Santorum Offers Clear Contrast to Obama

Rush Limbaugh.com ^ | February 10, 2012 | Rush Limbaugh

[Kaslin]

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I want to move on to Rick Santorum. You talk about being perfectly positioned? Rick Santorum is a practicing Catholic, a pro-lifer. You talk about a candidate who is perfectly positioned to draw the most distinct contrast to Obama and the Democrats and what's going on right now. Santorum speak at CPAC this morning, the Conservative Political Action Conference. We have five excerpts from Santorum's speech which fired up CPAC. Here's the first of them...

SANTORUM: "We have to learn our lesson that we need to compromise, do what's politically reasonable, and go out and push someone forward who can win." Well, I think we have learned our lesson, and the lesson we've learned is that we will no longer abandon and apologize for the policies and principles that made this country great for a hollow victory in November. The other thing we should recognize [is] as conservatives and Tea Party folks, that we are not just wings of the Republican Party, we are the Republican Party.

RUSH: Here is another bite. Santorum discussing the origin of human rights...

SANTORUM: We see what happens when government gives you rights. When government gives you rights, government can take away those rights. When government gives you rights, government can coerce you into doing things and exercising the right that they gave you. I've been traveling around this country talking about how Obamacare will crush economic freedom, will make people dependent upon government for the most important things: Their very lives. And as a result, government will own you, because you will have to pay tribute to Washington in order to get the care you need for your children. One of the reasons I'm in this race -- in fact the major reason I'm in this race -- is because I think Obamacare is a game-changer for America.

RUSH: Right on, right on -- and here is a bite. This is Santorum discussing the Health and Human Services mandate. He says it's about much more than contraception.

SANTORUM: He's now telling the Catholic Church that they are forced to pay for things that are against their basic tenets and teachings, against their First Amendment right. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the kind of coercion that we can expect. It's not about contraception. It's about economic liberty. It's about freedom of speech. It's about freedom of religion. It's about government control of your lives, and it's gotta stop.

RUSH: And next up, Santorum goes after Romney...

SANTORUM: Who has a record of supporting health savings accounts and tort reform and bottom-up, consumer-driven health care for 20 years? And who has supported, in fact, the stepchild of Obamacare? The person in Massachusetts who built the largest government-run health care system in the United States, someone who would simply give that issue away in the fall. Give the issue away, of government control of your health. Ladies and gentlemen, we're not gonna win with money. We're gonna win with contrasts. We're gonna win with ideas. We're gonna win by making Barack Obama and his failed policies the issue in this race!

RUSH: You're probably gonna hear a little bit more of this, Santorum targeting Romney, going after Romney. Then he nukes the notion, Santorum does, that you can only win independents with a moderate candidate.

SANTORUM: We won in 2010 because conservatives rallied. They were excited about the contrasts. They were excited about the candidates who were put forth in that election, and that's why we won. We always talk about, "Well, how [are] we gonna get the moderates?" Why would an undecided voter vote for a candidate of a party who the party's not excited about? ... We need conservatives now to rally for a conservative, to go into November, to excite the conservative base, to pull -- with that excitement -- moderate voters and to defeat Barack Obama in the fall.

RUSH: I like the premise here, and it's a good question: "Why would an undecided voter vote for a candidate of a party who the party is not excited about?" This is something the Republican establishment often overlooks. Okay, the Republican base has a problem with any candidate. Candidate A. If that candidate happens to be the establishment's choice, the establishment says, "Yeah, but we need that candidate to go get moderates." Yeah, well, fine and dandy. You go get the moderates. So what if you're not gonna get your base out of this? This is one of the big problems that the Republican establishment has now.

And Santorum is exactly right here, folks: The 2010 midterms saw independents flooding to the Republican Party. By the way, that election was not about anybody but Barack Obama. There wasn't a Republican name that was attracting these independents. It was total opposition to what Obama was doing. It was anger and opposition at Obamaism. The Republican Party should have understood. I'm even hearing Republicans and some consultants say, "Ah, the 2010 midterms have nothing to do with the November 2012 election, Mr. Limbaugh. You just... You're not a professional like we are, and you don't understand elections. You may be good at radio, but you don't understand elections. And the 2010 midterms had nothing to do with the president."

Really? Nothing to do with the presidential race?

"No, totally separate issues, individual congressional races, no national mandate."

The hell you say! No national mandate? The independents that you covet abandoned the Democrat Party in droves, and there wasn't a moderate Republican for them to go to? It was the pure abandonment of Obama. Why? They didn't want what Obama is doing or stands for. Wouldn't it stand to reason if you keep pounding that message, that those independents will stay with you? But there's such a defensive posture, there's such fear that the Republicans think to hold onto those independents in a presidential race, we gotta moderate. Nominate a moderate, somebody that's not offensive, somebody who's not conservative.

The consultants told me, "But, Rush, you're missing the boat. Those independents that voted Republican, they weren't voting for conservatism."

Really? They weren't voting for the purpose conservatism?

"No, they're not ideological. They just don't like what Obama was doing."

Okay, fine. They don't like what Obama was doing. What was Obama doing? Socialism, liberalism! What do we stand for? The exact oppose. Give it a voice, give it a candidate. It's not hard! I don't understand what is so hard about this. I understand it's different businesses. I understand getting votes is a far different thing from getting listeners to a radio show, an audience, but I don't quite understand... Well, I do. I understand this total devotion to moderates and independents, because it comes from pure fear and their belief that a conservative will end up being landslide defeated like Goldwater was, which is the formative memory they have.

END TRANSCRIPT

[Utmost Certainty]

Sure would be nice to have a fiscal conservative instead. Sigh.

[ohioWfan]

I heard these clips of Rick's speech at CPAC.

Very strong articulation of conservatism.

[cripplecreek]

Sounds like he’s had his 3rd big million dollar fundraising day in a row.

[VanDeKoik]

Good old Rush. Running to where he can feel to be on the “winning” side like always.

Another one of those clowns that participated in the Florida smear job.

[alstewartfan]

That’s utter nonsense. Rush praised, and somewhat endorsed Rick before the Fla. primary. Rick got 13% in Fla, and spent no ad money. Bob

[steve8714]

Listen, all you Newt supporters; OK, your guy had a rough week. Persistence is a virtue which nature rewards with prosperity. I’m not for Newt in the primaries, but if he is the nominee, ya think I’m for Obama? Let’s hear his ideas and we’ll decide. We won’t however be pushed.

[mtrott]

Santorum was OK, but he just does not have many specific plans to revitalize the economy he can point to. It was a good speech for CPAC, but Newt’s more comprehensive agenda is superior.

[Cicero]

Not a bad rant. But Rush still won't admit what the real problem is.

"Why would an undecided voter vote for a candidate of a party who the party is not excited about?" This is something the Republican establishment often overlooks.

Hell, no, they don't overlook it. They know damned well what will happen. But they'd rather lose the race than nominate someone who might cut government back and take away any of their beloved PORK.

Rush thinks that they've been pulling this stuff for 40 or 50 years, and they still DON'T GET IT? Don't make me laugh. They're not that dumb, they are greedy, power-drunk, and corrupt, through and through.

[Jack Burton007]

When it comes down to it I can support Newt or Rick in this thing.

I will not lower myself to support Mitt or Ron.

I would love to see a Newt/Rick ticket with either one being the others VP.

[BuckeyeTexan]

Please not Santorum. I can’t believe this is where we are. Rick Santorum? He lost his last election by 17 points. His social values are rock solid but his fiscal values are moderate and tend toward more government in our lives.

[azcap]

I watched Santorum’s whole speech. The content was good. If I had read it as an Op-Ed piece it would have been fine but no matter the message, as a speech, as communication, as sales, as inspiration or persuasion it sucked. Rick Santorum could make “you just one the lottery” boring. I genuinely like the guy and I would vote for him happily against Obama but I don’t think he can go head to head with Obama in the media today and not lose badly. Gingrich has all kinds of problems and he has the potential to implode at anytime but when he is on his game he is truly inspiring and could KO Obama. Santorum is so bad in the Charisma department that he make Mitt Romney seem like Ed McMahon.

[alstewartfan]

The idea that Rick is a big government conservative is the phoniest meme that I’ve ever heard in a Presidential election. Hate to tell you, but Newt will never overcome his dalliances. 20% of women see in his their rotten ex-boyfriends of husbands. It’s Rick or Milt. Bob

[j.argese]

Governor Palin supports Speaker Gingrich before S.C. and Newt takes it walking away. Rush’s giant ego gets bruised and needs a massaging. Uses his brother as his stand-in and supports Santorum. Etc., Etc. ...

[BuckeyeTexan]

With respect to needing and winning independents ... it’s a bunch of hogwash.

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT: CORRECTING MYTHS ABOUT INDEPENDENT VOTERS
http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/aia2011070702/

- the large majority of independents are independents in name only
- the large majority of self-identified independents are “closet partisans”
- independents with no party preference are 10% of the electorate & have a low rate of turnout
- in all three closely contested presidential elections since 1972, the candidate backed by most independent voters lost.

We don’t need independents. We need the conservative base. When we run moderates that the base opposes, we lose every time.

[STARWISE]

this would be a good time to help FR, click the pic
thank you!

[American Constitutionalist]

While Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House, earmarks nearly doubled to $14.5 billion.

[BuckeyeTexan]

The idea that Rick is a big government conservative is the phoniest meme that I’ve ever heard in a Presidential election.

Phony? Here are the facts, FRiend:

He was a go-along, get-along Big Government Republican in the Bush era. He supported No Child Left Behind, the prescription drug benefit entitlement, steel tariffs, and earmarks and outraged us movement conservatives by endorsing RINO Arlen Specter over stalwart conservative Pat Toomey. ~Michelle Malkin, 2.30.2012

[azcap]

BuckeyeTexan is right about Independents. We do need someone who will turn out the base. The problem that the GOP faces is that their base used to be simpler to define. With the Tea Party there is now a distinctly small government libertararian leaning chunk of high motivatable (but not to be taken for granted) voters. This group is not motivated by the same issues as the Christian right. The Christian right delivered the turnout for both GWB wins. The Tea Party provided the turnout for the 2010 midterm win. The current GOP field is a disaster when you look at these two demographics. The candidates who appealed strongly to both, Perry, Bachman & Cain are all gone. Santorum appeals to the Christian right but the Tea Party doesn’t like his big government, pro-union, big brother votes. Newt both appeals to and disgusts both of those bases. Mitt appeals to neither. If it has to be one of those three than they really need to reach out to those groups. Romney and Santorum have both snubbed the Tea Party to their own demise. Newt’s penis has betrayed the Christian right too many time for their tolerance. Maybe the right VP can redeem one of those three. For turning out those bases here are some options - Santorum-West, Santorum-Rubio, Santorum-Cantor, Romney-Huckabee, Romney-West, Romney Santorum, Romney Perry, Gingrich-Huckabee, Gingrich-Perry.

[American Constitutionalist]

On the House floor Newt Gingrich said in 1986 " The Reagan Administration has failed, is failing, and is going to continue to fail " .....