February 28, 2009--Former Sen.
Rick
Santorum (R-PA) argued that conservatives have failed conservatism
through instances of ethical failings, incompetence and failure to
adhere to principle. As examples of incompetence Santorum cited
the response to Hurricane Katrina and aspects of the war against
terror, which he said was actually "war against a radical
theology." On principle, Santorum pointed to the bailout.
"You can make all the arguments...," he said. "It's still the
wrong thing to do." Further, it had "opened up a door that the
next president is driving a bulldozer through." In short,
Santorum said, "Conservatives let down America."
Santorum also focused on culture. "We have allowed the left to
take over the popular culture," Santorum said. "You need to
engage the culture," he told the audience. Santorum had some
interesting observations on talk radio. He said that talk radio
works for conservatives "because conservatism engage the mind."
"Why does Air America fail?" he asked. "Because its a bunch of
emotional blather," he answered.
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