Santorum Fundraises Off Obama’s Marriage Embrace: ‘Yesterday Was Clearly A Tragic Day’

Rick Santorum — who ran one of the most anti-gay campaigns in history — is trying to fundraise from President Obama’s embrace of marriage equality and has sent out an email to his supporters criticizing his position. “While we were always suspicious of his sincerity on this issue, his public proclamation that he now opposes preserving marriage as one man and one woman – the very building block of our society – means the charade is now over and our fight begins in earnest,” he writes:

Yesterday was clearly a tragic day for America and a tragic day for all those who believe in traditional, conservative values.

President Obama made it abundantly clear that he would rather submit to the radical left of his party in an effort to shore up his reelection chances, than stand firm for one of our most sacred institutions.

But it shouldn’t come as any surprise that President Obama is trying to redefine marriage, because without a doubt he is the most liberal president in American history.

Santorum’s tone is far harsher than that of his former opponent and the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Speaking to reporters yesterday, the former Massachusetts governor reiterated that he opposes marriage equality, but noted, “that’s my own preference, I know other people have differing views.” During an interview with a Colorado station he went on to imply that marriage wasn’t an issue of significance.

Meanwhile, Santorum made a name for himself on the presidential campaign trail by peddling a series of wacky claims about gay people. The former senator infamously compared same-sex marriage to inanimate objects like napkins and basketballs, promised to annul all same-sex marriages, and defended his support for Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by arguing that gay soldiers would disrupt the military because “they’re in close quarters” with straight servicemembers.