Posted on 12/04/2011 6:00:55 PM PST by presidio9
Former Pennsylvania senator and Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum told ABC News' “This Week” that he expects to soon supplant surging rival Newt Gingrich and become the Republican favorite.
“So if you look at all of these little boomlets, they last about four to six weeks. Newt is in about week three,” Santorum said.
“So we feel pretty good that, you know, come the middle of December and toward the end of December, as candidates are looking for a candidate they can trust, someone that is authentic, someone who knows what they believe in and why they believe it, and has a record to back up the rhetoric as to what they want to do to change this country, because we do need big changes, well, who has been doing that?”
As “This Week” host Christine Amanpour noted, Santorum tied with Jon Huntsman for last in the most recently conducted Des Moines Register Iowa poll (Iowa's primary, the nation's first, is scheduled to take place Jan. 3). Santorum, however, was non-plussed.
"We're within the margin of error of both Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, both of whom have had enormous attention by the national media, and have had money and resources," Santorum argued. "Rick Perry is running literally millions of dollars of ads in Iowa, and he is right next to me in the polls."
Although the logical connection between Perry's failures and Santorum's future success was never made explicit, Santorum emphasized the strategic importance of “character.”
“"I think character is definitely an issue," the former Pa. senator said. "I think they have to make a decision based upon the person's entire record. And certainly character counts."
Consequently, “I think we have a very good chance of winning Iowa," Santorum said. "We've spent the time in the state, we've talked to the activists… And we'll have people at those caucuses advocating for us because I've been in their county. They know my message. They know what I want to accomplish."
The one thing that ought to be clear about Gingrich and his giant ego is that he wouldn't be afraid of losing a "Lincoln-Douglas style" debate to Abraham Lincoln.
That being said, there's no upside to him debating a guy in zero digits. And if he has to debate Santorum to prove that he is not afraid, then he has to do the same with Paul, Huntsman and Bachmann.
He’s already agreed to a one-on-one with Huntsman.
Just by the title, I thought Santorum meant he’s next to drop out.
Im going to back Perry now.... but think he should hire Gingrich to help him in the debates with obama.
Who in hell is giving Santorum money?
The Huntsman debate is stategy... I think he is hoping to prop up Huntsman to cut into Romney’s lead in New Hampshire. Face it the only candidate in the race that draws from Romney is Huntsman, it is to Gingrich’s benefit to build up Huntsman at Romney’s expense
Sent him $100 today.
No one is giving Santorum money, his campaign is up to it’s eyeballs in debt and he will be be lucky to make it to Iowa.
Perry it is!
Probably because (and I know its going to hurt you to hear this) he & Huntsman disagree a hell of a lot more than he and Santorum do.
Bachman/Santorum more Conservative than either Newt or Mitt; for that matter; and their poll numbers in single digits.
Are there fewer Conservatives 'out there' - or more Repub hypocrits?
No, I don’t think so. If Santorum was a master debater, he wouldn’t be sitting near the bottom at 2 percent.
The payoff for Santorum is potentially huge, as winning it could keep him alive for another round, but there is no payoff for Gingrinch, even if Gingrich were to unequivocally defeat Santorum.
You can’t go from first place to super first place.
“Were is a conservative to go?”
Good question all around.
I’ve contributed several times. No regrets.
Fine then. Let Gingrich decline.
‘Perry will be the nominee.”
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Just as they did to Cain, the media are going to kick the snot out of Perry. They’ve found that sliming our GOP candidates still works...especially when you have willing Republicans who lap it up.
So, you thought they hit Perry hard the first time around? Hang on, this is going to be a bumpy ride.
Santorum couldn’t even carry his own state of PA. He lost the senate race ..In the November election, Santorum lost, with 41% of the vote to Casey’s 59%,[88][89] the largest margin of defeat ever for an incumbent Republican Senator in Pennsylvania.
Obama would shred him in a debate...he has done poorly in almost every one I have watched
Santorum/Bachmann, has a nice ring to it. I will however,vote for however is on the ticket. We can not allow Obama another term. Any of them are better that what we’ve got now.
When you say, "bottom...2 percent" you're clearly referring to the time he's been allocated in debates, right?
Pa. booted his sorry butt out of the Senate especially after he sued to have a local school district foot the bill for his kid’s education. Sorry, I don’t want him back in any elected office. The guy is a jerk.
Where did I say I was for Santorum ?
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