In his address to the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) last Friday, former Pennsylvania senator, and 2012 presidential-hopeful, Rick Santorum-R said that there is no “middle-class.”
He asserted that the term “middle-class” has become part of the liberal lexicon to bolster “class-envy, leftist language.” “Why do we use a term I should say that is of the other side,” said Santorum and the CPAC conference. “Why do we, as Republicans who believe in the dignity of every human life, who believe in equality of opportunity for everyone to rise, adopt a class-envy leftist language that divides America against themselves?”
Because “middle-class” is correct.
Middle-class refers to the social group economically above the lower, working class and below the upper, ruling class. Santorum wants to replace the term with “working Americans” because he thinks that term is more unifying of the classes that apparently don’t exist in America.
“Do we really accept the fact there are classes in America?” he added. “Why do we adopt their language? We have to stop that.”
Before Republicans decide they do want to refuse accepting the fact that classes exist, they should ask themselves what could become of such an embrace of shortsighted philosophy. By ignoring the existence of class, the GOP would be further ignoring and distancing themselves from the very problems that American class disparity have caused.
The only way dropping the term “middle-class” could be feasible is if Santorum recognized that it was disappearing, creating two very distinctive classes; the lower class and the one percent. Middle-class would come to mean a class that no longer exists.
It’s quite remarkable how Santorum can even attempt to rally lawmakers to ignore such a glaring disparity in American society. It’s apparent that Santorum wants lawmakers to abandon the term because Obama uses it.
“Don’t use the term the other side uses,” said Santorum. “What does Barack Obama talk about all the time? The middle class. Since when in America do we have classes? . . . That’s Marxism talk.”
Santorum is missing the mark by continuing to push his “no class” bologna. Especially this year, the middle-class and income inequality is the issue on the Beltway. Any politician, on either side of the aisle, would do well to let Santorum’s thoughtlessness go in one ear and out of the other.
Josh is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. Follow him on Twitter @dnJdeli.
