Santorum: Obama's education stance is 'snobbery'
Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) - Rick Santorum called President Barack Obama's education goals an agenda of "hubris" on Saturday, saying he is "outraged" that the president thinks "every child in America should go to college."
"The hubris of this president to think that he knows what's best for you [...] This is the kind of snobbery that we see from those that think they know how to run our lives," the former Pennsylvania senator said in a forum at St. Anselm's New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
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Obama has repeatedly said he wants the United States to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. Earlier this year, while announcing plans to reform "No Child Left Behind," Obama also said he intends for every student to graduate "career and college ready."
But Santorum, whose children's education includes home-schooling, argued that not everyone is suited for a college education.
"I have seven kids. Maybe they'll all go to college. But if one of my kids wants to go and be an auto mechanic, good for him, that's a good paying job, using your hands, using your mind," he said.
Santorum calls for the federal government to have a "very limited" role in education, advocating for "flexible and personalized approaches to education for each child to best maximize their potential."
"We are leaving so many children behind because they're not ready to go to college - they don't want to go to college, they don't need to go to college," Santorum said Saturday.
CNN's Ashley Killough and Gregory Wallace contributed to this report.
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Well that makes perfect sense, the wealthy cannot use an educated “other class” to do their physical labour.
First, I'm pretty sure the President means that he wants ever child to have the OPPORTUNITY to go to college. 2nd An extremist religious zealot like this clown would probably enforce religious education in schools, at the expense of REAL education. 3rd, this is just Santorum's way of saying he doesn't want a more educated populace, because the more educated a populace is in general the less religious they are. If this guy was born in Afghanistan he'd be the #1 Taliban right now no doubt.
What a moron!!!.. if Santorum's 7 kids share their father's intellect,.. none of them will be suitable for college.
@Rick: "3rd, this is just Santorum's way of saying he doesn't want a more educated populace, because the more educated a populace is in general the less religious they are."
Agreed – also, we all know that the more educated a person is, the better able they are to think logically and call out fools like Santorum on his bogus views!
The GOP wants us dumb, poor and fearful. Who in their right mind would vote for these yahoos?!?
The money he makes as a lobbyist will pay for his kids to go to college.
Someone has to be able to lead the uneducated poor folks - what a nutjob.
@Mike S.: "What scares me most about the Republican party is that someone as shallow and obvious as Rick Santorum could actually get one vote from someone."
The GOP wants us all afraid; look at the swill they've been broadcasting on GOP-TV (Fox) and via Beck, Limbaugh, Colter, Hannity, etc., etc., etc. It's all about spreading fear, hatred, division and lies, all necessary ingredients to keeping a people down.
The GOP has become more and more fascist over the last 10 years ... time to send them all packing!
Obama/Biden 2012: The party that wants EVERYONE and our nation to succeed!
Let's not forget that one of the reasons Santorum lost his Senate seat was because it came to light that he enrolled five of his children in an online "cyber school" in Pennsylvania, for which the Penn Hills school district was billed $73,000, despite the fact that all the children lived in Virginia.
So not only does Santorum think that preparing our children for college is bad, but we should also defraud the government.
Piece of work, this one, piece of (google his name to learn more).
Santorum logic: Not every child should go to college but all of them should be compelled to pray to a Christian God in school.
BTW – Don't auto mechanics have to go to school to learn to be auto mechanics? Part of Obama's education plans include technical and vocational schools.
Why is it when a rich person or corporation gets free money from the government its called a subsidy. When a low income person gets it, its called welfare. To me both are the same, free money from the US taxpayers!!
Uhh, say Rick? What's wrong with wanting every child in America to go to college? Better yet, what's wrong with bringing a dead child home to meet the other kids?
The statement and the following text left me bewildered. No Child Left Behind became law when Santorum was a Senator. That law presumed to know what schools needed to do to educate children. Testing was a major component. However, home-schooled children and those who attend private school were never subjected to the test. Most of those running for President were involved in that decision in one way or another. The truth is nobody has done a good job of finding a way to educate all of our children to be the best they can be. There are many factors that must go into any decisions about educating our children. That being said, every child in this country should have the right to an education to age 18 and sometimes even beyond depending on the interest of that child. Stop using children as a political pawn and do what is right not what is popular.
Santorum is not even getting the facts straight. The administration's position is not that all students attend college, but that they be ready for college and careers upon graduation from high school. Then the choice can be made based on an individual's desire, not a lack of ability.
Even an auto mechanic needs college quality education/instruction.
Neo-facism is on the rise in the US. Hitler too defended his actions and policies as Christian-based. Beware America, Islam is not the enemy. The enemy is your neighbor, your Tea/publican neighbor.
I join the chorus of folks who do not see Santorum as a wise leader.
If you think that the American economy can compete in the world market by churning out mostly auto mechanics and blue collar careers, you are as stupid as Rick Santorum. We will never be able to compete in manufacturing again because of Asia. Get over it. We need an educated population.
Can't say that I agree with his word choice, but government most certainly should not be in our schools. Poor Obama isn't a snob from what I can tell. He simply lives in his own world.
Don't hate, Rick!!
Obama 2012
RIDICULOUS!
Santorum is supposed to be religious. Yet the very Bible he claims to be swear on, harkens its readers to seek knowledge and education.
If Santorum thinks its elitist or snobbery to press a nation of people to get an education, then maybe he is not the Christian he claims to be.
it looks as though so far Rick's magic he found in Iowa is not working as well in NH were the population is a bit, shall we say smarter. This stance on education and getting into debates with college students have not helped either. The heartwarming story of his young daughter will only play for so long. And if you don't believe that education is not important to the GOP base....do a national demographic search and you will see that the LEAST educated folks tend to vote Republican, you'll find most major college areas tend to be blue.