Santorum: 'elite smart people' will never support GOP

>>> at the annual values voter summit, we heard an ominous story of how the nation is in peril, how all our institutions are corrupt, and how armageddon will be visited upon the earth unless mitt romney is elected in november. but it took rick santorum to explain the true source of all his and the republican party 's trouble.

>> we will never have the media on our side, ever, in this country. we will never have the elite, smart people on our side because they believe they should have the power to tell you what to do. so our college and universities, they're not going to be on our side.

>> jonathan capehart is an msnbc contributor and an opinion writer or "the washington post ." with me here in the studio is michael eric dyson , a professor at georgetown university .

>> as an educator at the highest order, is it true mr. santorum is right when he says only dumb people are on his side?

>> well, martin, let me have a moment of public prayer. dear lord, forgive me for the lie i am about to tell, no, of course not. there are dumb people everywhere, wink, wink. the reality is this, rick santorum is trying to drive a wedge between the american vote voters and president obama by suggesting the elites, the intellectuals are trying to ruin your lives. they don't want you to have a vote or a voice. this is this a ruse that's been played time and time again. look at george w. bush , a hard vard graduate talking about the being against the pointy headed elites.

>> i'm sorry, the last time i looked, mitt romney had two degrees from harvard.

>> two harvard degrees and you're saying the dumb people will only be on our sides ant the smart -- you're denigrating your own people and you're trying to exaggerate the gulf between those who study hard and isn't this the point after all? i'm confused as a minority. they told me get your education, study hard so you can get ahead. as soon as i get an education, study hard and get ahead, you're ahead yus you're an elitist. i don't get it. i'm confused.

>> jonathan , rick santorum sounds like a poor, deluded man who sees enemies around every corner. what do you think is causing his deep paranoia? is it the fact, for example, that he was thrashed during the primaries?

>> no, it's not that, martin, because he was this way during the campaign, during the primaries. he always came off as a bitter, angry man. paranoid man. a man who sees in the dark shadows there's someone who is about to pounce to do something against him and against the people he's a part of. actually, i think he was being -- i'm going to cut him a little slack, just a little bit of slack and say he was being facetious when he said that the smart people aren't on our side because that goes to the general critique, getting back to what professor dyson said, that conservatives have this sort of agreed position for a very long time that pointy-head intellectuals at liberal institutions, which means every college and university --

>> people like you basically. people like you.

>> small liberal arts college .

>> doesn't make a difference, you're a graduate.

>> what he's saying is those people, those liberal elites are against us and our values. the only problem is he's talking to a very narrow slice of the republican party when a majority of the country, the vast middle, would look at rick santorum and say, buddy, you're not talking about us.

>> but here is the problem, professor dyson, paul ryon spoke at that event. he's the vice presidential candidate .

>> right, exactly.

>> and that's where rick santorum was speaking. now, mitt romney didn't show his face at the voters summit but he did issue a video. take a listen to this.

>> we will uphold the sanctity of life , not abandon or ignore it, and we will defend marriage, not try to redefine it.

>> again, mr. romney appears to be suffering from a form of paranoia. who is abandoning life and giving up on marriage?

>> my god, it's incredible. you have to demonize your enemy as the person who will attack the institution of marriage, attack the unborn, not be sensitive to the issues conservatives are sensitive to. why can't we all be americans and we disagree with issues, policies, projects, and problems. you have to go to the heart of the matter . you have to say this person is morally corrupt, incapable ethically of running a campaign that's upstanding. this is the difference between president obama and mitt romney and ryan. obama says there are good americans. i happen to disagree with them. i think their policies will dead end into a way that will take the country in a wrong direction but i'm not going to demonize them. mitt romney desperately pulling at straws wants to suggest this president wants to take away your life, your livelihood, wreck your institution of marriage. he needs to speak to his fellow republicans whose numbers ain't so hot in that regard and watch more porn and go to more strip clubs than other people --

>> enough of that. jonathan , final word to you to bring it back to the sane universe. thank you very much indeed. jonathan capehart and professor michael eric dyson , thank you both. next, iraq cantor says welcome back to work, boys. now you can go home for two months. nice work if you can get it.