In Romney's backyard, Santorum compares gay marriage to polygamy.

[RandySF]

But the testiest part of the exchange came when an audience member suggested that gay people should be allowed to marry because they have a right to happiness.

In response, Mr. Santorum asked whether she thought more than two people should be allowed to marry, apparently trying to suggest that the questioner was advocating an extreme position.

“If you’re not happy unless you’re married to five other people, is that O.K.?” he asked.

That angered the audience, which booed his answer.

“I’m happy to engage in a discussion,” he said, continuing on. He said he wanted to “give people a chance to answer, but we’re going to have a civil discussion.”

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/santorum-gets-into-testy-debate-on-gay-marriage/

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. Mormon belief is that men have multiple wives after death anyway, whether they do in life or not nt

[Angry Dragon]

3. are newt and rush closet Mormons??

[Sarah Ibarruri]

8. I think they might be! nt

[Angry Dragon]

2. So make the law that two people can marry as long as they have

reached the age of majority (is that the correct term??)

[justiceischeap]

4. He says something that obviously didn't resonate with the audience

and then chastises them for their reaction...

First, he compared changing marriage laws to building a bridge. You have to have a reason why you want to build the bridge, he said. He then said that many of the things that same-sex marriage advocates want — such as visiting loved ones in hospitals — can be done through contract law.

“Can that right be legally done right now through contract?” he asked. “Yes it can.”

I'd just like to point out that just because you have a contract doesn't mean that having said contract is expedient. I recently watched a documentary called, "For My Wife." It was about a lesbian couple in Washington state that lived in a flash flood zone. The one wife got trapped in the basement during a flash flood and was rescued by the fire dept. The wife, who had the entire contract binder, that was lost in the flood, couldn't see her dying spouse until they got the spouse's mom's permission. Then another woman they interviewed had their legal binder ignored by the funeral director, who sent the deceased's ashes to her mother (who didn't talk with her child because she was a lesbian).

So, yeah, these things can be done with contract law but people can and do ignore these contracts.

[backscatter712]

5. Where does the right wing find these morons?

What Rick Santorum said was utterly disgusting!

[LeftishBrit]

6. Well, that's mild; compared with some of the other things he's compared it with!

[spanone]

7. keep it up rick...hatred is not a presidential trait

[chelsea0011]

9. There is no logic to his retort

The question is always about only two people marrying and he always equates same sex marriage as the same as mulitple people marrying or marrying a dog. If his logic is followed, accepting marriage between anyone, including man/ woman would lead to marrigae with dogs.

And go after the audience that came here to listen to you and NH people will turn on you. You can expect single digits at the polls. This ain't no evangelical crowd here like Iowa.

[justiceischeap]

10. kick (eom)