Santorum! Santorum! Santorum!

Hugh Hewitt Townhall ^ | Saturday, October 14, 2006 | Dean Barnett

[Spunky]

"As I said in another thread, it is a shame Santorum will likely lose this election."

Any time I have seen Santorum on TV, I really liked him. But since I am not from that area and I keep reading that he will likely lose, can you tell me why?

[Ben Mugged]

Well worth the time to watch.

[OBXWanderer]

But since I am not from that area and I keep reading that he will likely lose, can you tell me why?

Please refer to post 11 of this thread. There is your answer.

[skiddle_deboppop]

You say, "Santorum made Casey look like an utter incompetent fool." He may well have made him look like a fool, but look who votes. Is it not largely fools like the schmucks who voted for Kerry in 2004? It's not ideologically unaffiliated types who vote. Everybody who watches is either a Dem or a Rep. Reps have a conscience and standards to which they hold their candidates. That's why Foleys resign. Not so among the Dems. They have to "continue to do the work of the American people."

[FlipWilson]

Quote: "Any time I have seen Santorum on TV, I really liked him. But since I am not from that area and I keep reading that he will likely lose, can you tell me why?"

For a few reasons. To start with, PA is a tough place for Conservatives to win. The stars have to be aligned and they don't seem to be this year with the President's popularity being in the gutter, anti-incumbent feelings, and it being a historically bad election cycle (off elections in the second term are not good for President's party). Next, although Casey is a total dud (that is an insult to duds), he has name cache (riding off of his Father, the former gov of PA.) Casey has cash to match Santorum. Finally, Santorum supported Spectre over Toomey in the 2004 election and that was not well received by conservatives in PA. Whether that affects their decision to show up on election day or not remains to be seen.

Still, despite all that, Rick is running a gutsy campaign and is not backing down. He has made Casey look like a fool in the debates. That could carry the day.

[hnj_00]

santorum has made casey look like a big dope in every debate...but it doesn't matter....the press has been campaining for casey for months...this is a real tough fight....santorum vs casey & the lib/dem press!

[streetpreacher]

I posted this elsewhere but it is interesting to note how many times Rick has been written off (basically every election) and outspent only to come back at the very end (i.e. election night) to shock the pundits.

Rick Santorum: Defying the Odds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_DiucGapwc

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

While places like Free Republic are great, they foster the urge that everyone needs to be a prognosticator. I am tired of folks who, in the middle of a campaign, concede DEFEAT. Libs and Dems NEVER give up in the middle of a campaign. They don't give up when a campaign is over.

[edsheppa]

You have my pity. It would suck to have to spin all the time like you do, never just telling it like it is. I just hope they pay you enough to make up for it.

[streetpreacher]

See post #27. It's not anything Rick isn't used to although I agree that he is in the political fight of his life this election.

[streetpreacher]

BOTH OF YOU KNOCK IT OFF OR I'LL SHUT DOWN THIS ENTIRE THREAD!!!

[streetpreacher]

LOL

[Yorlik803]

I live in Pittsburgh and I see just as many{if not more} Rick signs than Morons signs....
I think Rick has a very good chance..as long as the dead dont vote in Philly and Pittsburgh...

[pollyannaish]

Very interesting. Thanks.

I'm putting Santorum on my 2008 watch list. Is it possible that he's mastered Bush-style bar lowering strategery?

[edsheppa]

It'd be great if Rick pulled it out one more time, but the odds are so long this time. It's like he's run into the perfect storm, mostly not his fault. And losing to a nothing like Casey has really got to sting.

[tioga]

PA seems to be trending left......Bush lost it. They will be an annex of NY soon.

[old and tired]

I'm in the Philly area. Santorum's never been popular here. I just don't remember seeing so much support for his other opponents, even if they got the votes.

[taildragger]

The Secular Humanistic anti Religious/Faith Left have targeted Rick and Joe Lieberman because they are men of faith period. Any Questions?

[Carry_Okie]

I have never seen so many signs before on people's lawns or bumper stickers on cars for any of Rick's previous opponents.

Bang on their doors and hand them a DVD of the debate.

[old and tired]

mostly not his fault.

That's where I disagree. Santorum ticked off his base by endorsing Specter over Toomey and then instead of grovelling back to them, he hands the pro-life Catholics in the Philly area talk radio ads saying he supported condom distribution in Africa.

You've got to understand his worker bee base in the Philly area. It's largely pro-life Catholics with 6, 8, or 10 kids. There's not a lot of them, but who there was worked very hard to get him elected the last two times around. They identified with him. They thought he was one of them. And then he ran an ad that they find not only offensive, but racist.

Santorum's a guy who opposes federal funding of contraceptives in his own country, but then as one of those worker bees (who fosters African American children) said to me in disgust, "can't have them spear chuckers reproducing, now, can we?"

His machine in this part of the state is in a shambles.