Posted on 02/26/2012 9:36:23 AM PST by Steelfish
Santorum's Winning Work Ethic By ROBERT STACY MCCAIN on 2.22.12
(snip)
One look at the Electoral College map should make clear why, despite their description of Santorum as the "weaker" Republican candidate, Team Obama may be especially worried about his potential strengths as an opponent in the fall campaign. The so-called Rust Belt states -- from Santorum's home state of Pennsylvania, across West Virginia and Ohio all the way west to Wisconsin, Minnesota -- are home to many millions of those "white, blue-collar voters" and Santorum has indeed shown an ability to connect with that "disillusioned" population.
These are Americans who were notoriously described by Obama in April 2008: "They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
Yeah, spending nine months in Iowa to woo 25 thousand folks is a winning national strategy alright.
That’s better than negative and false carpet-bombing ads. No wonder Santorum is connecting and Romney is not.
Hehe. Michelle Bachmann spent even more time in Iowa and got nothin'. Rick Perry blew through a couple million dollars and got nothin'. Santorum did exceptionally well by those standards...
Santorum has indeed shown an ability to connect with that “disillusioned” population.
If the way he conducted himself on Meet the Press is any indication, he’ll make it on Tuesday!
GO RICK!!!!!
More of these vicious Santorum supporters. LOL
That is true - what you said. Still doesn’t make it a viable national strategy.
If you think Santorum hasn’t run negative ads you are living a delusion. He spent his entire Iowa ad budget attacking his admitted conservative mentor, Newt.
I don’t really see him as being “like me” in any real sense but I do get the feeling that he’s real in who he is and that’s rather refreshing.
Indeed.
The examples of Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama emerging from Iowa after starting as little-knowns with hard work doesn’t bode well for the Iowa method at all.
But I’m also unwilling to turn selection over to some big-state/multi-state media primary where candidates have to START with $20 million.
Santorum lives what he believes. Romney just believes he wants to be president.
One thing I don’t get is the elevation of the union/working class, 40-hour-per-week, on-the-clock ‘work ethic’, when the professional/upper-middle-class work ethic is to work more hours, whenever the job requires.
And yes, when you climb the ladder to the major CEO level it is a 24/7/52 job.
You are missing my point. It was not that he emerged from Iowa that I was talking about.
He really didn’t emerge from Iowa because it was weeks later when they did the recount. But that’s beside the point too.
The idea that his Iowa work ethic can be translated to the general election is pure sophistry. He would need a 25 year campaign to put that same effort into all the rust belt states and besides, his Iowa appeal had nothing do to with the rust belt appeal.
His Iowa strategy worked for him, but it is not translatable.
I have made this case many, many times with Sarah Palin. Whoever wins the Rust Belt states will be president. These states are overwhelmingly white and working class, exactly the demographic Santorum appeals to. Add to this Santorum’s unapologetic Catholicism (Catholics are the lrgest denomination in most of the Midwest states)and his ethnic roots (He would be the first Italian American President) and you can see he has many built-in advantages.
He is right on the issues and not only right but resolute. Even those who disagree with him on a given issue admire his courage and TRUST him on the issues important to them.
But don’t discount what I would call the “tribal aspects” of voting. Many Rust belt voters who are not politically attuned will pull the lever for Santorum because they will identify with his working class roots, Italian heritage or Catholic faith rather than because they like his tax plan
Romney has nothing but the latest iteration of his policies, and even these are suspect because he is not trustworthy.
Newt, whose intellect I admire, will have a whole different set of problems...his personal issues and his advanced age.
He will have none of the intangible advantages that Santorum possesses....being from the region, being an ethnic son of immigrants, having a large wonderful family and a pristine personal reputation. Newt versus the youthful Obama is not an optic that helps our cause.
Santorum is the strongest candidate. He can stand toe to toe with Obama who is vastly over-rated as a debater, and attack him as the liberal elitist that he is.
You’re right, Iowa is not really rust belt anyway.
You pious self righteous jerk Pharisee.
Your implication that I was “lost” because I don’t support Santorum and because I enjoy tweaking a certain type of Santorum supporter is illustrative of just the kind of nauseating phony self righteousness that is such a turn off to so many people.
"They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion"
And even follow Nascar.
Santorum is genuine. Everyone has a world and personal view, a perspective, internal motivation. Santorum seems comfortable in his. He is a practicing religious man and understands that a President SERVES the American people.
Gingrich is seeking mass admiration from inner needs he has that he doesn’t seem to understand or acknowledge.
Romney seems to be seeking Daddy’s approval.
I’d prefer a smart, proud conservative family in the white house, a man who will be a good, potential for great, steward of this country’s government.
In the end, a constitutional President is not about glorifying a personality or brain. It’s about temporary leadership, serving as the People’s Representative. You know, I’m going to add that to my tagline.
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