Rick Santorum says he had 'nothing to do with' campaign slogan taken from Langston Hughes poem

Former Republican Sen. Rick Santorum announced Wednesday that he was forming an exploratory committee for a possible presidential run. His slogan was, and remains on his website, "Fighting to make America America again."

But it might not be for long. Santorum, a well-known conservative, backed away from the phrase -- saying he had "nothing to do" with it -- after being told it derives from a poem by Langston Hughes.

Hughes, who died in 1967, was an African American Communist who advocated for civil rights and social justice. A key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes may well have been gay; some of his poems were homoerotic and others defended gay rights.

In 2003, then-Sen. Santorum came under fire for equating homosexuality with incest. "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual [gay] sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything," he told the Associated Press. CNN wrote that Santorum "made clear he did not approve of 'acts outside of traditional heterosexual relationships.' " Pennsylvania's Log Cabin Republicans called his remarks "alarming." The Democratic caucus called for him to move out of his position of leadership.

In 2006, Santorum lost his Pennsylvania Senate seat by 18 points to Democrat Bob Casey.

On Thursday, the left-wing website ThinkProgress noticed the connection between Santorum's slogan and Hughes' poem. They caught up with Santorum at a New Hampshire event Thursday. Reporter Lee Fang asked Santorum about his use of the phrase:

FANG: Today, you unveiled your new campaign slogan, “Fighting to make America America again.” But was it intentional that this line was borrowed from the pro-union poem by the gay poet Langston Hughes?

SANTORUM: No, because I had nothing to do with that so ...

FANG: Oh, alright thanks. Wait, did you have a clarification there? Was it just a coincidence?

SANTORUM: I didn’t know that. The folks who worked on that slogan for me didn’t inform me that that’s where it came from, if in fact it came from that.

The poem that Fang references is titled "Let America Be America Again." An excerpt of the poem is after the jump.

Langston Hughes' poem "Let America Be America" begins:

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed--
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There's never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.")

Recently, Santorum was a correspondent for Fox News, but he left that position in March, apparently so that he could explore a presidential bid.

Is he going to stick with Hughes' poetic vision? So far, he has. As of this writing on Saturday, Santorum's website still bears the slogan "Fighting to make America America again." 

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: The borrowed slogan was still on Rick Santorum's website Saturday. Credit: RickSantorum.com

Comments

[audrey_farber]

Rick Santorum doesn't impress me as the type who would even know who Mr. Hughes was, let alone read and understand his profound writing.

[ThomasFredette]

Stick with your slogan. It has nothing to do with Langston Hughes. They're looking to create something, make something happen, while their guy fails.

[Steve M.]

The "chattering class" is at it again. Yakking about an allegation of plagarism, instead of talking about the issues.

When the "chattering class" starts flinging accusations of plagarism, involving the use of fragments of a title or sentence, it is like that shoe manufacturer who says any shoe sole that is red in color, is infringing on their trademark.

There is a clear difference in "Let America Be America" and "Fighting to Make America America Again."

Now, lets get back to issues.

[Kresling]

Imagine Rick Santorum needing to back away from Langston Hughes, one of the greatest writers of the past century. Langston Hughes is backing away in his grave.

[PTM31153]

Wouldn't it be great if Rick Santorum was the catalyst for people learning about Langston Hughes and reading his poems? A delicious irony! Let us all read and encourage others to do the same!

[Bruce Ching]

How, exactly, is the slogan taken from the poem? Because the word America appears in both? This is clearly a leftist strawman in the classic Stalinist mold.

[P J Evans]

Really? He didn't have anything to do with choosing the slogan his campaign is using?

I see three possibilities: he's lying, he's stupid, or he's incompetent.

[ondog]

I can see why he doesn't answer the question... it would make him look stupid.

[Soldiergal]

Hey, Steve, no one's even mentioned plagarism. Only willful ignorance.

[Ron]

You mean to tell me Republicans can't do better than this?

[MWP]

His campaign managers just grabbed a "byte" from the Hughes poem, and it was probably an accident. and a good one at that. Out of its poetic context, the words have the sound of a plea to a bygone era that doesn't exist. It's the ex senator's "boohoohoo" promise that he's going to bring back America to the wonderful way it was; just the political pablum his voting constituency craves. He's just another huckster in the cynical American political machine. I agree with poster PTM31153. Wouldn't it be great if Santorum led new readers to L.H.'s poetry?

[Gomez]

Regardless of the author's ethnicity or alleged sexual orientation, it's a great poem that reflects what many in America are feeling today as our nation searches for itself. Santorum should step up and embrace the poem.

[Steven Jones]

Guess he'll pass on Harry Truman's "The Buck Stops Here" as well.

[susan]

WHO CARES?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[will jolley]

Santornum- the gift that keep on giving, Everything associated with him ends up some how GAY ! too funny.

[jamwes7]

Why does the Times do this? It's simple: politically inclined rabble-rousing. Dear lord, they even try to make it a homosexual thing.

Get a clue you Times leftists. Creating a slogan like "Fighting to make America America again." is not brain surgery or rocket science. Just because a string of 5 words is buried in an obscure poem does not make it plagiarism.

Besides, I doubt that your vision of America and mine are in any way alike. So the phrase means different things to those of us who value an America of values and those of you who want to devalue America.

[Anthony Ramirez]

What happens to a brain deferred? Does it shrivel, like a raisin in the sun? When a a reporter at a metropolitan newspaper, the sadly debased Los Angeles Times, identifies, in a book blog no less, Langston Hughes as an "African American Communist," it's as if the reporter called Walt Whitman a gay male nurse. What next? Shakespeare was an Elizabethan actor who cheated on his wife?

[allahobama]

NO. Let America be AMERICA again is just that. Get rid of the communist moslim USURPER obaMAO and his communist platform and bowing to the islamo brotherhood he calls his superiors. Nothing to do with gays, fags, or the libTARDS.

[mansterEZ1]

Why do Republicans always seem to claim ignorance when their rhetoric gets caught in the political cookie jar? Is being hypocritical acceptable political discourse? If these people keep getting elected, what does that say about the American electorate?

[Pat Murphy]

Almost as delicious as conservatives such as David Vitter being caught using paid hookers. Just not very smart. And these guys would lead the country?

[JackSplat]

Please, please...Rick...just go away.

[sirene]

Just want we need. A president who disavows responsibility.

[Josh K-sky]

He's clearly made it his own. Notice how the repeated "America" leans right.

[ElNegrita13]

Yes, the slogan was stolen from Langston Hughes in much the same way that white America has "appropriated (stolen)" country,rock,soul,swing,tap,gospel,pop,disco,folk,r&b, swing,jazz,new jack swing,rhyming, hip hop and all other popular forms of "American" music from blacks. Not to mention dance and/or the way that America communicates on a daily basis. Without black folks, America would be nothing and dead to the world!

[jk]

But you have to admit... A conservative Republicrat using a slogan attributed to a Black Gay Communist Poet? You can't make this up!

[Amalgamate]

elnegrita-funny-whered you go to school? as everyone knows, only one type of music was invented in america, that is jazz-none of those other types were stolen from blacks.
In america we speak English, which came from england-nothing to do with communication
Where do you get your facts? at least TRY to lie believably...
Blacks were slaves and built a lot of the country, but the country would hardly be dead without them...without gays, though, thered be no alan turin and thusly no computer...

[Steve]

Who cares? Santorum obviously did, quickly saying he had nothing to do with his own campaign site's slogan. The two phrases are quite close. Maybe Santorum thought Langston Hughes was the crazy guy who founded an airline company, etc. He already said we had "abandoned" the dictator Shan of Iran too quickly, showing how dedicated he is to American ideals such as democracy.

[locomotivebreath1901]

Typical.

Smear a prominent Republican in the headline; then reveal in the next to last paragraph that >>maybe-kinda-sorta<< there's some similarity with a dead pink commie's poem.

Keep the slogan, Senator, and tell the pink commie sympathizers to go alinsky themselves where the sun don't shine.

[Tito Doug]

I'm sure Dan Savage would be happy to create a new slogan for him.

[Dr. Christopher Eaton]

When Rick Santorum co-opts this phrase, it takes on the tone of an ethnic cleansing. As a gay person with a knowledge of what he's said about my tribe in the past, it really sends a chill down my spine. In Rick Santorum's vision of America, I'm pretty sure that there aren't too many acceptable groups of people. It pretty much looks like the Republican National Convention-you know, that spooky 4-year soiree party at which the networks have to continually swoop down with cameras on the 2 Black men, 2 Asian women and 2 Latinos in the crowd to make it seem as if that miserable party really is inclusive of someone other than white men. This is the fool who in 2003 equated gayness to bigamy and incest. Scary, scary, scary.

[Charlie]

Hilarious. Santorum is either stupid, ignorant, or secretly loves the poetry of gay, black, communist men. Either way, it's pretty much an instant classic.

And no, wingnuts, this is not an obscure poet or poem--Hughes was hugely influential. If you read anything other than Limbaugh "books" you'd know that. At least Santorum has good taste in plagiarism.

[sam]

I couldn't care less what his slogan is. Santorum showed his abject ignorance when he blamed the failure of Social Security on "the abortion culture", then boasted that he and his wife were doing their part to fund the system by having seven children.

[mauibucky]

to Jamwes7,

This isn't about plagerism, it's about being clueless. Reagan did the same stupid thing in the 80's when he used Bruce Springsteen's " Born in the USA " as his campaign theme song. He had no clue that it was an anti-war song. If you're picking cultural snapshots for your campaign tools, you better take the time to know what you're using. Looks like Santorum outsourced this important job.

[Jose Guzman]

Mr. Santorum, I have just been given a lift in my heart by your presentation at the PRESS Club. I see in you a potential President candidate, your points were right on and do believe you reached many believers in America.
I will pray to OUR LORD JESUS to help you and yours to continue on this peregrination to the top of the mountain.
There will be many fighting to bring you down, but if you have faith in G-D and his only begotten Son and bend a knee, he will close the mouths and ears of those that are not only against American but also Against OUR G-D and Savior

[LosPantalones]

Well, it's probably a better campaign slogan than "Santorum: Please don't Google my name"

[David Allan]

Rick and his party members remind me of Stalin. Their slogan is "Choose Life", but they are outlawing choice so that we have no choices, ie. you can choose any color as long as it is black because that is all you can have.

They believe in a one party system, their party. Doesn't that sound like Stalin and the old Communist party? Wasn't Stalin a "my way or the highway" and "have any choice, but it must be my choice" kind of guy? Isn't Rick also a "my way or the highway" and "choose, but only one option" guy!

Didn't Stalin and now Santorum rig the system for the benefit of their friends, and not the nation.

These guys are communists through and through.

[Blannche]

WOWWWWWWWW blow me down dumb.

let me guess you don't "believe" in science.

[Bob]

Ahhh...haaa....haaaa...ha. Best laugh in a long time. Rick Santorum goes down as one of the worst U.S. Senators in history. If you thought Dan Quayle was bad, this guy has him beat by a mile. I truly, truly hope and wish that he becomes the GOP nominee in 2012. I know it won't be as lopsided as Nixon vs. McGovern, because there are too many far right voters who will never vote for a Democrat, but it'll be a beat down. Just like the 18% beat down he suffered in Pennsylvania. PLEASE, GOP, make him your candidate!

[Ben Peeler]

Actually Rick Santorum did not intend anything near to what Langston Hughes meant. He meant back to the good old days of no unions, no integration, no social security or medicare and no vote for women [or control of their own bodies]. The classic conservative/Republican/FOX News mantra.

[Helen]

Doesn't the media ever get tired of making something out of nothing? Start digging up information about what the candidate actually stands for and where he or she stands on the issues. Then report the lapses and the unfullfilled promises the politicians make.

[JulesH of PA]

Santorum's chief talent and appeal as a candidate seems to be his uber-faithful adherence to the conservative party-line. It would be almost be funny, if it wasn't so Orwellian.

As a Pennsylvania resident, I wrote to him when he was a Senator, on important issues, as a matter of conscience; knowing that my views and requests were in opposition to his views and intentions; and would receive little attention. I was writing my other Congressman, and wanted to include my concerns for the record.

However, despite the fact that my emails clearly indicated that I held more progressive views and opposed many of his ideas; he put me on his email list as one of his supporters!

So I'm not surprised Santorum was clueless about his slogan, or the Hughes poem. He apparently can't imagine anyone having an opposing point of view.

It has been my pleasure to vote against him in Senate races during my 20 year residence here.

A senator or a president needs to be leader, not a follower like Santorum. And to be a great nation in the 21st century America needs bold new ideas, not regurgitated rhetoric from the past few decades.

Since he has little more than his allegiance to party going for him, it's not likely he'll be their candidate. But perhaps I may yet have the pleasure of voting against Santorum again!

[Jeff Cuttell]

Rick Santorum's views are an embarrassment to the United States. He needs to back off of his current goal of the presidency in order to let someone who is a legitimate candidate move forward without Santorum's distractions. There is no way a Republican can win otherwise.