Rick Santorum told conservatives Friday that they should talk less about the wealthy and more about positive messages like those that have made Pope Francis a global icon.
Like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz did yesterday, Santorum criticized the GOP for nominating candidates in the past who were too "moderate."
"They put forth candidates who keep apologizing for the principles that they say they believe in, and then they lose," he said.
The former Pennsylvania senator and presidential candidate echoed the blue-collar appeal he made during his presidential campaign, criticizing the GOP’s strategy of highlighting small business founders during the 2012 Republican National Convention.
“We didn't send one server at a restaurant to go out there on that stage and talk about how grateful she was that her employer sacrificed a lot to create a job for her,” he said at the CPAC convention in Washington D.C. “And then we didn’t have that employer walk out on that same stage and put his arm around that server and say ‘I thank God for you and the work that you’re doing.’ That’s uniting America, not dividing it."
Santorum, who is Catholic, said the Republican Party should take lessons from Pope Francis, who has been criticized by some social conservatives for saying Catholics should not become "obsessed" with social issues.
Santorum acknowledged that some might be surprised for his praise for the pope's message.
"What Pope Francis is doing, he’s going out there and not talking about what the Christian faith is against," he said. "He’s going out there and talking about what about we’re for."