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News Monday, Dec 19 2011

Santorum's Past: Lobbying, Handing Out Booze, And Wrestling

Dec 19, 2011

As Rick Santorum continues to canvas Iowa, he is quick to tout his socially conservative positions, his record as a legislator, and his plans for the economy. However, it appears he is less than enthusiastic about touting his past work lobbying for the World Wrestling Federation, an industry with a checkered past that has been built on violence, sex, and misogyny. Find below some information that will hopefully make its way in Santorum’s stump.

Santorum Led The Lobbying Effort To Deregulate Wrestling, Led To Company’s Growth: According to the Philadelphia Inquirer “In one sense, the growth of the WWE, and McMahon’s power, traces back to Pennsylvania, which became one of the first states to deregulate pro wrestling after an aggressive lobbying effort – begun in 1987 under the guidance of a young associate at the law firm of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart named Rick Santorum” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/22/2010]

Santorum Bragged He Treated Lawmakers With “A Night At The Fights” where they would “troop backstage” with “plenty of food, booze, and soft drinks”: According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Whenever there was a wrestling show near Harrisburg, Santorum said, he’d treat leading lawmakers and members of then-Gov. Robert P. Casey Sr.’s staff to a night at the fights, with plenty of food, booze, and soft drinks. They’d troop backstage and see that all the action was scripted, no sport involved, Santorum said.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/22/2010]

Santorum Said He Wanted To Prevent The Wrestling Industry From “Getting Raped”: According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “I was at the center of that,” Santorum said in a recent interview. “Pennsylvania was the most pernicious of states when it came to regulation. They made you pay all this money to the boxing [athletic] commission. They used to just rape these guys.” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/22/2010]


Published: Dec 19, 2011

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