Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is no stranger to controversy. While the former Pennsylvania senator has gained the respect and admiration of many on the right, he continues to have run-ins with liberals who oppose his socially-conservative views. Last night, he experienced yet another one of these incidents in Tacoma, Washington, when he was shouted down, then glitter bombed by Occupy protesters.
The Wall Street Journal has more regarding the altercation that unfolded right down the road from the local Occupy encampment:
Shortly after the former senator from Pennsylvania began addressing a receptive crowd, a group of young protesters in the front row began chanting slogans such as “go away” and “right-wing bigot,” a reference to Mr. Santorum’s opposition to gay marriage, one of them said afterward. The surging GOP-candidate then spent the next hour battling the vocal minority. [...]“What they represent is true intolerance,” Mr. Santorum said. “I don’t think they’re a bigot because they disagree with me.”
He added later, “I understand their frustration. For three years they haven’t been able to find work, they have a president that doesn’t care about them… Their president has left them behind, but we won’t.”
Watch Santorum talk over the protesters' chants, below:
Other outlets went on to describe the chaos that unfolded, with KIRO-7 claiming that there were a number of arrests (including a young woman who allegedly glitter-bombed Santorum). One Occupier claims that the police used a Taser on the protesters as well:
Taking a different angle on the matter, MSNBC's Chuck Todd discussed the incident and used it to question whether Santorum has the structure needed to run a national campaign, should he secure the GOP nomination:
While last night's attempted glitter attack wasn't caught on camera (although we're still scouring the Internet for the clip), you can watch a December 2011 Santorum glitter bomb, below:
You can also view Santorum's entire Washington address here.
(H/T: Mediaite)
