Is Will Tallman another Santorum?

--Warning! Rant Ahead! The following post does not necessarily represent the views of the Adams County Democratic Committee, any of the democratic candidates, or anyone else at the East Berlin ACDC office. These are merely the thoughts one particular young woman with an ax to grind.--

According to former Senator Rick Santorum, "Will Tallman has been an ardent conservative activist for many years and was a tremendous asset in Adams County to my past campaigns." This quote is proudly advertised at the top of Tallman's website. But before we play at deconstructing Tallman's campaign message, let's talk Santorum.

First of all, is this really a man you would want endorsing your campaign? Sure, during the 2006 election, Santorum did garner more votes in the 193rd district than Bob Casey, Jr. He only received 10 percent more of the votes votes, however, and for an incumbent senator in a predominantly conservative area, that's actually a poor showing. For instance, compare that to Senator Arlen Specter's election returns in 2004. He received nearly two-thirds of the total vote in our district, rather than just winning a thin majority. He's a moderate, though, and the people of Adams and York counties have demonstrated that they prefer moderation to conservative activism.

So what if Santorum didn't get as many votes in this area as Specter, you may ask. Well, let's explore why he was such a polarizing statesman and why he was ultimately defeated by Bob Casey, Jr. Santorum gave himself a fatal shot in the foot when in 2003, he equated homosexuality with incest, bigamy, polygamy, adultery, bestiality, and pedophilia! The common belief is that roughly 10 percent of the general population is homosexual. Take into account parents, siblings, other relatives, and friends of the homosexual population, and you have a much larger segment of the voting populace that isn't going to appreciate the suggestion that their loved ones are abominations and a threat to society.

So if that's not bad enough, let's see how Santorum feels about the majority of the public: women. In his book It Takes a Family, he made the assertion that in a lot of two-parent households, it's not financially necessary for women to work, and he blamed "radical feminists" for encouraging women to become professionals. The audacity of this statement speaks for itself. When you factor in his claim that birth control is harmful to women, you get the complete picture: Santorum wants us barefoot and pregnant, making food by day and bigots by night.

Rick Santorum is a cautionary tale for what happens when legislators intend to write laws for their faith instead of their constituents. Neil Clifford is a Catholic, but has told me that he respects the separation of church and state. On the other hand, his opponent Will Tallman boasts on his campaign site that he will be uphold traditional families (code for non-gay) and will be guided by Judeo-Christian ethics. He believes that morals within this tradition are best for our state and should be considered in our laws. Not if it includes discriminating against homosexuals, letting your religion dictate what women are allowed to do with their bodies, and pushing a Christian agenda on those do not share your faith, Mr. Tallman. Rick Santorum has taught us that much.