Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, the third ranking Republican in that body, generated a firestorm of criticism with comments he made comparing gay rights to incest. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has called for him to step down from that leadership position.
Buried within and largely ignored by the first round of media coverage was the fact that Santorum does not believe in the broader concept of individual privacy.
An April 21 article by the Associated Press said Santorum believes that 'homosexuality, feminism, liberalism all undermine the family. Even parts of the Constitution can harm the family.'
''If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything,' the lawmaker said in an interview, fuming over a landmark gay-rights case before the high court that pits a Texas sodomy law against equality and privacy rights.'
'All of those things are antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family,' Santorum said. 'And that's sort of where we are in today's world, unfortunately. It all comes from, I would argue, this right to privacy that doesn't exist, in my opinion, in the United States Constitution.''
'In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality,' he told Associated Press. 'That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing..'
Santorum later said he has 'no problem with homosexuality—I have a problem with homosexual acts.''
Santorum's press spokesman, Erica Clayton Wright, later sought to clarify by saying that the Senator had no problem with gay relationships, he was 'speaking about the right to privacy within the context of the Supreme Court case.' He did not want to elevate gay sex to the level of a constitutional right.
'The president believes that the senator is an inclusive man,' said Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer. 'The president has confidence in Senator Santorum and thinks he's doing a good job as senator—including in his leadership post.'
Winnie Stachelberg, HRC's political director, said that Santorum's comments 'are deeply hurtful and play on deep-seated fears that fly in the face of scientific evidence, common sense, and basic decency. Clearly there is no compassion in his conservatism.'
HRC spokesman David Smith dismissed Wright's clarification that Santorum has no problem with gay people. He said, 'It's analogous to saying, 'I have no problem with Jewish people or Black people, I just don't think they should be equal under the law.'
'There is nothing conservative about allowing law enforcement officials to enter the home of any American and arrest them for simply being gay,' said Log Cabin Republican Executive Director Patrick Guerriero, referring to the Texas sodomy case now before the Court. 'I am appalled that a member of the United States Senate leadership would advocate dividing Americans with ugly hate-filled rhetoric.'
'The discriminatory remarks made by Sen. Santorum clearly do not reflect the compassionate conservatism promised by our President,' added John Partain, president of Pennsylvania Log Cabin Republicans. 'I thought we were past these types of remarks now that Jesse Helms is no longer in the Senate.'
'If Sen. Santorum is really concerned with what's best for American families, he would show compassion and actively promote policies that support all families, including lesbian and gay families,' said Stacey Sobel, executive director of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, in Philadelphia.
Santorum, 44, is a brash young favorite of the Christian right. He has pushed their social agenda in his four years in the House and 10 years in the Senate. Concerned Women for America attacked Log Cabin 'thought police' who 'don't see any room in the 'big tent' [of the Republican Party] for people who object to homosexual behavior on religious grounds.'
HRC compared Santorum's comments to ones that Senator Trent Lott made last year praising the segregationist past of Sen. Strom Thurmond. Those comments led to Lott stepping down as Majority Leader.
It has called upon Santorum to step down as chairman of the Republican Conference. It has sent an alert to its members to contact Majority Leader Bill Frist to push for that outcome.
While it is still too early to tell if this incident will continue to grow, presently it seems unlikely that Santorum will step down. Lott had made many enemies, and more importantly, it seems that the White House took the opportunity to help push him out of the leadership post. Santorum appears to be safer on both counts, though the incident may tarnish his hopes to advance to Majority Leader in the future.
Among those blasting Bush and Santorum was Democratic presidential candidate Gov. Howard Dean. He attacked Bush for praising Sen. Santorum. 'Creating equality for all requires the personal responsibility of everyone,' Dean said. 'As Americans, we can no longer tolerate politics of division ... . The dream of equal rights for all Americans will only be realized when all of us—whether in the corridors of power or in the hallways of our schools and offices—come together to create a community in which bigotry and hatred is cast out from the forum of public discourse.'
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., also attacked Santorum, and called on Bush to denounce the comments and urge him to relinquish his leadership position in the Senate.
Senate majority leader Bill Frist stood by his man, saying he is 'a consistent voice for inclusion and compassion in the Republican Party and in the Senate.' The the gay/straight Republican Unity Coalition demanded an apology from Santorum while stopping short of asking him to step down.
