COMMENTARY | Former Nevada assemblywoman Sharron Angle announced her endorsement of Rick Santorum for president through a statement released to The National Review on Wednesday. Given that she is popular among some tea party factions, the endorsement could help the uber-conservative Santorum in some political circles. But Angle is seen as an extremist by most leaning -- well, simply leaning anywhere to the left of her political views.
It's an endorsement the former Pennsylvania senator could have done without.
The statement, which touted Santorum's unwavering commitment to fiscal responsibility, social conservatism and family values, concluded with: "His continuous opposition to amnesty, Obamacare, the bailouts and cap and trade are a perfect fit with our main street tea party movement."
But that's just it. The tea party movement is not "main street," especially Angle's brand of it. Her views are off to the far right of main street. And further than you think.
In her 2010 quest for the U.S. senate seat held by Sen. Harry Reid, Angle said she wanted to completely eliminate the Department of Education. She favored privatization of Social Security (making it dependent on the stock market) and Veterans Administration hospitals (which cares for military service veterans).
She also wanted to end social welfare programs and eliminate or change unemployment benefits programs so they will not be, as she put it, an incentive for not looking for employment.
Angle even told NBC radio host Jon Ralston that there were "Second Amendment remedies" to combat a "tyrannical" government and that one way was "to take Harry Reid out."
Where the pursuit of happiness -- and good governance -- apparently is a warm gun.
Santorum has an extreme streak in his conservatism as well. His recent budget plan looked to cut $5 trillion from the federal budget in the next five years, a plan that would kill the economy, or so Bob Bixby of The Concord Coalition told The Cutting Edge. He has defended his pro-life views by stating Social Security would not be nearing bankruptcy if not for the millions of aborted children and has equated consensual sex among homosexuals with incest, polygamy, sex with children and bestiality.
Those do not seem reflective of the views of "main street" Americans. Not even on the "main street" of Nevada's Sin City.
But it wasn't presidential hopeful Rick Santorum could have done without Angle's endorsement because of her extreme positions. He could have done without her being used to illuminate his.
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