Rick Santorum Slammed By Jewish Groups For 'Jesus Candidate' Remarks

The Jerusalem Post reported Saturday that a diverse array of Jewish and pro-Israeli organizations have come out in opposition to former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum's recent assertion that America needs a "Jesus candidate."

Anti-Defamation League Abraham Foxman told The Jerusalem Post that Santorum's remarks were "totally inappropriate. It's crossing the line."

"It says to Jews, to Muslims, to Buddhists, to non-believers, you're not part of this country," he added.

"I think the average Jew hears it as religiously exclusionist," National Jewish Democratic Council president David Harris said, though he added that he didn't think Santorum had meant it that way.

"It helps remind American Jews of the yawning gap between them and today's Republican Party," continued Harris, whose partisan organization backs US President Barack Obama.

At a campaign event in New Hampshire Thursday evening, Santorum described an interview he had on a Boston radio program earlier that day, when he was asked whether the nation needs an "economic guy" more than a "Jesus guy." America "always needs a Jesus candidate," Santorum told the audience.

The National Jewish Democratic Council released a separate statement condemning the remarks, but opted to focus on Santorum's apparent prioritization of social issues over economic ones.

This latest comment from Santorum is unsurprising given his frequent focus on right-wing "values" issues. However, it does imply that as president Santorum would -- like his colleagues in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives -- spend the bulk of his time pursuing conservative social policies instead of working to create jobs.

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Comments

[yoyo1900]

01:54 PM on 01/11/2012

Ricky go away and don't come back another.

[gardinsprite13]

01:20 AM on 01/10/2012

this is so important right now

TAX THE CHURCH!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/tax-the-church/

[museando207]

12:37 AM on 01/10/2012

He doesn't quite know the people that make up the United States of America. That will cost him.

[thomasnodoubt]

05:38 PM on 01/09/2012

David Harris & Co are just playing good cop/bad cop with price-taggers in Israel. Santorum is so obviously the dream candidate of ALL of them even more so than GWB was.

[cutesky]

01:10 PM on 01/09/2012

I do believe Rick Santorum is actually Pat Robertson minus the wrinkles. Santorum is exactly what our country DOES NOT NEED. He's a divider, a hater and a hypocrite and that is not either decent or presidential!

[yoyo1900]

01:55 PM on 01/11/2012

Right on.

[bernardsguys]

10:54 AM on 01/09/2012

I would think a person who wants to be president and represent the diverse melting pot of a society we proudly call the USA would not try to exclude so many. Does he want to be president of the people who only believe his beliefs? I think this guy should have been a man of the cloth and not a polititian. I am male, 57, gay, Italian, Catholic, self-employed, I have two dogs, a wonderful family. I Live near Yale on a street with Jews, Asians, Italians, Blacks, etc. we represent what this country is all about. We all respect each other. This man shows such disrespect for so many, how dare him have the audascity to think he can represnt the USA. He is in for a rude awakening.

[yoyo1900]

01:52 PM on 01/11/2012

I really enjoyed your commentary. I was well put and speaks of truth more than those who ramble on and on.

[andycan]

07:25 AM on 01/09/2012

A DETESTABLE ALLIANCE

I am glad Santorum is hawking the Jesus in government line, because it is high time to put an end to the unholy alliance between the Evangelical right and the Jewish Likud establishment.

[Sisa]

07:17 AM on 01/09/2012

Homophobe: n. - a hateful, secretly self loathing latent homosexual who usually hides behind Christianity and uses religion to angrily attack openly gay individuals out of  their jealousy and frustration at not being able to live a happy and fulfilled life themselves due to their fear of being alienated and attacked by fellow homophobes.

[Sisa]

07:07 AM on 01/09/2012

VOTE DEMOCRAT! ..... THE FREEDOM YOU SAVE, THE JOB YOU SAVE, THE LIFE YOU SAVE..... WILL BE YOUR OWN !

[ursulasaulie]

07:35 AM on 01/09/2012

AMEN

[Sisa]

07:03 AM on 01/09/2012

NEO-CHRISTIAN FASCIST INDUSTRIALIZED SERDOM UNDER LORD REPUBLICORP: a socio economic political system that is a pseudo democracy under the guise of christianity in an industrialized nation based on the extreme right ideals of capitalistic anarchy and religious and ethnic intolerance. It is a cast society governed by a select group of elites whereby THERE IS NO SEPARTION OF CHURCH AND STATE, and Corporation but a melding of all three. Under this system the income gap between rich and poor is unmeasurably vast, only propertied gentry are permitted to vote,  THERE IS NO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM or freedom of speech and social programs are all but nonexistent.  There are no health, safety, or environmental regulations to get in the way of the profit margin, education is beyond the reach of the masses, the media is state run, AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE GRANTED FULL ACCESS TO ONES BODY AND BEDROOM.Under this system the workers or (SERFs) labor 10-14 hours a day 7 days a week for pennies an hour with no regard for safety and health or financial safety net should they become ill or injured. They will rent their dwellings and purchase their food and all other necessary items from  the  Church/State/Corporation ruling entity upon which they are completely dependent. The controlling  elites will comprise less than 1% of the population as a whole and will possess 99% of the nations wealth. 

[ladywing]

07:01 AM on 01/09/2012

Santorum is an elitist, his race, his sex, his sexual orientation, his religious views and views on reproduction.

All who believe otherwise are second class or worse. I think he would like to make it illegal to not to be just like him if he could.

I'm glad to see another group he tries to pander to call him on it.

[A Dub]

06:49 AM on 01/09/2012

That is the last thing we need in the white house.

[Mike Liem]

02:51 AM on 01/09/2012

Santorum if anything is the anti-Jesus candidate. Nothing he does or exemplifies is anything close to what Jesus teaches. Jesus says sell everything you have and give the money to the poor; Santorum won't even help the poor with food stamps. Jesus says blessed are the peacemakers; Santorum wants to start a war with Iran. Jesus says love your enemies; Santorum can't even love his LBGT neighbors. Jesus says turn the other cheek; Santorum would rather you kiss his.

[RockyMissouri]

10:04 AM on 01/09/2012

Thank you for a great comment!

[PALEOLOGOS DRAGASH]

01:01 AM on 01/09/2012

I am not sure why an ethnic group that doesn't worship Jesus would object to Christianity -- a religion practiced by massive majority of the American population. It's not like Santorum ever stated that his religion would be practiced at the expense of any other ethnic or religious group.

[Elle1019]

03:25 AM on 01/09/2012

Huh?

[ursulasaulie]

07:37 AM on 01/09/2012

I am not sure what you're trying to say....

[builderman55]

10:42 PM on 01/08/2012

All Santorum was saying was that we need to have a man become President who has "skin the color of bronze and hair like wool" as Jesus is described in the Bible. Which is kinda weird since it seems like that's what we have right now! OMG, is it possible???!!!

[Me2U2]

02:51 AM on 01/09/2012

I thought our president was black not bronze. Is bronze the new black? Or is it a tan because he walked so much in the desert?

[reciprocat]

04:44 AM on 01/09/2012

You ever seen his pics at the beach? Pretty bronzey.

[reciprocat]

04:41 PM on 01/09/2012

And that hair. Whoo! So wooly a lamb walked up to President Obama once and asked, "Is you my daddy?"