CONCORD, NH – Rick Santorum came under fire before a college audience here as he tried to explain his views on social issues such as abortion and gay marriage, eventually getting booed as he left the stage.
The choice to speak to the College Convention, a conference organized by New England College to allow students to interact with candidates, may have been a bit bizarre for Santorum given that it isn’t his typical crowd as he approaches next Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. Also, the message of his speech – talking about American exceptionalism and his pro-life views – was something you’d expect him to give at the Conservative Political Action Conference or a group of college conservatives rather than to a broader younger audience.
Santorum knew he was walking into a ambush when one student asked him why he didn’t support gay marriage, and he joked that he was “shocked” to be getting such a question before a college audience. He went on to explain that since the current law doesn’t allow gay marriage, the onus was on those who are proposing to change the law to explain why it should be legalized, rather than on him to explain why he opposed it.
When the student said that he supported gay marriage because he thought two people who loved each other should have the same rights – such as college visitation – that heterosexual couples have, Santorum responded that individuals could sign a contract giving that visitation right to anybody who wanted it.
Instead of ending it there, as audience members started shouting back at him and raising their hands, he said he was happy to continue the conversation in a civil manner, and pointed toward a young female. She noted that in his remarks, he praised the founding principle that everybody is created equal and has the right to pursue happiness. Santorum then caused a stir by asking her if she thought it was okay, by the same logic, if a person could have multiple marriages. The crowd pushed back, and eventually the girl said she wouldn’t have a problem with that, but it was irrelevant. Santorum argued that ultimately his view derives from the fact that he believes that marriage is a union between a man and a woman for the purpose of having and raising children.
Whether or not this was the best use of his time from a campaign strategy perspective, you have to give him credit. His social conservative views are genuine and passionately held. It’s not everyday that a surging Republican presidential candidate would declare before a broad college audience, “I don’t believe life begins at conception, I know life begins at conception” and engage a hostile crowd on hot-button social issues. But he did so, and gave students far more time to voice their disagreements with him, and actually respond, than any other politician in his position would have. And so agree or disagree with him, it was rude for the crowd to boo him as he left the stage.
UPDATE: Garrett Quinn has the video.
