Rick Santorum, Non-Snob, Wins Among Non-College Graduates In Michigan Primary

Rick Santorum insisted over the past week that President Barack Obama is a snob for saying all Americans should get an opportunity to go to college. On Tuesday, he did well among non-college graduates in Michigan, coming in ahead of his rivals in exit polls.

In Michigan, the 41 percent of voters who never attended college supported Santorum, versus 35 percent who supported Romney, according to CNN. Santorum also won among voters who had attended some college, 38 percent of whom supported him, polls found.

Voters were almost evenly split, in the exit polls, between college graduates and non-college graduates, and Santorum won 39 percent of those without college diplomas. Forty-four percent of college graduates supported Romney.

Santorum has made an issue of the supposed snobbishness of Obama's higher education plans, mischaracterizing the president's stance on four-year colleges. Obama has pushed for post-high school education, but not necessarily in four-year colleges, instead proposing funds for education at community college and workplace development.

"President Obama has said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob," Santorum said on Saturday. "There are good, decent men and women who go out and work hard every day, and put their skills to test, who aren't taught by some liberal college professor (who) tries to indoctrinate them. I understand why he wants you to go to college. He wants to remake you in his image. I want to create jobs so people can remake their children into their image, not his."

Santorum holds two advanced degrees, a master's in business and a law degree, and his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, attends University of Dallas.

In Arizona, Romney won among all education levels, according to CNN.

Comments

[Anybodys Guess]

09:59 PM on 04/03/2012

He makes me vomit the way he panders to the lowest level of human insecurity and fear. What a disaster of a human being.

[Anybodys Guess]

09:58 PM on 04/03/2012

If voters get an education they won't vote for this knot head. No wonder he is pandering to that particular group.

[garypeter]

08:00 PM on 04/03/2012

So now Obama is a 'snob' for wanting all Americans the opportunity to go to college? Please. How is it snobbish to want to live in an educated nation, to be able to speak about Descartes, or know what books the Bronte's wrote. College expands the mind, that is what it is meant for. It is not there to produce snobs, though some colleges are snobbish, but those which are, like Harvard and Yale, Wellesley, etc...were snobs way before entering and most of those I know who graduated from such institutions, are hardly snobs, simply because they can read things other than the comics. I think so much of it has to do with reading and what one is reading. Reading is self education..learning about all kinds of things from Medievil history to US history. One finds that they do tie together as it repeats itself over and over again. Respect is not gained, my most, because of a diploma, but because of what the person is, or what the university has churned out. Obama is about the least snob like president we have had and urging young Americans to get the best educations they can, is not being snobbish, but wanting more for the country.

[Sprinks678]

05:27 PM on 04/03/2012

I'm not at all surprised by this statistic of his voter base.

[Wendy Marie Shull]

01:11 AM on 03/11/2012

Of course the republicans don't want you to go to college! If you do, you will take classes in political science (as required in most degree plans). In those classes, a liberal professor will teach you how government works. We can't have people knowing how government works (shock and awe) now can we? Because if you know how government works you won't remain stupid enough to vote against your own self interest by voting repulicrook.

[Sidney Vaught]

11:44 AM on 03/01/2012

I guess these non-college graduates weren't educated enough to realize Santorum is not only a snob himself, but having gone to college then graduate school and law school, Santorum is a snob times 3.

[unionave]

06:33 AM on 03/01/2012

That is one "Heck of an issue" to campaign on . Republican issue inventing has taken on a whole new meaning . Think about what that does for America's future .

[MDean]

07:34 PM on 02/29/2012

Santorum must feel fantastic after receiving such support, especially when you consider that he has three higher education degrees and wealth that most of those supporters can only dream of...

[davesf]

05:50 PM on 02/29/2012

Yup, ignorance feeds on more ignorance.

[NutRight]

04:33 PM on 02/29/2012

The President advocated for post-high school education of some sort, whether a four year college, community college, or vocational training, a goal with which most rational people would agree. Santorum distorted the President's remark, falsely claiming that the President said he wanted everyone to go to college. Santorum's snob comment was premised on this falsehood. Santorum then said that college is bad because it serves as a liberal indoctrination center, where liberal professors supposedly turn nice conservative kids into loathsome liberals like Obama. Santorum has three higher education degrees, including an MBA and a law degree. He is proof that a college education doesn't turn everyone into a liberal Obama clone. He knows what he says is complete garbage, but he doesn't care, as long as his divisive, class-warfare theme gets votes from a certain demographic.

[davesf]

05:50 PM on 02/29/2012

I believe I may be your first fan. Excellent post.

[Sprinks678]

05:30 PM on 04/03/2012

I'm your second fan! I couldn't agree more!

[larmarch5]

03:08 PM on 02/29/2012

Considering Rick's obsession with everyone's sex life, I'm concerned that he is now carrying rocks around in his pocket.

[larmarch5]

03:05 PM on 02/29/2012

I think the break out moment was for Women. Santorum heralded his 93 year old mother who got her college degree in the 1930's, went on to get advanced degrees, continued with her career while having children, even earned more than Rick's father. Then he heralded his wife who had a college degree when he met her and was on her way to an advanced degree, who continued with HER career after having children. For the record. ALL Rick's children who are old enough have gone to college. He went to college and got an advanced degree. His brother and sister went to college. And he tells his supporters that "Barack Obama is a Snob"? Is he actually saying white people who go to college are NOT snobs but black people who go to college are snobs? Is THAT his message?

[fiorastar]

03:35 PM on 02/29/2012

You've got it. The ongoing message from the wealthy Republican leadership, since the beginning of public higher education to offset private education, has been that only those who can afford it should be educated to be able to assume leadership positions in our country. The height of "snobbishness" is Santorum trying to say that President Obama's drive to make the US higher education system available to ANYONE who may want or need it is somehow "snobbish".

[LesaSays]

03:50 PM on 02/29/2012

The President is just so darn "uppity" wanting folks to get all that book learnin'!

[Wolf Larsen]

02:29 PM on 02/29/2012

Rick's position on education is missionary....

[Moe Obeidy]

02:21 PM on 02/29/2012

Awesome headline! Pretty much says it all. Lol.

[Terri Lynn Merritts]

01:20 PM on 02/29/2012

Santorum thinks Obama is a "snob" for being well-educated and for wanting all of America's children to have the opportunity to go to college? How is that being a snob? Any decent parent would want the same for himself/herself and for the children. These people apparently are too dumb to realize that Santorum is mocking them by seeking to be the candidate of the uneducated who do not want any education for themselves or their kids. Santorum knows that the less educated have fewer options in life and hopes they will be fodder for the crap jobs he and his rich buddies need done at low wages. Keep in mind that President Obama never said everyone was capable of attending a 4 year college or getting a graduate degree. He included trade schools and workplace programs as higher education.