Santorum says criminalize teleprompters

For the life of me, I don’t understand the sudden disdain Republicans have developed for teleprompters. I get that they have so little to campaign on, that they’re willing to use any inconsequential thing to attempt to smear President Obama, but this seems a little over the top. Rick Santorum wants to make teleprompters illegal:

“See, I always believed that when you run for president of the United States, it should be illegal to read off a teleprompter,” Santorum said at a Gulfport restaurant. “Because all you’re doing is reading someone else’s words to people.”

Is it possible he doesn’t know that a teleprompter is simply an electronic version of note cards? It doesn’t generate a speech, it simply displays whatever is programmed into it. Even the speaker’s own notes. You have to wonder what the Old Gipper would have thought about that?

For those who might not be familiar, those two screens on either side of the podium? Yes, those are the dreaded teleprompters. And seriously, how many public speakers are there that speak without any kind of notes during a speech of any length? Maybe Sarah Palin only writes her notes on her hand, but most people bring at least index cards. It’s all the same thing.