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| Rick Santorum |
Son and grandson of Irish and Italian immigrants, and married for 21 years with Karen Garver, at 53 years old with seven children, began in April Santorum campaigning for the presidential nomination, though polls suggest that his chances are reduced.
A high school Santorum called him "Rooster" for his arrogance and obstinacy, and retains these traits in their political positions, especially those in the U.S. are called "social", ie those related to sexuality, family and religion.
Santorum is a determined opponent of abortion and gay marriage and defending "intelligent design", the idea that public schools be taught along with evolution theory, the notion that the universe has a design and, in Accordingly, an author.
Also, Santorum, a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pittsburgh and Dickinson School of Law, is a determined fiscal conservative, opposing taxes and government regulations on industry, firm trimmer assistance programs social and supporter of Social Security privatization.
On its Web site (ricksantorum.com) the former senator mentioned as one of the highlights of his legislative career he was author and co-manager in the Senate of the Law on Social Care Reform in 1996.
In the version of Santorum, the law "allowed millions of Americans from leaving welfare and entering the workforce."
The law, which changed the rules that define which individuals or families are eligible for government assistance programs, along with the economic boom in the second half of the 1990s, reduced the number of people in government aid programs.
As a good Catholic, Santorum flavors that social conservatism with another "compassionate" that relies on "strong families, religious freedom and a vibrant civil society" in which assistance to the underprivileged and the disabled depends mainly on the charity.
Social and fiscal conservatism Santorum is combined with enthusiastic support for the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and constant warnings about the threat of militant Islam.
In 2006, Santorum in the Senate opposed a proposal for comprehensive reform of immigration law.
Undocumented immigrants, in their opinion, should not receive assistance from government programs and would be deported.
As a complement, Santorum proposes the construction of more barriers to the U.S. border with Mexico.
These are the features that make Santorum one of seven Republicans who will compete in January by a vote of his fellow, delegates to a national convention and the ability to challenge President Barack Obama in the November 2012 elections.
Despite his charm and good looks in televised debates, Santorum has not been placed at the top of the set of competitors split Republicans.
According to RealClearPolitics, a website that produces an average of several major polls this week Santorum attracts 3.8% of republican sympathies, far below the 27.6% that is inclined to the former president of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich and 24.6% of the former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney.
