Santorum Meets Mixed Crowd, Gets Booed at Tennessee College
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Steve Pope/Getty Images(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Rick Santorum faced a mixed crowd Wednesday evening as many of his go-to talking points, which typically garner applause and cheers, were met with resistance on the campus of Belmont University.
Packed into a gymnasium at the Curb Event Center, the crowd, which was comprised primarily of college-aged students, received a lecture of sorts from Santorum warning about the restrictions and dangers of President Obama’s health care plan.
When Santorum began to talk about the implementation of the healthcare plan in 2014, a point in his stump speech, which normally receives boos, Santorum was met with resounding cheers from a portion of the crowd who support Obama’s plan. The other half of the crowd tried to quell the applause with loud boos of their own.
The resistance to Santorum’s speech did not stem solely from his disdain for the president’s healthcare plan. The mere mention of the uprising of the Tea Party across America elicited an additional round of boos from the crowd.
When Santorum explained the reasons the Constitution was drafted, a member of the crowd shouted “To protect us from you!” to some laughter from the crowd. Santorum ignored the heckler and said the Constitution was intended to protect Americans’ inalienable rights.
Throughout the speech, several members of the crowd waved signs bearing the names of Santorum’s opponents — Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. A handful of students interjected during Santorum’s speech with loud laughs and shouts.
But Santorum’s speech was not completely met with opposition. The crowd cheered when Santorum discussed the creation of health saving accounts, the vision of people’s ancestors to come to America to escape oppression, and the sacrifices made by troops serving abroad.
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