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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Wow this guy is a big hypocrite!!!! >>>>"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," <<<<< He makes these comments about Obama because he expects everyone to shoot for college, but he (Santorum) has no problem applying the same type of "hubris" and "snobbery" in saying that he knows what is best with regards to woman and abortions, and the LGBT community and marriage. Yeah, OK.
What a nut job this guy is!! 7 children !! This 'xian fundamentalist is no better than those 'slam fanatics who produces innumerable children and home school them in order to "protect" them from differing world views?. Imagine if everyone started having 7 children, what will this world would become with its scarce resources? Los** breeding los**s.
This is what wrong with America, that narrow mindedness and dogma based society would pull everyone down. I am so highly surprised that based on these dogma oriented "conservative (read fanatic)" values, he is surging 🙁
He's an idiot: "they don't need to go to college." It is important to encourage and support education, not perpetuate the dumbing of America.
This is more about the fact that it is easier to control uneducated people.
I don't understand this. Isn't the idea that anyone who makes the grade and has the desire should be able to go to college? What's snobbish about that?
You tell em Rich...filthy snob thinking that education is a "good thing" for children and America......
Sorry...not Rich Santorum....meant Capt. Frothy!
why cant your child be an educated mechanic ? youre a real genius , no wonder you are so corrupt !
No, you clown, it is a desire of the President to make sure that all children have the opportunity to go to college. You take delight in twisting words and thought around. You, sir, will NEVER be president. Take that thought to the college of your choice.
we send more kids to college than ever before. many come out with worthless degress and thousands of dollars of student loan debt. meanwhile most businesses cannot find skilled machinists, electrician, plumbers, welders. people in these trades are pulling in $60K to $100K plus. the student loan program has not provided the benefits to most that were promised.
Obama never said everyone must go to college. He said everyone must have the OPPORTUNITY! What a way to twist those words.
Is he on drugs? What is wrong with going to college and better yourself? What a jacka$$ !
Of course not every kid should go to college..Who will flip his burgers, fight his wars, cut his lawn and clean his house?.
You have got to be Kidding me??! These republican/tea partiers just want to keep America stupid. We as voters really need to open our eyes and ears.
Talk about hubris! Santorum vilifies Obama for wanting our children to go to college saying this is "...snobbery,,,from those that think they know how to run our lives." And exactly what do you call your stance, Rick, on a woman's right to her own body? And let's not forget your idea that states should be able to ban contraception? Isn't all of this government intrusion into the most private parts of your life? You evangelical Christians (so to speak) want less government, except when it comes to anything related to women and their right to their own bodies. You are all hypocrites! If men gave birth, healthcare for them would be free and easily accessible.
Its hubris for a president to want every child in America to graduate career and college ready? Only a dimwit GOP would believe that statement to be egotistical. Rick & Co want to wear crowns, sit on thrones, enrich their cronies and let the rest of us be their subjects. WAKE UP AMERICA-this is serious. BTW-RS would sht bricks if one of his kids is blue collar.
Is this guy for real? What is so wrong in every child to graduate and be career and college ready? Even auto mechanic is a career that needs enough education to read and operate computers for auto diagnosis. I hope Mr. Santorum knows this before criticizing Mr. Obama just for the sack of it. Not only USA falling far behind in education field, India and China are taking away all our high paying jobs. Mr. Satorum and all small government proponents should know, in both these countries, government invests heavily in their children's education.
If Obama said there should be a cure for Cancer, Santorum would complain to him about that. Some people should just die. I kid you not this man is a complete idiot.
What a ridiculous point. Obama said career and college ready. That means ready for college, or to be an automechanic. Classy.
I am not a Santorum fan, but he makes a great point. Too many people are already going to college for the piece of paper rather than education anyway, and some of the most thoughtful people I know were auto-workers and farmers who learned through experience. Diversity is a strength of the US, and we should recognize that it includes diversity of paths in early adulthood. Santorum, Romney and President Obama all have law degrees, but I trust the governing experience and reasonableness of Huntsman over all of them.
All your children will go to college, Rick. None will choose to become an aoto mechanic. If they did, you should thank President Obama for saving the auto industry. Secondly, you should thank God that we have a President who challenges young people to excel, and who will not settle for mediocrity. At the same time, President Obama supports funding for technical schools, whose students might not be interested or capable of attending college. So, please, Rick, stop trying to get votes by deceiving or misleading people. That's so unpatriotic. This President really cares about those citzens and families that you seem so willing to ignore.
He doesn't want people to go to college because that's where people usually find out most of what he's saying is a load of bull.
Oh yes, we know how many of those good paying, blue collar jobs there are out there.
Santorum should understand that today without some kind of post-secondary training and education, most people won't have good jobs or career, be able to sustain themselves or their families, or be productive citizens. There's not much available with just a high school diploma. That's not snobbery, Rick. That's knowledge, and knowledge is power. Please get yourself educated! When you speak this kind of nonsense, you look foolish.
There you have it, folks: Santorum's vision of the future is to lower the bar and expect the least of our children.
As any thinking person understands, President Obama wants our children to be prepared to compete in the global market place and that means aiming high. We all know that not everyone will go or wants to go to college, but we still need to make as many children capable of doing so by aiming high, supporting them and creating the opportunity to do so.
BTW, when you're trying to describe someone as a "snob," best not use the word "hubris" (I'm guessing most of the GOP base will have to look that one up).
Santorum makes no sense at all . I applaud the President . Who is the snob here ? Republicans stole away the right for low income and middle class students to go to graduate school . Everyone knows they would love to eliminate Pell Grants also . Republicans know that the Health Care Plan, will also help students, even tho our son got a full scholarship , we still had to pay a high price for health insurance. Republicans want to keep the working class in their place . Republicans don't want our children to be educated, that will increase the chance of their being Democrats and improve society to a level that is more equitable. They do not want that .