Posted on 02/24/2012 6:01:02 AM PST by rellimpank
“I will vote for whoever the Republican nominee is, but I truly believe, Santorum has no chance at all of winning a national election, even against the most inept adminstration of my lifetime.”
I think your observations are as dead-on as can be, but there are many around here who would prefer to kill the messenger, so to speak.
Right now, I’m pleased that Santorum is edging out Romney. But either of them will be “beatable candidates” a general election in which at least 45-47% of the population is all-but guaranteed to vote for the “party of entitlement”.
Like you, I will support the Republican nominee (regardless of who that is). A good friend who is also a good conservative said it succinctly when he exclaimed “I don’t care who it is, just so long as Obama’s out of there!”
But — also like you — I see what’s coming. And it’s not gonna be good.
Kudos for an excellent post!
Skeeter,
It doesn’t matter. Yes, when you put his comments in context, they do not give the same impression when taken out of context, or just a small part of a larger thought, but the issue is, most folks are not going to bother to go hear the full thought, or full paragraph. They inflamatory couple of words will be repeated and jumped on, and that’s the reality of the process.
Santorum does not have a strong enough grasp or oratory skills to defend his positions in a way that does not open up huge holes for these attacks, and these attacks are BRUTAL and EFFECTIVE! They are exactly why he lost by 17 points in ‘06.
Santorum’s problems aren’t that he is a social conservative, its that he lacks the oratory skill, and intellect to defend them in ways that do not set him up to later be painted as a monster. He doesn’t have the ability to turn it back on the press when they do this etc.
He will, IMHO, be obliterated if the nominee, pure and simple.
I firmly believe Newt is the best candidate, without question, for not only winning the election, but for having any shot at restoring this nation to the ideal that it was founded on. Is he perfect? Nope.. but I know he can articulate his stand fluently and can turn the nonsense back on the press when they pull this sort of thing. Newt makes the election a clear, ideological discussion, not merely who can throw the most mud and offend the least people.
I will vote for whoever the R is, but I have seen the script that takes out Santorum before, first hand, and I have seen NOTHING that makes me believe the script would be any different or be any less effective today than it was in 06, in fact the amount of $$ and attacks against him would be 100 fold compared to his last senate race. He had no answer to it then, and has none now.. and continues even in the last week or to to say things that just come across as horribly stupid and devicive and frankly hateful. I know that is not his intent, but they can certainly be taken that way and portrayed that way, and you know they will be.
You cite the following as evidence Santorum is popular in PA:
“The needle may be moving. A Franklin and Marshall College poll released Thursday gave Santorum a nearly 30-point lead over Romney among Pennsylvania Republicans - a far cry from what some expected in a state that tossed the senator out on his ear in 2006 with an embarrassing 18-point rout.
The poll conducted Feb. 14 to 20, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.9 percentage points, found that 22 percent of GOP voters here were undecided.”
Uh, yes they will, Republicans make up about 30% if that of the electorate in PA. This is a poll that looks like it doesn’t include NEWT in its questioning, and for a known Item to still have 22% “UNDECIDED” speaks volumes.
Santorum is NOT liked in PA folks, not remotely. Romney is less known and less liked that Santorum, which is what this poll is saying, but don’t confuse this with he is liked.
Not hardly. 22% undecided among REPUBLICANS when asked the simple question Romney or Santorum in santorums home state... that tells you all you need to know, and that’s NOT an indication of popularity or rising popularity, in fact, its a statement of how disliked BOTH of the guys are. Noway in a 2 way decision, among your own party, in your home state you should be showing 22% UNDECIDED. That’s the important number, not that Romney is liked less, but that more than 1/5 won’t choose either one of them.
If I were the GOP, and especially a true Conservative candidate, I would be licking my chops, eager to attack this administration and provide an alternative approach.
Just think of the ammunition:
Debt, Pigford, Solyndra, illegals (Arizona lawsuit), GM/Chrysler bailouts, closed car dealerships, Obamacare, cap and trade, loaning money to Brazil, Keystone, infanticide, occupy malcontents, gas prices, drilling (gulf and other areas), unemployment, nationalized student loans, middle east, bow and grovel foreign policy, wars and more wars, voter intimidation, radical judges, czars, Michelle gone wild (vacations), inspecting school lunches and on and on.
Each of those topics would make excellent ad copy and campaign talking points. The contrast between a Conservative approach and what has been done to date, would be obvious to anyone with a brain.
This is a very corrupt and vulnerable President and party. You need Conservative candidates to make the case and stay on message no matter what inane attempts the state-run media make to derail the message.
For instance, it is not about contraception or choice or women’s rights, its about religious freedom and a culture of death.
Debt - its about out of control and irresponsible spending, not more taxes.
Jobs - its about regulation, unions, taxes and government mandates, not stimulus.
The planet does not need saving, we need energy independence and private sector job growth.
Health care - its expensive because of government involvement, illegals, lawsuits and lack of competiton, not private sector greed. We need more competition and less government.
Corruption - Stop government from picking financial winners and losers. Take away their power to buy votes and distribute dollars and return the money to taxpayers.
My biggest frustration of 2008 was the ineptitude of McCain and the GOP. This was the weakest DNC nominee in my lifetime and apart from Palin “going rogue”, it was the lamest election effort I have ever witnessed.
Screw the narrative that any attack on Obama is racist. That ship has sailed. He is POTUS and has a record. Make him defend his reign and “vision” for America.
Frankly, when the Presidential election rolls around, we probably will have $5 -$6 dollar a gallon gasoline, and a war with Iran.
I think a ham sandwich could beat Obama, the Kenyan.
I doubt that they are spending money that way. There is more more that they can do besides spending money.
God, give them what they ask for. AMEN
The issue is Ron Paul spending money on ads in Michigan. There seems to be no reason he would do that unless he was coordinating with Romney. And I heard at least one commentator say the campaigns might not be allowed to coordinate how they spend money together under campaign finance laws.
That is true, but they are smart enought to have deniablity. They know the rules, and how to break them. This whole process stinks brother.
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