Go Upstate - Rick Santorum Visits Spartanburg Methodist College

News Article

By Chris Lavender

Republican presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said ISIS should be destroyed and not contained.

He made the statement Wednesday during a campaign stop in Spartanburg. Santorum criticized President Barack Obama's containment policy against ISIS during a town hall hosted by Spartanburg Methodist College.

"The strategy to contain is absolutely the wrong strategy," Santorum said. "You could not have a worse strategy based on what ISIS is."

Santorum also criticized Obama regarding the proposed nuclear agreement with Iran.

"What this president has done is the greatest betrayal of any president in our history of the security of our country," Santorum said.

During the forum, the former senator also addressed the current economic conditions. Over the past few weeks, there has been volatility in the US markets.

"There's a lot of challenges in this economy now," Santorum said. "You see what the markets are doing right now. I think there is a lot of uncertainty about where our economy is going. I think contrary to what a lot of folks are saying, I think we could be in for a very rough patch here in the next few months."

Another one of his points addressed his strong support for people to have the right to keep and bear arms.

"The Second Amendment is a very important freedom," he said. "It's a freedom to be able to defend yourself and to make sure that the government isn't the only people that have guns. Having folks out there who are responsible gun owners is a very positive thing for our society."

Kendra Strange of Spartanburg and Lindsay Hunt of Greenville were among those at the town hall event.

"I love that he is trying to get more families off of welfare and back in the workforce," Hunt said.

Strange said she was concerned about the level of student loan debt nationwide. Santorum said there needs to be more job opportunities for students graduating from college.

"Job opportunities are not what they should be," Santorum said. "So, that's why good leadership is going to get this economy growing again."

Source