The real reason the Santorums left Italy
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The real reason the Santorums left Italy
When Rick Santorum virtually tied for first in the Iowa caucus, I watched his "victory" speech and -- don't fall out of your chair -- I thought it was the most positive moment of the GOP race so far. Although I don't agree with Santorum's policy solutions, his meditation on his father fleeing Mussolini's Italy in the 1920s and pursuing his dreams in America was moving and uplifting.
It's interesting that there's more to the story:
On the campaign trail, Santorum often touts his grandfather’s flight from Italy “to escape fascism,” but he has neglected to publicly mention their close ties with the Italian Communist Party. “Rick’s grandfather Pietro was a liberal man and he understood right away what was happening in Italy,” Mrs. Santorum told Oggi. “He was anti-fascist to the extreme, and the political climate in 1925 was stifling so he left for America. After a few years he returned to Italy with his wife and children, including Aldo, Rick’s father, who passed away late last year. It’s a shame he won’t have the joy to see his son’s success in his bid for the White House.” She goes on to explain how the family then became pillars of the Communist Party in Italy.
The matriarch lauds her distant relative as a “masterpiece” of the family, whom she calls a man of high intelligence and integrity. “He would be a great president,” she told Oggi. “But if he wants to make it, he will have to soften some of his positions. To take a stand against homosexuality or to oppose divorce is harmful. Principles count, but in politics one must have the capacity to be open-minded.”
The Oggi piece also quotes an angry cousin who preferred to voice his dissent anonymously, remembering the time when high-ranking Communist Party members frequented the Santorum household in Riva del Garda. “There are Santorums who would roll over in their graves to hear [Rick’s] rhetoric,” he said.
Some people are spinning this as a Santorum "gotcha" story but I don't see it that way. One element of the American Dream is personal freedom to pursue your own ideas about politics, even if they differ 180 degrees from your ancestors. I do wonder this, though. Last week, Santorum's most moving riff was about his grandfather's funeral after a long and successful life in the coalfields of western Pennsylvania. Given his grandfather's political bent, I wonder if he was active in the trade unionism that made it possible for coal miners to thrive in what was once a booming American middle class. That's part of the story you won't hear Santorum tell in the Tea Party-powered Waffle Houses of the Palmetto State this weeek -- but he should. It's hard to imagine this immigrant's grandson rising in life to run for president as an ultra-conservative -- without the progressive policies that spawned him.- "George Bush's military records are readily available on line. Included in these are his Enlistment Package, Discharge Package,..."______Please provide the links to some of these on-line records so those none-believers can see for themselves. Thanks.
— snad264 
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Santorum is a horribly corrupt man, and this is coming from a moderate Republican (whatever that is these days). It's not even funny to think anyone would vote for this scumbag. It's terrifying.— mayspot20- unbelievable. a new low.— bobbyd24
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- Funny how the Conservatives always fail to remember that is was the Policies of Liberals the made it possible for there immigrant ancestors to come here and succeed to the point where they could afford to send their kids (like Santorum) to college and get the education needed to succeed at a high level in America.— Grapost
- the 13 commenters before this scored very, very low on the reading comprehension portion of the SAT.— AndyReidsMustache
- Billy Boy will research the Santorum family tree back to the '20's in a weak attempt to impugn Rick. But he won’t look 4 years back into Barack Obama's past. Bunch is so bad even my parrot stopped crapping on his paper column. He has standards.— tooly
- I'm just curious:
what is it about Santorum that has the paper so terrified?
do they really think he has a snowball's chance in the oven?
why put any effort into trying to discredit him or his run?
or is it just a desperate attempt to make PA part of the national story, even when it isn't?— ekw555 - Santorum is Italian? he's a shame to the culture.— Tyrone Biggums
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- Have to dig pretty deep Willy boy to find some dirt to spread. You are deplorable cheap shot artist. I'll bet your family history speaks volumes. Don't throw stones Willy boy.— dogman5
- I could care less about Senator Santorum. What is not suprising is the yellow journalism attempting to smear him, hence the picture of Mussolini and the swastika armband wearing individual to his right....
The problem with this picture at the front of the story is that Il Duce was a Fascist.....not a communist. I thought most knew that and that is why I suppose we are all doomed to repeat the same mistakes of our predeccessors..just a weak attempt at a smear article if there ever was one!— DelawareRiverRat
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