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."
It has been pointed out before that one of the reasons that Santorum lost big in his last Senate election is that he ran as a conservative—in a blue state at that—during a year when most conservatives were running to the center in order to survive.
With people deriding many Republicans (rightly so) as RINO’s, Country Club Republicans, Rockefeller Republicans, or whatever, Santorum should at least be cut some slack for being consistent. That defeat might even be seen as a badge of honor.
If the only thing a president Mitt Romney accomplished was that we didn't get two more Sotomayors in SCOTUS, then that would be preferrable to four more years of Obama.
That being said, with the possible exceptions of the two libertarians, who can not get the GOP support they need to win a general election, ALL of the remaining candidates are in every way preferrable to Romney.
Santorum isn’t that far, in terms of how much time he’s been given, than Gingrich.
Gingrich just has been more effective in using his allotted time.
In that case your "knowledge" doesn't merit the credit you give it. It doesn't hurt me a bit.
FWIW, I think Newt's "knowledge" is highly over-rated as well.
Gingrich has been given about 3.5 minutes more than Santorum (as of when that study was done last month). How much do you think 3.5 minutes of national airtime is worth with an interested audience?
Place a dollar figure on that, then tell me it's not much more.
I think I’m going back to Perry.
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When I read what you said, I thought of the old Country song by Randy Travis: “I’m Going Back to A Better Class of Losers”.
FWIW, I think Newt's "knowledge" is highly over-rated as well.
Not really sure why the word "knowledge" appears twice in quotes there, as I never used it. Or were you trying to be clever? In which case, don't.
I’m going with Bob Dole.
Perry is right there with Romney in my pile of socialists I wont vote for under any circumstance.
And Romney and Perry have both been given more time than Gingrich. Based on your reasoning, they should be beating the pants off Gingrich, but both are losing to him.
It’s not necessarily how much time you’re given, but how you are using it.
I’m sure that Santorum has made some good points over the season of debates, but obviously he hasn’t been able to push all the right buttons at the most opportune times.
Bingo. Neverthless, Newt is taking some risk in exposing himself to an attack by Huntsman. Huntsman, despite his flaws, is more free market than the flip-flopping Newt and might be able to wound him if he is effective in pointing this out..
However, we did have two Republican (lite) senator's from PA. Now they have Casey. As I begin to look at Rick S., I list what I dislike and what I favor. I have to admit that I favor more than I dislike.
I am beginning to wonder what Rick S. would be like with a Republican controlled Senate and House, as compared to a split congress.
I base these thoughts on what I know about Newt, Perry, and Romney. Rick S. edges out the later in my book. Michelle needs to stay in the House, we need her there.
Paul, well he is out there! And Huntsman is a non-contender.
Just me thinking out loud. I was a Cane guy because he was an outsider, along with Palin.
On your Birthday you only get what you want if you buy it for your self!
That’s what everyone was saying about Cain, if he could win, I’d vote for him.
Now’s not the time to play to polls, go with the candidate who most closely aligns with your beliefs then let the chips fall where they may.
500,000 illegal aliens march on Dallas Texas, 2006:
Under Rick Perry as Governor of Texas and at the Federal level, President Bush from Texas, 500,000 illegal aliens march on Dallas Texas, waving foreign flags in their faces, while making demands and threats.
When Santorum lost in PA..it was due to his endorsement of Arlen Spector which pissed off the fiscally conservative republicans. Santorum has a lot of baggage too..its just that his poll numbers are so low that noone cares to look into them all..Republican strategists took as a bad omen Santorum’s primary result in 2006, in which he ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Republican gubernatorial nominee Lynn Swann, also unopposed, garnered 22,000 more votes statewide than Santorum in the primary, meaning thousands of Republican voters abstained from endorsing Santorum for another Senate term. This may have been partly due to Santorum’s support for Arlen Specter, over Congressman Pat Toomey in the 2004 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Even though Santorum is only slightly less conservative than Toomey, he joined virtually all of the state and national Republican establishment in supporting the moderate Specter. This led many socially and fiscally conservative Republicans to consider Santorum’s support of Specter to be a betrayal of their cause.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/rick-santorum#ixzz1fcmUoxOQ
Not likely. A libertarian candidate is ALWAYS going to come across as "more free market" than a Conservative one. If I understand this point, you can be sure Gingrich does, and will use it to his advantage.
Off the top of my head: What could be more "free market" than legalizing drugs?
He never should have endorsed Arlen Spector.
Unfortunately, I live in NY, where the primary is usually contested long after the conclusion is forgone. Actually, our primary system is broken because a solidly blue state like NY should never get more delegates than potential swing states like Florida and Pennsylvania.
At the time the stats were compiled, they were (although I think Perry had already started his drop based on how he had used his time).
"I’m sure that Santorum has made some good points over the season of debates, but obviously he hasn’t been able to push all the right buttons at the most opportune times."
Think that's because he may feel a tad rushed knowing he's not getting the same amount of time?!?! Gingrich has received almost the advantage of a free 30 second ad in each debate over Santorum.
Did he ever try to justify his position in supporting somebody who wasn’t conservative?
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