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Survey Says: Santorum’s Social Views Killing Him in Michigan
COMMENTARY ^ | FEBRUARY 27, 2012 | Alana Goodman

Posted on 02/27/2012 10:44:53 AM PST by RobinMasters

There’s a chance Rick Santorum may still scrape out a win in Michigan tomorrow. This morning’s Public Policy Polling survey has Mitt Romney leading him by just a few points, 39 percent to 37 percent. But the internal numbers look worse for Santorum, and his ongoing slide in the state seems to be due to his focus on social issues:

One place Santorum may have hurt himself in the last week is an overemphasis on social issues. 69 percent of voters say they’re generally more concerned with economic issues this year to only 17 percent who pick social issues. And with the overwhelming majority of voters more concerned about the economy, Romney leads Santorum 45-30. Santorum’s winning those more concerned about social issues 79-12 but it’s just not that big a piece of the pie.

Santorum’s net favorability has also taken a hit:

The last week of the campaign in Michigan has seen significant damage to Santorum’s image with GOP voters in the state. His net favorability has declined 29 points from +44 (67/23) to now only +15 (54/39). Negative attacks on Romney meanwhile have had no negative effect with his favorability steady at +20 (57/37). Two weeks ago Santorum’s net favorability in Michigan was 34 points better than Romney’s. Now Romney’s is 5 points better than Santorum’s. Those kinds of wild swings are the story of the GOP race.

(Excerpt) Read more at commentarymagazine.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: antiprotestants; focusonperipherials; gendergap; gonude; mi2012; popesantorum; proillegals; prounions; ricky4anticondomczar; run4pope; saintricky; santorum; socialissues; zot
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To: jwalsh07
I don't think there is anything wrong with a President pointing out specific factors leading to poverty that are within the control of individuals. Saying "the biggest predictor of using food stamps is having a child out of wedlock" is perfectly proper, because the use of food stamps is something that inherently involves the government and public policy.

But frankly, I don't want to hear a President talking morally about premarital sex, or sex in general. It's not his business, or the government's, if chose to have sex before I was married.

21 posted on 02/27/2012 11:11:00 AM PST by Bruce Campbells Chin
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To: dfwgator

Exactly, they sure do.

Btw, SoCons all tend to be FiCons. (Think Rubio, Pence, Kasich, etc..)

On the other hand, FiCons don’t all tend to be SoCons. (Think Willard -minus RomneyCare, massive business taxes, and hundreds of millions in MA fees raised-, Rudy, Charlie, etc..)


22 posted on 02/27/2012 11:12:32 AM PST by CainConservative (Santorum/Huck 2012 w/ Newt, Cain, Palin, Bach, Parker, Watts, Duncan, & Petraeus in the Cabinet)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

“Just another poll designed to scare the GOP moderates back to the plantation.”

Bingo!


23 posted on 02/27/2012 11:15:15 AM PST by CainConservative (Santorum/Huck 2012 w/ Newt, Cain, Palin, Bach, Parker, Watts, Duncan, & Petraeus in the Cabinet)
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To: Kazan
We find it insulting that some want to abandon social issues.

We shouldn't abandon them but we also shouldn't put them at the top of the priority list this particular election. This isn't your average Democrat/Republican election. Obama isn't a democrat. He's an evil radical hell bent on changing this country like nothing we've ever seen. His first three years are Exhibit A. Our children and grandchildren will never know what was our America if he gets a second term. It was the independents who put obama over the top last election. Do you honestly thing we can win without them? Let's get rid of obama and then focus our attention on our agenda.

24 posted on 02/27/2012 11:15:56 AM PST by jersey117 (The Stepford Media should be sued for malpractice)
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To: RobinMasters

What do you expect from an electorate that has compromised their moral values in a misguided sense of freedom.


25 posted on 02/27/2012 11:16:15 AM PST by jonrick46 (Countdown to 11-06-2012)
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To: Colonel_Flagg

Conservatives can, and should, multi-task. I am concerned about both. Santorum is a much better candidate on that basis alone.

*********

Good observation. But all issues should be raised in common sense terms that most folks can grasp. For example: “If you want to believe that we are descended from monkeys, OK, but I don’t,” rather than, “There is no provable scientific basis for the evolutionary tree-diagram.”


26 posted on 02/27/2012 11:16:15 AM PST by Socon-Econ (Socon-Econ)
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To: jersey117
We shouldn't abandon them but we also shouldn't put them at the top of the priority list this particular election.

Santorum isn't putting social issues first. The media keeps putting the emphasis on them and trying to bait Santorum into discussing issues like contraception.

27 posted on 02/27/2012 11:21:09 AM PST by Kazan (Mitt Romney: The greater of two evils)
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To: patriot08
Note to Ricky: It’s the economy, stupid.

Here is the deal: America gets on the right side of God on some things, or God gives you over to socialist economy wreckers.
28 posted on 02/27/2012 11:24:11 AM PST by UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide (REPEAL WASHINGTON! -- Islam Delenda Est! -- I Want Constantinople Back. -- Rumble thee forth.)
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To: freemarketsfreeminds

Looks like the zot has been administered to the single-issue poster.


29 posted on 02/27/2012 11:24:31 AM PST by Hunton Peck (See my FR homepage for a list of businesses that support WI Gov. Scott Walker)
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To: Hunton Peck

Very cleanly administered.

Little .22 Bersa w/silencer, one behind the ear.


30 posted on 02/27/2012 11:28:03 AM PST by Fightin Whitey
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To: jonrick46

Freedom is the right to do wrong with the limit at the next person’s nose.

When other people define right and get the power to enforce it, even for the best of intentions, tyranny inevitably ensues as the definition of right tightens and tightens.

We were in pretty good shape freedom-wise in 1865-1877.


31 posted on 02/27/2012 11:31:03 AM PST by UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide (REPEAL WASHINGTON! -- Islam Delenda Est! -- I Want Constantinople Back. -- Rumble thee forth.)
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To: Kazan

I heard it on Rush today -

“wag the pill”


32 posted on 02/27/2012 11:32:04 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter knows whom he's working for)
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To: RobinMasters

Free exercise of religion is a social policy? Well, obama thinks its is a gift of government.


33 posted on 02/27/2012 11:32:17 AM PST by RobbyS (Christus rex.)
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To: patriot08

Note to Ricky:
It’s the economy, stupid.

Actually it is both. Our morals in the country are down the tubes in the last three plus years. I think being the ONLY one discussing social issues is the reason why Santorum will win the nomination and Presidency.


34 posted on 02/27/2012 11:34:49 AM PST by napscoordinator (A moral principled Christian with character is the frontrunner! Congrats Santorum!)
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To: freemarketsfreeminds

Jobless people are more inclined to be repulsed by treatise bearers lecturing against contraception.

I don’t understand why Santorum couldn’t manage the issues that will determine the next president, and run on those.

He has launched a missile strike on himself by pushing this subject and placed a big yellow X on his own back, as the target of said missile strike, it seems to me.

To govern in office with your faith in hand is one thing, but to run a primary on it is something else, because it will bite you.

No one even knows what Santorum’s issues are now, because of such distraction.

AND, they haven’t even started on his votes alligned with unions. They will be saving that one, filing it under
“as needed”.


35 posted on 02/27/2012 11:35:53 AM PST by RitaOK (LET 'ER RIP, NEWT. Newt knows where all the bodies are buried, because he buried them.)
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To: Ohioan

Nonsense. Santorum stands for the principal of subsidarity that underlies our federal system. He says that education is a family and local affairs that even the states should back off from trying to control every aspects of pubic education. he says it was mistake to support No Child Left behind. That he was against it in principle but went with the majority. Now that he sees what a monster it has become, he sees his misgiving were right.


36 posted on 02/27/2012 11:38:27 AM PST by RobbyS (Christus rex.)
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To: RobbyS

0bama is the epitome of a leftist.

All wealth belongs to the government. If you get to keep more, it’s because the government “gave” you more.

All rights are given by government. Whatever rights they allow you to have, you should be thankful for. Also, the government may grant “rights” that incur an involuntary cost on another citizen (ie, slavery).


37 posted on 02/27/2012 11:39:46 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter knows whom he's working for)
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To: RobinMasters

Voters more concerned about the economy, Romney leads Santorum 45-30.

Voters more concerned about social issues, Santorum leads 79-12.


What a BS headline. A better headline would be “Santorums stand on social issues only thing keeping him ahead of Romney”


38 posted on 02/27/2012 11:39:56 AM PST by icwhatudo
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To: RobinMasters; writer33

wait a sec....

the writer concedes in the first line that Rick might win in Michigan, and that he is very competitive there and the headline says he is being killed???

Go this way -—><-—

Why would anyone need to read any further?


39 posted on 02/27/2012 11:40:32 AM PST by GeronL (The Right to Life came before the Right to Pursue Happiness)
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To: RitaOK

What you have to grasp is that Santorum’s only faint claim on ‘conservatism’ is his resistance to abortion. On all other issues he is a statist.


40 posted on 02/27/2012 11:42:13 AM PST by editor-surveyor (No Federal Sales Tax - No Way!)
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