Martin Bashir Compares Santorum to Orwellian Figure

MSNBC anchor Martin Bashir compared Rick Santorum to an Orwellian dictator during a Tuesday broadcast, saying he "regularly sounds like a theocrat." The anchor's comments came a day after Santorum's less-than-successful campaign rally in Tacoma, Wash., where he was glitter-bombed and heckled by dozens of protesters.

Hours before he spoke Monday, Santorum met with antigay religious leaders, encouraging them to fight a marriage equality measure signed into law earlier that day by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

"It's now time to clear the air, and when we saw the latest Republican front-runner, Rick Santorum, speaking before a crowd yesterday, all we could think of was George Orwell's novel 1984, about a society dominated by the most extreme form of totalitarianism," Bashir said.

"The similarities with George Orwell's novel, and that movie, are not just superficial. No, Rick Santorum holds some pretty stern views on a number of important issues and he regularly sounds like a theocrat."

Watch the video below.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy