Do You Want Some Special Santorum Sauce with That Tasty English-Only Cheesesteak, Amigo?
Reader Zack Price passes along one more reason not to like Rick Santorum, the beleaguered social conservative from Pennsylvania who looks to be going down faster than Rod Stewart at a pony party in the upcoming senatorial election versus Bob Casey XXIII.
Not only is Santorum a minimum-wage increaser, a campaign-finance booster (when it suits him at least), a gay-marriage hater, and the embodiment of a frothy mixture that dare not speak its name.
He also supports Philadelphia cheesesteak nativist Joe Vento's campaign for English-Only sandwiches. Reports the Philly Daily News:
[Santorum] voiced support—albeit in an odd, indirect way—for owner Joe Vento's much debated "Speak English" sign.
"It makes all the sense in the world to have a sign like this," he told a Daily News reporter after the paper was tipped off to his late-night visit. "There's not really an extensive menu here. I mean, come on, it's cheesesteaks, onions, et cetera. It's not that hard."
Santorum took a quick turn flipping shaved beef on Geno's grill and was cheered on by about 20 T-shirt-wearing supporters, mostly 26th Ward Republicans from South Philly, who'd been told the embattled GOP senator was coming.
Whole account here.
Reason's Dave Weigel has been all over the Vento story like, well, Cheese-Whiz on burning-hot beef; go here and here for details. (Personal note: When I lived in Philly from 1988-90, I was a staunch defender of Geno's over archrival Pat's. One more idol smashed, alas. Are there no more heroes? Even among those who make heroes for a living?)
Reason regular Jonathan Rauch explains how Santorum is trying to pull the plug on the Goldwater wing of the GOP here.