Santorum: Obama's college reforms part of 'indoctrination' plot

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Wednesday suggested that President Barack Obama wanted to every kid to go to college so they could be brainwashed into being a liberal.

Speaking to a crowd of Floridians at the First Baptist Church of Naples, Santorum said that churches and families were under "assault" by the president and liberals.

"We've lost, unfortunately, our entertainment industry," the candidate explained. "We've lost our higher education. That was the first to go a long time ago. It's no wonder President Obama wants every kid to go to college. The indoctrination that occurs at American universities is one of the keys to the left holding and maintaining power in America -- and it is indoctrination."

"If they taught Judeo-Christian ideology, they would be stripped of every dollar. If they teach radical secular ideology, they get all the government support that they can possibly get. As you know, 62 percent of children who enter college with a faith conviction leave without it. And I bet you there are people in this room who give money to colleges and universities who are undermining the very principles of our country every single day by indoctrinating kids in left-wing ideology. And you continue to give to these colleges and universities. Let me have a suggestion: Stop it!"

Santorum added: "What they say is, look, their values trump your religious values. The government can tell you they're going to starve you by taking money away, by taking out the charitable deductions. They're going to weaken you by passing statutes to change the institution of marriage, which will ultimately make what is preached here hate speech and bigotry."

Last month, the former Pennsylvania senator warned voters in Iowa that colleges and universities had become "indoctrination centers for the left."

For his part, President Barack Obama spoke about the importance of college affordability during his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday.

"We can't just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we'll run out of money," he said. "So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down."

Watch this video from CNN, broadcast Jan. 25, 2012.