COMMENTARY | Does former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum seem a bit too extreme and intolerant for your tastes? You're not alone. In fact, former Wisconsin senator Russ Feingold told Buzzfeed this week that the presidential hopeful was the "least tolerant" individual he has "ever dealt with."
Ever.
That's saying something from a man who worked as a lawyer for private law firms for six years, was a member of the Wisconsin state senate for ten years, and was a member of the U. S. Senate for 18 years. Among all the disgruntled clients and lawsuit participants, all the reporters and the pundits, all the political rivals and opponents he met, worked with, and engaged in various associations over the years, Feingold sees former senator Santorum as the most intolerant he's had to deal with.
Ever.
"Rick Santorum is possibly the least tolerant person I've ever dealt with," Feingold said. "His attitude towards people who are different from himself is shocking."
Not that America hasn't been given ample indications as to Santorum's extreme views on how or what he believes. He's very anti-gay, totally against same sex marriages, and thinks gays should not be allowed to serve openly in the military. He believes that using contraception is wrong (a reflection of his Catholic beliefs) and has stated he would like to see individuals criminally charged for using contraception. He is so adamantly opposed to abortion that he sees no exceptions to providing the medical procedure, even in cases of rape, incest, and in extreme cases where the mother's life is in danger and/or the child has little to no chance of survival. And he recently stated that he believes that females serving in the military should have limited duties, preferably far from the front lines. But, then, Santorum has historically noted that women working outside their homes has been a drain on the traditional American family.
So it should not be much of a surprise that a former senator who served alongside Santorum during his twelve years as a senator from Pennsylvania should find him disagreeable, although it must be noted that Russ Feingold is President Obama's new co-chair for his reelection committee. However, to diminish Rick Santorum to the lowly state of the "least tolerant person" that he has ever had to deal with -- well, that must have taken some doing.
Or simply Santorum being true to himself.
