CBS's Crawford: Mrs. Santorum's 'Frustration' With Media 'Understandable'
Jan Crawford spotlighted Karen Santorum's "frustrations with the media" on Tuesday's CBS This Morning, adding that it was "understandable. They've been mocked by some for how they grieved the loss of their infant son." Crawford also noted how Mrs. Santorum's "life...has been under a microscope. In nearly every story written about her, it's mentioned she lived with a doctor...[who] performed abortions."
The political correspondent landed the first Big Three network
interview with the GOP candidate's wife. At the end of the segment,
Crawford stated that "voters tell us...one thing they like about [Rick]
Santorum- he means what he says, and he's real. And in that sense, he and his wife are very much alike." Anchor Gayle King later sang the praises of Karen Santorum: "[She] needs to do more interviews...because you come across really liking her."
The CBS journalist began her report by outlining how Mrs. Santorum is "very much her husband's partner and equal.
She's a lawyer and a nurse, and she told me how they talk about policy
and strategy, and she tells him when he slips up....in our wide-ranging
conversation, she was warm, genuine, and she talked openly about their life, their marriage, and the challenges they've endured."
After spending the first part of the interview on her family's home
life and the story of how she met her husband, Mrs. Santorum came to his
defense against the accusation from the left that the former senator is
waging a "war on women":
K. SANTORUM: He's been surrounded by strong women his whole life. He continues to be surrounded by strong women in his daily life, and...some of the best staffers he has ever had, from press secretary to scheduler...have all been women. He completely supports well-educated career women.
Crawford then moved to the sensitive topics of the death of the Santorums' son, Gabriel, and Mrs. Santorum's past life with an abortionist:
CRAWFORD (voice-over):
Karen Santorum's frustrations with the media are clear and, in many
ways, understandable. They've been mocked by some for how they grieved
the loss of their infant son, Gabriel, 16 years ago. Born prematurely,
he died shortly after he was born.
K. SANTORUM: We brought Gabriel home from the hospital to have a
funeral Mass and to bury him And so, they twist it and they make it
sound like it was some crazy thing. We brought him home from the
hospital to introduce him to our kids and embrace him. It was for the
funeral Mass and for the burial. And what is so sad for me, Jan, is that
no one can tell me how to grieve, and I'm not going to tell anyone else
how to grieve.
CRAWFORD: Even Karen Santorum's life nearly 30 years ago has been
under a microscope. In nearly every story written about her, it's
mentioned she lived with a doctor 40 years her senior who, as part of
his practice, performed abortions.
K. SANTORUM: I went through a phase- it was a phase- when I was
young and made some stupid decisions, and I did some stupid things, and I
did go through a phase of life where I wasn't living the way I should
have been. And for anyone out there who's listening, who's in the same
phase- you know, it's- there is healing; there is change.
For the record, the two most prominent media voices who badmouthed the Santorums' reaction to Gabriel's death were Alan Colmes (who later apologized) and the Washington Post's Eugene Robinson.
The full transcript of Jan Crawford's interview of Karen Santorum, which aired at the top of the 8 am Eastern hour of Tuesday's CBS This Morning:
CHARLIE ROSE: On this Super Tuesday, we'll have a revealing look at
Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum through the eyes of his
wife, Karen.
ERICA HILL: Political correspondent Jan Crawford is in Columbus,Ohio
with a story that you will see only on 'CBS This Morning.' Jan, good
morning.
JAN CRAWFORD: Well, good morning. Karen Santorum is very much her
husband's partner and equal. She's a lawyer and a nurse, and she told me
how they talk about policy and strategy, and she tells him when he
slips up. But she has really stayed behind the scenes. She rarely talks
to the media. This was her first network television interview, and in
our wide-ranging conversation, she was warm, genuine, and she talked
openly about their life, their marriage, and the challenges they've
endured.
[CBS News Graphic: "Standing By Her Man: Karen Santorum On Life With Rick"]
K. SANTORUM (from pre-recorded interview): When you walk through the
door, he is not a senator, he's not a guy running for president. He's a
husband and a father, and he immediately shifts gears. He's in the
kitchen making a great meal.
CRAWFORD: What's his specialty?
K. SANTORUM: Oh, my goodness. Chicken marsala, pasta arabiata, pancakes for the kids.
CRAWFORD: But these days, Rick Santorum is at home on the campaign trail-
RICK SANTORUM, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (from campaign event): A month ago, they didn't know who we are, but they do now.
CRAWFORD: As a frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president.
CRAWFORD (on-camera): Did you ever think I could be first lady?
K. SANTORUM: No, and I still don't even go there. I just take one day
at a time and work hard and pray hard, and we'll see where this is
going.
CRAWFORD (voice-over): They've come a long way since they met by chance
24 years ago in Pittsburgh, when then-Karen Garver was offered a job at
the firm where Santorum worked. He was with a group of lawyers who took
her to a recruiting dinner.
K. SANTORUM: It was honestly a love-at-first-sight kind of thing.
CRAWFORD (off-camera): Really?
K. SANTORUM: Oh, absolutely.
CRAWFORD: What was it?
K. SANTORUM: He was so funny. He was just very kind and friendly, and I
went home that night and wrote in my diary, I met the guy I'm going to
marry.
CRAWFORD (on-camera): Did you take the job offer?
K. SANTORUM: Yes, I did. (laughs) It was because of him.
CRAWFORD (voice-over): They married in 1990, the year Rick Santorum was
first elected to Congress. Less than two years later, Elizabeth, the
first of their eight children was born.
K. SANTORUM: I knew, once I had kids, I wanted to be a mom at home.
CRAWFORD: The Santorums are devout Catholics. Rick Santorum's strongly
conservative views on social issues- he's anti-abortion, and is morally
opposed to birth control- have led critics to question his views on
women.
K. SANTORUM: Number one, he is- he's been surrounded by strong women
his whole life. He continues to be surrounded by strong women in his
daily life, and the best- some of the best staffers he has ever had,
from press secretary to scheduler, and- you know, the issues people-
have all been women. He completely supports well-educated career women.
If I wanted to work full time as a lawyer, he would have been 100
percent behind me.
CRAWFORD (on-camera): One hundred percent? Even with the children?
K. SANTORUM: One hundred percent- absolutely. If I told him tomorrow,
Rick, you know what? I want to go out and work full time, he would have
been 100 percent behind me.
CRAWFORD (voice-over): Karen Santorum's frustrations with the media are
clear and, in many ways, understandable. They've been mocked by some
for how they grieved the loss of their infant son, Gabriel, 16 years
ago. Born prematurely, he died shortly after he was born.
K. SANTORUM: We brought Gabriel home from the hospital to have a
funeral Mass and to bury him. And so, they twist it and they make it
sound like it was some crazy thing. We brought him home from the
hospital to introduce him to our kids and embrace him. It was for the
funeral Mass and for the burial. And what is so sad for me, Jan, is that
no one can tell me how to grieve, and I'm not going to tell anyone else
how to grieve.
CRAWFORD: Even Karen Santorum's life nearly 30 years ago has been under
a microscope. In nearly every story written about her, it's mentioned
she lived with a doctor 40 years her senior who, as part of his
practice, performed abortions.
K. SANTORUM: I went through a phase- it was a phase- when I was young
and made some stupid decisions, and I did some stupid things, and I did
go through a phase of life where I wasn't living the way I should have
been. And for anyone out there who's listening, who's in the same phase-
you know, it's- there is healing; there is change.
CRAWFORD: Santorum said that time made her realize what was important to her.
K. SANTORUM: I just feel very strongly about faith and family, and I
very- I also feel very strongly about life- the life issue. And now that
we have a special-needs little girl, I feel especially stronger about,
you know, the dignity and value of every person from the moment of
conception until death.
CRAWFORD: Their daughter Bella was born with a rare genetic disorder.
Along with the death of her son, Karen Santorum said learning Bella's
diagnosis was the most difficult time in her life.
K. SANTORUM: It was always one of us was at the hospital, one of us was
at home with the kids, and then, we would switch. And I- I just- he was
amazing, bringing me coffee, bringing me breakfast- you know, helping
with the kids and helping out at home.
CRAWFORD: The demands of their family life and children was one reason
Karen Santorum initially didn't want her husband to run for president.
Another was the loss of privacy.
K. SANTORUM: I wouldn't even talk about it for a while. And so,
eventually, Rick said, I'm just going to ask you, just pray about it
and- so I decided to pray about it. It took us about a year to make the
decision. We talked a lot about it; we prayed a lot about it; and, in
the end, despite my resistance, I honestly believe that this is the path
God wants us on.
CRAWFORD (live): Now, Karen Santorum told me she believes her husband
also brings one quality the other candidates lack- and that's courage,
that he will fight for what he believes in, as he fought for their
family. And you know, voters tell us that's one thing they like about
[Rick] Santorum- he mean what he says, and he's real. And in that sense,
he and his wife are very much alike.
HILL: So, Jan, obviously, the campaign is putting her out there now to
talk a little bit more, but how involved is she on a day-to-day basis on
the campaign trail?
CRAWFORD: Well, we don't see her nearly as much as we do the other
candidates' wives, like Mitt Romney's wife Ann, for example. She's
almost at every rally, speaking at every rally. Karen Santorum has
stayed behind the scenes, and we talked about that in our interview. She
said they talk on the phone. She tells him when she thinks he, maybe,
goes too far- the other day, for example, when he called President Obama
a 'snob'. She had something to say about that. So she is behind the
scenes, but we have been seeing her lately at some of these rallies. She
says though, obviously, the demands of her life, her children- that
makes their- them very different than the other candidates, whose
children are grown, or, in Newt Gingrich and his wife's case, do not
have children.
HILL: Jan, thank you.
GAYLE KING: I'm thinking Karen Santorum needs to do more interviews- I
want to see her more out there front and center, because you come across
really liking her- really liking her. I think you get to see an insight
into her and into him.
ROSE: It helps to understand him better-
KING: Right- that's right
ROSE: Because of the way she talks about, not only him, but their own lifestyle.
HILL: And it is interesting, as you both point out, that this is really
one of the first times we've really heard from her, and that they-
especially when things were tough earlier on in the campaign-
interesting that we wouldn't have heard more from her at that time.
KING: I'm glad she came to us. Say what you will about Rick Santorum-
he's always consistent, and you look at Karen Santorum- very
interesting. Go Jan Crawford!
