dumb insinuations that Mitt Romney is part of a cult.

It baffles my mind that Rick Santorum and his fanatical ilk believe that the American public is going to openly embrace a political campaign based primarily on zealotry and holier-than-thou nitpicking. The economy is unstable, unemployment is still too high, and now the Middle East may be heading for an all-out regional war. And yet Santorum believes that we should care about who’s wrapping what around their woo-woo? Please. Santorum’s political message is insulting on another level too: Why, exactly, should America be ashamed of itself? Sure, all of us have had our shortcomings, and as a nation we do need to accept more responsibility for our fiscal and personal activities. But does that mean that we have let Satan lead our nation down a path of moral decadence? No, it doesn’t. This type of rhetoric is only appealing to the fringe elements of the religious right, who believe that our country is engaged in some sort of ethereal battle that will decide the fate of our country and the world. In fact, Santorum’s “Satan has his sights on America” rant resembles a message that was once delivered by another political leader who believed that strict religious dogma superseded secular law: the Ayatollah Khomeini.

In 1979, just after the Iranian Revolution had ended, Khomeini said that “Americans are the Great Satan, the wounded snake.” Now granted, that message does differ from Santorum’s in a couple of key ways. Khomeini was saying that America is an inherently evil country. Santorum’s 2008 speech portrayed America as an inherently “good, decent, powerful, and influential” country that was being infiltrated by Satanic forces. Khomeini was speaking out of hatred and spite, whereas Santorum is simply speaking out of deluded and misplaced concern. However, the two messages (and messengers) are similar in one very important way: They both base their “logic” on a sense of moral superiority. Khomeini believed that his brand of radical Islam was a universal principle, and that those who rejected it were infidels. Likewise, Santorum has stated on a couple of occasions that U.S. law should be based on Christian, Biblical law. If that were to happen, America would be a Christian Republic, not a Democratic Republic. And that would leave millions of non-Christian and moderate Christian Americans with an unwelcoming governmental system.

I’m not saying that Rick Santorum is a murderous tyrant like the Ayatollah Khomeini was. What I am trying to say is that we, as Americans, shouldn’t have to listen to our political leaders’ campaign as if they are God’s candidate of choice. Santorum is wildly popular amongst his modestly sized base of Evangelical voters, and that has given him some clout in the GOP primary race. Good for him. However, that does not give him the right to talk down to the rest of us and portray us as inferior people that need to join his flock in order to gain salvation. It also doesn’t give his supporters, such as the Rev. Franklin Graham, the right to question the integrity of Obama and Romney’s religious beliefs simply because they don’t agree with their fundamentalist approach to government.

There are a number of pertinent issues facing America this election cycle. Spiritual proselytizing is not one of them. The focus needs to stay on issues that affect Americans in this life, not in a hypothetical afterlife. If Santorum continues to treat his campaign as a holy crusade against forces of evil, he will lose. None of us are demons. We all have our charms, and we all have our faults. We also all have the ability to critically think. And if we all tap into that ability, rejecting Santorum divisive message will be a no-brainer.