Rick Santorum’s candidacy has brought to the forefront the type of arguments that in the past could only be heard on the far Right fringe. But now these views are debated in the mainstream media. By the Left they are treated as a phase; the irrationality invoked by a contentious election, with the backdrop of depressed economy and discomfort with a negro president.
Few actually expressed outraged by the notion that access to contraception could be restricted; a much smaller number, unfortunately, are outraged by the full blown opposition to women’s right to abortion. Santorum’s comment on higher education is treated as yet more “crazy talk”. But that in itself demonstrates how the anti-intellectualism of the right, and the erosion of eduction over the past half century results in people simply not getting it.
Taking away contraception and abortion is the Christian version of the Burka. Women’s rights to maternity leave and job protection when pregnant are already scant in the US. If women lose control over their ability to be pregnant, the little economic progress and reduced work-place inequality that women have obtained over the past half century will disappear. If you think Santorum objects only to Title X, ask Foster Friess - Santorum’s major contributor - what he thinks of Title VII.
Taking away contraception and abortion is not a “health care” issue. True, women die of illegal abortions, but if contraception was about our health, the human race would have died out well before the 20th century. It’s about women’s civil rights. It’s about understanding the reproductive system, it’s about population growth, it’s about education in biology and medicine.
Santorum’s objection to what he considers the snobbery of “Liberal colleges” is part of the assault on values that were supposed to have been established - at least in the West - during the Enlightenment. His objection to people having access to higher education, specifically those who need government help to gain such access, is no different than the Khmer Rouge.
Like the leaders of the Khmer Rouge, Santorum is middle class and well educated, yet he believes that his privilege should not extend to the “masses”. Too much education may give them ideas - that perhaps global warming is real and can be dealt with. The average citizen may be able to calculate mortgage and interest rates, and not be bamboozled by slick mortgage brokers and credit card salesmen. They will perhaps know the difference between single payer health care and "government takeover". The masses may - Heaven forbid - read foreign press, and learn that the US is only leading the world in military spending, but not much else - and definitely not exceptional.
Being educated means that we know history, that we can think critically. That we don’t simply swallow and regurgitate campaign slogans in lieu of political discussion. That we intelligently participate in the political process that affects our daily lives.
Those on the left that embrace Santorum’s candidacy, as he will surely lose to Obama, are misguided. Santorum saying that listening to Kennedy’s speech made him want to barf demonstrates how much the political discourse in the US has regressed since the days of Kennedy. Each year the discussion moves further and further to the Right, leaving the Left to defend to most basic of rights.
This trend needs to end before they start burning books.
