Rick Santorum Defies Rainbow Bandanna Hecklers at Cornell (Video)

Weather update: A sudden flurry of snowflakes fell in an isolated section of central campus Wednesday evening in anticipation of the Cornell Republican’s fall speaker event featuring former Republican Senator and two-time presidential contender Rick Santorum.

Other chants went along the lines of “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Rick Santorum go away!”

The event consisted of a brief introductory speech about the 2016 election and the future of the U.S. and the European Union, and then transitioned into an extended Q&A with questions from audience members numbering at least 500, with many turned away at the doors. All throughout, Mr. Santorum was a true class act, and handled himself very well despite the consistent barrage of antagonistic jeers, chants, interruptions, and obscenities flung at him by rainbow bandanna-brandishing protesters and, at times, most others in the audience.

Though only numbering about 25, the rainbow protesters did not hesitate to let their presence be known from the onset. Cornell Republican Chairwoman Olivia Corn ’19 was unable to finish her introduction of Mr. Santorum without several nonsensical outcries from the audience — “Extremism is not conservatism!” one screeched — which prompted Ms. Corn to ask for civility and respect from the audience.

As any seasoned campus conservative can guess, the request was not met.

Before Mr. Santorum could finish his first sentence, the rainbow-clad began demanding the opportunity to ask him questions, and when not granted it during the initial part of the event, they proceeded to continue their temper tantrum unabashed. Of particular favor to the rainbow protesters were the raised fist and chant of “Shame!”

At one moment during Mr. Santorum’s introductory remarks, when the protesters’ incessant interruptions grew unbearably disruptive, he addressed them directly and pointed out the hypocrisy of preaching “diversity and tolerance” when not giving him and others the opportunity to express opposing ideas and beliefs. Instead, he said, they shout down opposing beliefs, and, at this very moment, the contrast between Mr. Santorum’s plead for civility and his demeanor was in such stark contrast to the rainbow protesters’ cacophony, the rest of the audience burst into applause.

Legal Insurrection uploaded a video of the exchange (originally filmed by the Young America Foundation, which co-sponsored the event).

Later, Mr. Santorum said the biggest threat to the nation would be (or, perhaps de facto, is) the loss of the “public square” where all are invited to speak their minds and advocate for their beliefs.

The Q&A questions mostly centered on social issues, with audience members acutely aware that this is where Republicans and conservatives, unfortunately, have the hardest time making their case in front of hostile audiences. Questions ranged from his stance on teaching Intelligent Design in public schools, to man-made climate change, to gay marriage. Mr. Santorum, however, did not back down from the challenge, and responded honestly to every question, no matter how loaded or confrontational many of the questions were.

The most interesting exchange came at the very end, when Mr. Santorum addressed a question concerning gay marriage. As one would expect, Mr. Santorum was quick to state his religious beliefs guide him to believe in marriage as being between a man and a woman, but he further expounded on the importance of stable families in the maintenance of healthy, economically robust communities and the country’s overall socio-economic standing. His discussion of this topic led to groans and outcries from many in the audience, who, presumably, were triggered by the patently obvious notion that nuclear families are important to the community and individual well-being.

Cornell Republicans deserve credit for bringing Mr. Santorum to campus, knowing full-well the hostile reaction he and they as an organization would receive. Despite being of lower profile since dropping out of the 2016 presidential campaign, Mr. Santorum’s ability to articulate his brand of “blue-collar conservatism” and social conservatism is highly admirable and thought-provoking.