Some Nuance from Santorum on Medical Malpractice

[jerseyhoya34]

"Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., says that the No. 1 health care crisis in his state is medical lawsuit abuse and in the past he's called for a $250,000 cap on non-economic damage awards or awards for pain and suffering. "We need to do something now to fix the medical liability problem in this country," he declared at a rally in Washington D.C., this past spring.

But Santorum's wife sued a doctor for $500,000 in 1999. She claimed that a botched spinal manipulation by her chiropractor led to back surgery, pain and suffering, and sued for twice the amount of a cap Santorum has supported."
abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1300271

It is high time that this undistinguished Senator found a new job. Beyond his occasional invective lies blatant hypocrisy.

[nychoya3]

Thankfully, he's well on his way to getting trounced. Bob Casey Jr. is killing him in the polls and in fundraising, and the DC GOP is basically writing him off. The guy is an absolute moron, frankly, and his politics are to the right of Atilla the Hun.

Interesting dynamics at work in the race too. For one, Casey Jr. is pro-life, and he's polling over 60% in the democratic primary against a lesser known pro-choice candidate. I'm personally pro-choice, but it's high time democrats realize that the best way to protect choice is to take back the senate and put Harry Reid in the Majority office. Also, Santorum has been quietly shuffling away from Bush and Iraq. Not a huge break, but an awareness on his part that Bush is an anchor around his neck. If Santorum realizes that, you best believe the rest of the GOP nationally does as well. No real surprise there - Bush's approval is solidly under 40 in every recent poll - but it's a good illustration of how far he has fallen.

[EasyEd]

Is Casey really pro-life or is he one of those people that say he's personally opposed to abortion but will vote to uphold pro-choice? I'm asking. I don't know. Tim Kaine, just elected governor of Virginia, was personally pro-life but made it clear he would not "let that influence how he governed". In other words, he's not going to do anything to foster life issues.

[nychoya3]

Well, he's not a single issue candidate on abortion, but yes, he's personally pro-life. Much like Kaine, I suppose. He wouldn't vote against a judicial candidate solely because their position on Roe, but he personally believes abortion is immoral. I presume he would weigh various factors in a vote on a judical candidate (this is pretty much the only place the Senate would deal with abortion) with his pro-life views as part of that. He's not liked by NARAL or PP, if that makes you feel better. But he's liked by me, so that should make you feel worse.

Take Kaine's position on the death penalty when Kilgore went after him in Virginia. He basically said, I oppose the death penalty for religious reasons, but I'll enforce the law of the land if governor. This position is even more pronounced in the senate, where the legislative process inevitably involves compromise. If Bob Casey was king, would he outlaw abortion? Maybe. But he's not running for king, he's running for senate.

[Jack]

I am sure easyed knows this already, but Casey's father was considerably more than personally pro-life as Governor of PA, working hard to restrict abortion rights and earning considerable scorn from the NARAL wing of the Democratic party. I don't know if the younger Casey will be so outspoken, but it is highly likely PA ends up with an actively pro-life Democrat and an actively pro-choice Republican as its senators.

[AustinHoya03]

I can't stand Rick Santorum, but this is a terrible article. It doesn't look like Mrs. Santorum's non-economic damages would have exceeded the cap, which makes this a non-story unless you're looking to be outraged.

When Texas instituted a cap of $250K on non-economic damages, some groups went after the Texas AG, Greg Abbott, who is handicapped. Abbott is in a wheelchair because a tree limb, damaged in a storm, snapped and fell on his spine while he was jogging. He sued someone (can't remember who it was, maybe a tree removal service?) and either won or received a settlement. His case wasn't a medical malpractice case, but opponents accused him of pulling up the ladder for other handicapped Texans anyway. I don't think accusing Santorum's wife is quite as dirty, because frankly her lawsuit looks like the lawsuit of a bitchy wife of an idiot Senator with too much time on her hands who had a great lawyer and was barely hurt, which is exactly the type of lawsuit the cap is supposed to protect against, but it's stiill misleading to state her reward would have been affected by the proposed cap.