CNN’s Rick Santorum Blasted By Cable News Hosts, Former CNN Pundits, and a Congressman For Comments on Native Americans
Rick Santorum is drawing heat for a speech before a conservative youth group where he said that there was “nothing” in America when European colonizers arrived, and that now “there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture.”
CNN’s Rick Santorum: “We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here. I mean, yes we have Native Americans but candidly there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture” pic.twitter.com/EMxOEYDbg7
— Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) April 26, 2021
The CNN senior political analyst and former Republican senator made the remarks in a speech about religious freedom to the Young America’s Foundation, a conservative youth group.
“If you think about this country, I don’t know of any other country in the world that was settled predominantly by people who were coming to practice their faith,” Santorum said. “They came here because they were not allowed to practice their particular faith in their own country. And so they came here mostly from Europe, and they set up a country that was based on Judeo-Christian principles”
He continued (emphasis added):
You know, if you think of other countries like Italy and Greece and China and Turkey and places like that, they’ve all sort of changed over time. I mean, they’ve been there for millennia in many cases. And their culture has sort of evolved over time, but not us. We came here and created a blank slate. We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here. I mean, yes, we have Native Americans, but candidly that — there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture. It was born of the people who came here, pursuing religious liberty to practice their faith.
Santorum recently joined the advisory board of Advancing American Freedom, a conservative advocacy group started by former Vice President Mike Pence.
Santorum drew searing criticism for the comments from a litany of voices, including cable news hosts like Joy Reid and Mehdi Hasan, former CNN personalities like Soledad O’Brien, Reza Aslan and Kathy Griffin, and Congressman Eric Swalwell.
This is an absolute nightmare. Just appalling beyond words. https://t.co/WbCKm35n6D
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) April 26, 2021
If you are this ignorant about American history, then you probably shouldn’t be a political commentator on @CNN https://t.co/3JHk9PhfDU
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) April 26, 2021
curious who the “we” is here. If I recall Rick’s grandfather was born in Italy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. One of my grandparents was born in what’s now Lithuania. But still. Who’s the we. https://t.co/rhVL4mw9fT
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) April 26, 2021
I … don’t even know where to begin… this is so racist and ignorant I’m actually speechless… https://t.co/VBD73PxHpq
— Joy-Ann Pro-Democracy & Masks Reid ? (@JoyAnnReid) April 26, 2021
“So they came here mostly from Europe *WINK* and set up a country..based on Judeo-Christian principles..& the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
…and yeah they encoded into law the brutalizing, rape, enslavement & slaughter of whole peoples, but aside from that, were loving & decent. https://t.co/thCY2bv44O
— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) April 26, 2021
Rick Santorum straight up handwaves the genocide of indigenous people https://t.co/u0ZoLgZR5d
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 26, 2021
The thing about CNN giving Rick Santorum money is that in addition making terrible comments like this, he’s also helping a group that campaigns against CNN for purportedly being “fake news” (https://t.co/1Nf4jc4cF8). So why does CNN employ him? https://t.co/ctO82KNGTZ
— Eric Hananoki (@ehananoki) April 26, 2021
(CNN employee’s overt racism and ignorance.) https://t.co/awZdUGtofE
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) April 26, 2021
But I’m the one who got fired by CNN. ?♀️ https://t.co/CM4QdNwFtG
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) April 26, 2021
He is an ignorant, hateful, frightened little man and I’m so glad his mindset will end up forgotten by history. Move forward, America. Away from this shitbag and his ilk. https://t.co/BZR0qF6ZQG
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) April 26, 2021
Stunningly vile. https://t.co/eDXCjd6tIo
— Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) April 26, 2021
I mean who could expect such an ignorant, mean-spirited, wildly offensive comment from someone who once compared homosexuality to beastiality? https://t.co/pcxfO3rjMs
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) April 26, 2021
Reza Aslan was fired from CNN for anti-Trump tweets and Marc Lamont Hill was fired from CNN for supporting Palestinian liberation.
So, what’s the move gonna be here? https://t.co/hzonLxJlaZ
— Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) April 26, 2021
@marclamonthill fired by CNN@rezaaslan fired by CNN@RickSantorum employed by CNN https://t.co/lo27Tq9gSK
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) April 26, 2021
You can hear more from Rick Santorum on Native American culture all week on @CNN https://t.co/WbbWQKaYhv
— Reza Aslan (@rezaaslan) April 26, 2021
Watch above.
