Politics: A Kindler, Gentler Rick Santorum

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Politics A Kindler, Gentler Rick Santorum Now that the man in the vest is surging in the polls, he's toning down his talk on homosexuality, gay marriage, and abortion. Meet Santorum 2.0. By David Weigel Posted Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012, at 11:14 PM ET On Monday, the gods of campaign scheduling were in full-on prank mode. In Olympia, Wash., Gov. Christine Gregoire signed legislation making hers the seventh state where gays can marry. Less than an hour later, Rick Santorum arrived at the state capital to hobnob with defeated religious leaders. There he was: The sponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment, the man who'd taken "arrows in the back" to battle gay marriage laws, the guy who was so hated by gay activists that his name had been turned into a frothy sexual slur. What would he say? He would tell everyone to be respectful and get along. "There are legitimate reasons that people have to want … to change the law," he said. "And there are legitimate reasons that people have to want to keep the law in place." He did not talk about a war on Christianity, or the need to abolish state legislators. "There are ebbs and flows in every battle." Later, at a heckler-hassled speech in Tacoma, Santorum barely mentioned the new law. Protesters—the local Occupy hitching post was a short walk away—shouted  him down whenever they could. Most stories about the rally led with the attempts to disrupt it, not the marriage material. The Rick Santorum who's soaring in primary polls looks a lot like the Santorum who lost his 2006 re-election bid by 18 points. Here is a difference: His culture war talk is softer, more implied. He talks up his welfare reform role and ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate The Kid Who Spied on Tyler Clementi Is About To Go to Trial. He Should Take a Plea Instead. Why Do They Use Horses To Make Glue? Did Arcade Fire Cover an Old Civil War Tune for The Hunger Games?	Advertisement
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