He may have jetted off to the Pope's funeral, and met with the Holy Father FIVE times, but his cancellation of a Social Security Meeting in late March in order to grandstand outside the hospice where Terri Schiavo was dying was not so holy. You see, Mr. Santorum may have cancelled what he considers the nations business, of reforming Social Secuirty, but he had a whole bunch of political business he did not cancel down there in Florida -- meetings to raise money for his reelection.
This is an interesting story. Sure, folks have mentioned that Santorum seemed "publicity-hungry" to stop by and visit Terri Schiavo's parents, even a columnist with the far-right Tribune Review, Eric Heyl mentions and critiques Santorum. It took John Baer of the Philadelphia Daily News, in a column and not in a news item, to dig up that Santorum was busy that weekend in Tampa with fundraisers in addition to the photo-op wth the Schindlers. Only in political calculus is a Social Security Town Hall meeting somehow disrespectful to Terri Schiavo and her family, but fundraising events are not. I'm very grateful to Mr. Baer to revealing how very profitable Mr. Santorum's fundraisng in honor of Terri Schiavo was:
Santorum told MSNBC-TV, according to the March 30 "Hardball" transcript, he was in Florida because, "I had other plans to - and other meetings." (Schiavo died March 31.) What he didn't say was the plans and "meetings" were fund-raisers for his '06 re-election effort.
There was a luncheon in Orlando and a dinner in Miami on March 29 with Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, a luncheon in Tampa March 30 hosted by Outback Steakhouse, which is headquartered there, and a dinner that night in Palm Beach hosted by execs from Revlon.
The trip was made on a Wal-Mart jet paid for by Santorum's campaign fund.
Total take, according to Santorum finance director Rob Bickhart, was about $250,000 (en route to an April 15 FEC filing expected to show the senator with close to $3 million already).
And I must say, John Baer beats me on the snark-o-meter:
So my hat's off.
Down and back on a corporate jet, grab a quarter-mill, get some national attention. This, my friends, is poetry in motion.
What's that you say? Seems a tad crass to cash in on a heartbroken family and get your mug on TV because you happen to be in the neighborhood lining your pockets?
If you cancel one event "out of respect," why not others?
Doesn't the culture of life outweigh the culture of cash?
Hats off to Attytood for bringing this to my attention, and a big thanks to John Baer for revealing how very deep Mr. Santorum's respect to Terri Schiavo really is.
Oh, oh! Did you know Rick Santorum visited with the Pope FIVE times during his tenure as a Senator, and that the Pope even blessed his children? Well, that's the main content of Santorum's press release on going to the Pope's funeral. Yup, Santorum even tries to "holier-than-thou" Pope John Paul's memory.
I wonder if Santorum went to Rome on a WalMart jet, or attended any fundraisers while there. Surely he wouldn't miss such blessed opportunities. . .
