Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Love him or loathe him (as most of C-D P&OC posters do), Rick Santorum's views on social issues, and especially how he articulates them, are some of the most radical of modern (ex-politicians). Yet I see a past where they would not be out of line but quite centrist, and that past is relatively recent:
* R.S. opposes same-sex marriage; this was the view of the overwhelming majority of Americans within my lifetime.
* R.S. opposes abortion in all instances; excluding some cases, this seems to be the general American view right up to the early-to-mid-1960s.
* R.S. strongly opposes pornography, and to the chuckle of some, made it a point in his 2012 presidential run; I'm sure that even in 1990 most politicians would be shocked at the extent of growth in the porn industry, amateur porn, its mainstream-ization, etc.
* During his brief presidential run in 2012, R.S. made the proclamation that he would begin a "national conversation" on artificial contraception. As bizarre as that may sound, the "right to contraception" for married couples was only established in 1965 in the Griswold vs CT case. Finally, contraception was a contentious issue in the first half of the 20th century and continued to be among Catholics until the 1970s.
With these points, I'm sure Rick Santorum would be considered a socially centrist politician until at least the early 1960s.
Far be it from me to deny the culture has changed in the last 50 years, but I think this is a little overstated. The anti-legal porn side lost back in the '70s and has never recovered. Pornography was mainstreamed with Deep Throat; it has become more widely and immediately available with the Internet, but so has everything. As far as contraception, to say there was no popular basis for the anti-contraception statute would be an understatement; even the dissenting opinion in Griswold called it "uncommonly silly." As usual, the politicians were way behind the curve of actual public opinion.
Far be it from me to deny the culture has changed in the last 50 years, but I think this is a little overstated. The anti-legal porn side lost back in the '70s and has never recovered. Pornography was mainstreamed with Deep Throat; it has become more widely and immediately available with the Internet, but so has everything. As far as contraception, to say there was no popular basis for the anti-contraception statute would be an understatement; even the dissenting opinion in Griswold called it "uncommonly silly." As usual, the politicians were way behind the curve of actual public opinion.
And we should all be aware that TV and mass media has a huge influence on said public opinion. More than many are willing to admit.
Love him or loathe him (as most of C-D P&OC posters do), Rick Santorum's views on social issues, and especially how he articulates them, are some of the most radical of modern (ex-politicians). Yet I see a past where they would not be out of line but quite centrist, and that past is relatively recent:
* R.S. opposes same-sex marriage; this was the view of the overwhelming majority of Americans within my lifetime.
* R.S. opposes abortion in all instances; excluding some cases, this seems to be the general American view right up to the early-to-mid-1960s.
* R.S. strongly opposes pornography, and to the chuckle of some, made it a point in his 2012 presidential run; I'm sure that even in 1990 most politicians would be shocked at the extent of growth in the porn industry, amateur porn, its mainstream-ization, etc.
* During his brief presidential run in 2012, R.S. made the proclamation that he would begin a "national conversation" on artificial contraception. As bizarre as that may sound, the "right to contraception" for married couples was only established in 1965 in the Griswold vs CT case. Finally, contraception was a contentious issue in the first half of the 20th century and continued to be among Catholics until the 1970s.
With these points, I'm sure Rick Santorum would be considered a socially centrist politician until at least the early 1960s.
I don't know, that's difficult to judge. Abortion didn't seem like much of a national political issue until Roe v Wade in 1973. Gay rights didn't become an issue until after the Stonewall Riot and most politicians at the time didn't talk about gay rights at all until at least the 1980s but really the 1990s. Now pornography, I think you're on to something. But, by the mid-60s Playboy, which had been called smut when it first came out, was bagging interviews with the famous and powerful and by the 70s they were getting mainstream politicians too. As for contraception, I know the pill was out in 1960 and even if it wasn't a topic for polite conversation, I don't recall if any politicians suggested it should be illegal.
"When would Rick Santorum's views on social issues be mainstream?"
Early 19th Century
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
