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Will "Rick" Be The New "Santorum"? Sex Columnist Dan Savage's New "Google bomb" Threat

Tracy Bloom |
July 27, 2011 | 6:41 p.m. PDT

Executive Producer

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum already has a Google problem thanks to author and sex columnist Dan Savage (Google "Santorum" and check out the first result). Now Savage says Santorum's first name may get the same treatment if the GOP presidential hopeful returns to his anti-gay rhetoric.

A little backstory: the Savage-Santorum feud began in 2003, when the then-Pennsylvania Senator made remarks comparing homosexuality to bestiality and pedophilia. Savage, an LGBT-rights advocate, then called on his fans to turn the meaning of "Santorum" into some kind of sexual innuendo. The result, of course, can still be seen today on the world's largest search engine.

Fast forward to 2011 and the feud begins anew thanks to an appearance by Savage on Bill Maher's HBO show, "Real Time with Bill Maher," and the subsequent response--which included a fundraising plea--by Santorum.

On Wednesday, Savage released a video response on the website "Funny or Die," in which he threatens to redefine Santorum's first name and create even bigger Google problem for the GOP presidential hopeful, should he say anything negative about homosexuals.

"Tell you what," Savage says. "I won't redefine 'Rick' if you don't attack gay people during your campaign."

Savage then reads his definition of the world "Rick" to several Ricks--including retired NBA player Rick Fox--to get their reaction to the new term. Several other famous "Ricks" then appear in the video--ranging from Rick Dees to Ricki Lake--to plead with Santorum. Even Andy Richter gets in on the action, saying "the new definition is so disgusting that even having the sound ‘rick’ in the first half of my last name is scaring me."

“The ball is in your court,” Savage says at the end of the video, “and it’s not like you can start going by Dick Santorum, is it?”

Watch the video here:



 

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