Santorum And College

[debrand]

We are leaving so many children behind,†Mr. Santorum said at a forum sponsored by the Atlantic, the National Journal and Saint Anselm College. “They’re not ready to go to [college.] They don’t want to go to college. They don’t need to go to college. I was so outraged that the President of the United States [said] every student should go to college.â€

What? The people surronding Santorum should not let him open his mouth without a script.

When has the president said that all kids have to go to college? He wants to make it so that all kids can go to college if they wish.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/01/0 ... o-college/

I've noticed that Republicans are beginning to criticize Santorum which makes me think that the party does not want him to win the nomination.

During his appearance on Face the Nation today, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was asked by Bob Schieffer what he thought of Rick Santorum‘s comments criticizing President Obama‘s goals to encourage everyone in the United States to go to college. Santorum called Obama a “snob†for it, but Christie disagreed with this assessment. The governor said students should be at the very least encouraged to go to college.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/chris-christ ... ge-policy/

[ElphabaGalinda]

Wonder what Santorum would say about his BFFs the Duggars who wouldn't allow any of their children to go to college even if they desperately wanted to. He probably thinks that's wonderful.

At least there are some Republicans who are seeing teh crazy. Wanting everyone to have the opportunity to go to college if they want to is a perfectly reasonable idea...to anyone but Santorum.

[FlorenceHamilton]

Rick Santorum was the keynote speaker at a Catholic University in Philadelphia some years ago. They had the lowest turnout of students and families ever! The University is actually fairly progressive. They will not make that mistake again. Of course, since old Frothy doesn't really believe that young people deserve the opportunity to receive a Catholic Education, he would not wish to speak to such a venue anyway.

Rick Santorum has taken the outrageous behavior of the Republican Party to a flabbergasting level.

[chiccy]

Santorum himself has three degrees. Hypocritical much?

I think he thinks he's pandering to his audience, but it's going to backfire. Even most Republicans aren't extreme enough to be anti-college.

[Nothing2CHere]

My self-appointed "fairy godmother," Connie Schultz, posted a great response to this on her Facebook page (I only copied the text of what she wrote, not the photo):

Dear Rick Santorum:

This is a photo of me with my parents before we went to dinner to celebrate my 16th birthday, in 1973. My father is wearing his only suit coat. Mom and I are wearing new dresses for the occasion. Dad took one look at my hemline and refused to let me out of the house, but Mom calmed him down.

"It's her birthday," she said. "We'll let out the hem in the morning."

My dad, Chuck Schultz, worked in maintenance at the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company. He was logging a lot of overtime in 1973. My mom, Janey Schultz, was about to take a job as a nurse's aide, and for one reason: To send me to college.

All four of their kids graduated from college. I was the first. Each of us could write a long list of gratitude on how college changed our lives.

Mr. Santorum, you say President Obama is a "snob" for wanting every kid in America to attend college, that "he wants to remake [them] in his image." You were lucky enough to earn three college degrees, and yet you talk this nonsense.

Millions of today's working-class Americans are like my parents. Their dreams for their children mirror my parents' dreams for us. No one has ever said there's shame in working with one's hands, but, increasingly, those jobs require additional education. Still, that's not even the point. Most working-class parents never stop hoping that their children will outrun them. Some of them, many of them, dare to hope their kids will turn out exactly like President Barack Obama.

I can still remember what my parents told me that night over dinner at the Riviera Steak House. Yes, there was a lecture on short skirts. There was also a promise that college would become a family tradition, and it would start with me.

Nearly 40 years later, 16-year-old kids across the country are hearing the same promise from their working class parents. I don't expect you to understand that. I do, however, pray that you never have the power to stand in their way.

Connie is a Pulitzer-prize winning newspaper columnist. She was writing for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, but resigned last year because her husband is a senator who is up for re-election, and she did not want to give his opponents reason to claim she was trying to campaign for him in her columns.

[MonkeyMomma]

My self-appointed "fairy godmother," Connie Schultz, posted a great response to this on her Facebook page (I only copied the text of what she wrote, not the photo):

Connie is a Pulitzer-prize winning newspaper columnist. She was writing for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, but resigned last year because her husband is a senator who is up for re-election, and she did not want to give his opponents reason to claim she was trying to campaign for him in her columns.

This, a million times. My maternal grandparents, a school bus driver and a SAHM turned substitute teacher had eight children. EIGHT. Every single one graduated college. Most at private, Catholic schools. Most with scholarships and debt. My grandmother was forced to drop out of college when she got married back in the day. My grandparents had their shortfalls and imperfections, but damn, they made sure their eight children graduated college, each and every one of them.

I'm not saying college is necessarily for everyone, nor is it required for every profession. But I really bristle at the idea that it's somehow elitist or bad to want a better life for yourself or your kids, and education is usually the surest path to that life.

He's such a pompous ass.

[sugaree]

Santorum himself has three degrees. Hypocritical much?

I think he thinks he's pandering to his audience, but it's going to backfire. Even most Republicans aren't extreme enough to be anti-college.

Exactly. He has advanced degrees; his wife has advanced degrees; IIRC, his older kids are in college (took leave to help their father campaign). It's not only pandering, it's clumsy, awkward, obvious pandering. It's like a parody of the accusation that conservatives actually want to worsen the class divide and shape their policies in order to further that goal. Keep the masses ignorant, so that they may be more thoroughly exploited.

[prairiemuffin]

I....just....uh....

W.T.F.

I heard this on the radio driving into work this morning and thought, "surely not. This has to be a joke."

Help me out here. When did the tide start to turn on viewing the goal to better yourself "elitist"? I am completely kerfuffled on this.

[emmiedahl]

In my family, college is somewhat of an idol. My great-grandparents were educated in their home countries and could not give their children that opportunity in the new country. My grandfather became a diesel mechanic who followed and understood the astounding developments in physics that happened over his lifetime; my grandmother was a real estate agent who studied history and read voraciously in her spare time. Most of their children have degrees. My parents never implied that anything other than college was the goal for us.

We do have need of more, better and cheaper vocational training in the US. In my area, there is a tech school turning out graduates who may not be able to write a paper with perfect citations but have a skill worth a living wage, often a six figure one. I agree that we need more of those programs, and cheaper ones because ours costs roughly the same as Harvard, but I doubt this is what Santorum is blathering about. He just hates that educated people can see through his badly developed rhetoric.

You cannot get rid of us, Rick. We won't give you the chance.

[FundiesInMyFamily]

I was watching the Sunday shows yesterday morning and sat there with my mouth open. I couldn't believe it first that he actually said it, then he DEFENDED it to both This Week and Meet The Press. He defended his statements defiantly. And this guy wants to be President? I'm trying to get it straight - birth control is bad, college is bad, seperation of church and state is bad, what's next?

[freealljs]

When I first heard this, I thought, this man is completely crazy. But then, maybe he wants only certain "types" of people to go to college, and by "types", I'm talking races, ethnicities and sexes. He comes across as having a very elitist view of who should go to college, who should have decent grade-school educations, etc. He should just come out and say that he is a sexist, possible racist pig. At least he wouldn't sound like a two-faced ass, because that is what he would be. Forcing women to stay home and have babies (by taking away reproductive rights), telling people they can't go to college, isn't going to bring a white-picket fence view of the world into fruition, which is what I think he wants.

I would love to know if he has actually been to the Vatican and met the Pope, because he may actually learn a few things about what it means to be a real Catholic.

I'm definitely leaving this country if he gets into the White House. I'll take my educated female butt to a country whose president won't take away my reproductive rights and push his religious social agenda down my throat.

[O Latin]

My mom told me about this, and I proposed we pack Santorum back in his box and send him back where he came from.

My mom was the first woman in her family to graduate from college. I will be the second. And I hope to become the first person on either side of the family to get a Ph.D. Santorum will have to pry my education from my cold, dead hands.

[Peas n carrots]

I'm really stunned at the level of crazy that is coming out.

My dad teaches SPED, and he'll be the first to tell you not everyone is cut out for a 4 year university degree. However, he knows that even the various trades requires some sort of post secondary education and he works on getting them into other programs so they will have marketable skills in the workforce. There are few jobs out there anymore where you can make a decent living right out of high school unless you're a Bill Gates type of genius.

When Santorum noted that if he had a kid that wanted to be a mechanic that would be OK, he didn't realize that they need post secondary training as well! You just can't walk into a garage and say "I want to be a mechanic!" Depending on how far you want to go, usually you're in at least a 1 year program:

http://www.ccc.edu/programs/Pages/Automotive-Maintenance-Basic-Certificate.aspx

http://www.ccc.edu/programs/Pages/Automotive-(Technology)-Basic-Certificate.aspx

http://www.ccc.edu/programs/Pages/Automotive-(Technology)-Advanced-Certificate.aspx

[SayNoToMullets]

Frothy could not have planned how well he's proving that three degrees can teach a person absolutely nothing about the real world.

[desertvixen]

I do agree that not everyone will want to go to college - it may not be their thing. My younger brother and my stepfather are two examples - both of them have mild learning issues (my stepfather's was diagnosed way late) and feel like sitting in a classroom all day is torture.

But everyone who wants to go to college should be able to at least try it out.

I'll also agree that we do need more tech schooling, but it shouldn't come at the expense of college. Everything doesn't have to be an either/or proposition.

But what do I know? I'm aiming to be the second person with a master's degree in my family, and the government is subsidizing my education (military tuition assistance, how I love thee!).

[thoughtful]

[Future Teacher]

I....don't......I think my brain exploded :doh:

[contrary]

i just saw this on maddowblog and came to post it.

somebody please PLEASE tell me that this guy will never get elected. please.

frankly, while i knew the conservative right had strength, it never ever occurred to me that this guy could be a legit contender for PRESIDENT. seriously. SERIOUSLY.

i remember being physically shocked and weakened when gee dub won re-election. And this guy is ever so much worse.

[GolightlyGrrl]

When I first heard this, I thought, this man is completely crazy. But then, maybe he wants only certain "types" of people to go to college, and by "types", I'm talking races, ethnicities and sexes. He comes across as having a very elitist view of who should go to college, who should have decent grade-school educations, etc. He should just come out and say that he is a sexist, possible racist pig.

This. And I think Anne Spurzem, Smith alum and classist bitch thinks only certain "types" should go to college:

http://jezebel.com/5888032/alum-tells-s ... ting-poors

Is it just me or does this letter sound like something the NON-Thinking Housewife would write?

[Austin]

No rationale person believes that every single person should attend a four-year college.

This is just political pandering to his anti-intellectualism base. They should be ashamed of being so proud of their ignorance (but that would mean they're not so ignorant after all).

[emmiedahl]

Does anyone else ever feel like we are playing some political version of that childhood where you do and say everything opposite?

Birth control, public education, college, what else? These all were uniformly considered good things just a few years ago. Now Republicans are climbing over each other to act like our only national problems are some married women in charge of their own fertility and smart high schoolers wanting to go to a university.

[Three and Done]

i just saw this on maddowblog and came to post it.

somebody please PLEASE tell me that this guy will never get elected. please.

frankly, while i knew the conservative right had strength, it never ever occurred to me that this guy could be a legit contender for PRESIDENT. seriously. SERIOUSLY.

i remember being physically shocked and weakened when gee dub won re-election. And this guy is ever so much worse.

THIS X 100! (Bolding mine.)

I will be only the second female in my entire family to graduate with a college degree (actually, I'll have more than one when I'm done, but that isn't the point.) If it were not for financial aid and government subsidized student loans (I'm a single mom and have been for many years), I would not have had the opportunity to better my life and my children's.

I EXPECT my girls to go to college, the only question is where and what they will study.

I keep hoping that as the crazee becomes more and more obvious, the Republicans will disown Frothy. However, if he does indeed get the nomination, Obama will win in a landslide. My fiance is a Republican, Catholic, conservative (total opposite of me) and he can't stand Santorum. He has stated he isn't voting in this election - I said "Good, my vote for Obama will count for more!"

[ADoyle90815]

My hope is that if Frothy does get the nomination, that moderate Republicans and independent voters vote for Obama in a major landslide. If that does happen, hopefully the Republican party will grow a backbone and kick the nuts out.

[mnb357]

Interesting comment from a guy who is senator of a state in which the major export seems to be college graduates.

[Peas n carrots]

Republicans, this is what happens when the crazies are allowed to take over the asylum. Just sayin'.