Santorum’s Turn [NRO Editorial: Calls Gingrich To Resign, Says Romney Suffers "Lack of Enthusiasm"]

National Review ^ | February 13, 2012

[Steelfish]

FEBRUARY 13, 2012 Santorum’s Turn By The Editors

At the moment Rick Santorum appears to be overtaking Newt Gingrich as the principal challenger to Mitt Romney. Santorum has won more contests than Gingrich (who has won only one), has more delegates, and leads him in the polls. In at least one poll, he also leads Romney. It isn’t yet a Romney–Santorum contest, but it could be headed that way.

We hope so. Gingrich’s verbal and intellectual talents should make him a resource for any future Republican president. But it would be a grave mistake for the party to make someone with such poor judgment and persistent unpopularity its presidential nominee.

It is not clear whether Gingrich remains in the race because he still believes he could become president next year or because he wants to avenge his wounded pride: an ambiguity that suggests the problem with him as a leader. When he led Santorum in the polls, he urged the Pennsylvanian to leave the race. On his own arguments the proper course for him now is to endorse Santorum and exit.

Santorum has been conducting himself rather impressively in his moments of triumph and avoiding characteristic temptations. He is doing his best to keep the press from dismissing him as merely a “social-issues candidate.” His recent remark that losing his Senate seat in 2006 taught him the importance of humility suggests an appealing self-awareness.

And he has rightly identified the declining stability of middle-class families as a threat to the American experiment, even if his proposed solutions are poorly designed. But sensible policies, important as they are, are not the immediate challenge for his candidacy. Proving he can run a national campaign is.

Romney remains the undramatic figure at the center of the primaries’ drama. Lack of enthusiasm for him...

[Marguerite]

Rick the Prick Santorum dissed Sarah Palin in a last year interview with conservative commentator S.E. Cupp saying she has “other business opportunities” that are taking up time in her schedule, implying that Sarah is rebuffing CPAC for a well-paid speech. “I don’t live in Alaska and I’m not the mother to all these kids and I don’t have other responsibilities that she has,” he said, implying that like his wife is doing, Sarah should stay home and take care of her kids”.

Watch the video and Prick snide remarks. Please pay attention to his body language:

http://youtu.be/ny2aopQ08Bg

[napscoordinator]

No, front road seat watching the idiots being led down the path again never ever to learn. You'll pout when the realization comes you've been played. And it's your vote that gets Barry in.

My gosh. Really. What are you doing to ensure your candidate is chosen? I hope you are doing more than complaining on the internet. If that is all you are doing than you really can't complain about Santorum’s supporters who are out there helping him get elected. I know you Newt folks are in full depression but instead of just crying why not get out and do something? He is in California the next few days. Why not fly out there and help him. Why not get up to Michigan and start campaigning for him? Or is it easier just to complain to Santorum supporters? By the way complaining to us about Santorum surging is doing NOTHING for Newt.

[Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!]

Who is the ‘butt boy’ you are speaking of? I watched you bash Bachmann,Perry;and falsely tie them to Romney as well; and now another good conservative- Santorum?Thank God your view and the little back yard gang of pinging bullies; is the minority.

Go Santorum!

[presently no screen name]

Little slick rick’s halo will be broken five minutes with barry - he’s the weakest debater. He has NO accomplishments! He’s was never challenged in the debates, they just let him rant on.

He is SO NOT READY for prime time. He’s being used by the GOP E but he is so full of himself - he thinks he has a chance. Romney will use his funds to lie about him - the truth is bad enough but romney pushes the envelope. Remember, there are LOTS of ads, voices of him saying mitt would make the best president! And he then can’t accuse mitt of being a flip flopper - IOW, A LIAR! Birds of a feather - those two.

[presently no screen name]

I didn’t bash Perry!! Keep it honest even though you support a LIAR!

[gramho12]

I stopped checking out NRO months ago, and I see there is absolutely no reason to read it now.

[presently no screen name]

I watched you bash Bachmann,Perry;and falsely tie them to Romney as well;

You have me mixed up with MB - she's the one who non stopped trashed Perry with her lies to help her master mitt.

Perry would never sell his soul for the GOP E - that man is a PATRIOT!

now another good conservative- Santorum?

A good conservative does NOT support and campaign for a pro HOMO marriage, pro abortion, big gov't healthcare candidate and say he will make the best president! What's wrong with you?

[Marguerite]

Newt is right, Why should he care what the National Review say? Media just LOVE to decide the elections and are mad when they can’t.

From your link, I’ve read this comment:

FreeManWalking :

“IMO Santorum is not where he is in the polls because of better ideas, stronger leadership, or being a more conservative candidate, it is because the negative attacks scared voters away from Gingrich going back to IOWA. If it gets down to a race between Santorum and Romney, Santorum will see the voter fleeing when willard turns loose the negative carpet bomb smears and Santorum has issues that can be attacked too.

I admit my bias toward Newt, but he was the one trying to fend off the moderators as they constantly tried to instigate the infighting, pointing out 0bama as the target of all the candidates. I can’t and won’t defend him for some of the bad judgments he has made, but I am willing to forgive and give him another chance.

I put the blame on Romney as the instigator, whether it is him personally or his PAC, and Paul did his share beginning in IOWA. Romney with the deep pockets has continued against any and all comers threatening him since. But once the egg was broken and it worked to take down the leader in the polls, everyone got in on the act. There is nothing wrong with honest differences in plans and policies and even past voting records, but the lies and half truths trying to destroy a candidate is killing us.

Newt’s momentum wasn’t from money, the establishment or the media. It was solely from his ability to connect with the American people in the audience simply explaining his ideas. Accurately pointing out the failed 0bama policies, and how they are destroying the very fabric of America. His ability to convince people he had more than visions and plans for energy production, jobs, dealing with judicial activism, overturning 0bamacare and eliminating the czars. He laid out the case point by point on how he expected to implement his plans, even to the point of asking congress to say in secession beginning January 3rd passing necessary legislation to have bills on his desk when sworn in. Newt more than any other candidate espouses the dreams, can-do-attitude of American Exceptionalism. Just like coming out of the malaise of the carter presidency, I want a President that will inspire us to aim high with majestic ideas, develop bold plans and initiatives and knows how to sell and implement his plans.

If we are going to win in November, we need a reason to vote for a person more than a reason not to vote for someone.
How does Romney inspire you, and what are his plans?
How does Santorum inspire you, and what are his plans?”

[sergeantdave]

“To be fair, the minute Newt had that great debate, the polls immediately changed. Nobody was surprised that Newt won SC.”

Pure kabuki theater. Newt was always ahead in SC. The left wing liars put out phoney polls for weeks ahead of the election, showing Romney ahead, to try to depress the Newt vote.The liars in the media changed the poll numbers right before the end in order to preserve their rapidly crumbling credibility.

I was on the ground in SC. I wrote that Newt would get 40%, and he did. Look it up in my posting history.

These damn left wing polling outfits are another arm of the rat propaganda machine. To give these polls any credibility because they were fairly accurate the day before the vote is to fall for the rat BS and propaganda.

People need to wake up.

[Marguerite]

Newt said:

“We are going to compete on things like $2 a gallon gasoline,
we are going to compete on getting unemployment back to 4%,
we are going to compete on balancing the federal budget,
we are going to compete on having a personal social, security savings account for young people”

On every one of the issues Newt has the upper hand over Rick or Mitt.

[Marguerite]

“Since losing his Pennsylvania Senate seat in 2006, Santorum has used his connections to land a series of highly-paid jobs. Consol Energy, a natural gas company specializing in “hydrofracking” and the fifth-largest donor to his 2006 campaign, paid him $142,000 for consulting work. He also earned $395,000 sitting on the board of Universal Health Services (UHS), a for-profit hospital chain whose CEO made contributions to his Senate campaigns and which stood to benefit from a big hike in Medicare payments Santorum proposed in 2003. (Incidentally, the Department of Justice sued UHS for Medicare and Medicaid fraud during Santorum’s four-year tenure on its board.) Santorum also earned paychecks from a religious advocacy group, a lobbying firm, and a think tank. For pushing legislation benefitting UHS and several other companies, one ethics group named Santorum to its “most corrupt Senators” list.”

http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/99323/santorum-corruption-k-street-project

Most corrupt Congressmen in 2006 - Senator Rick Santorum, page 207

http://www.citizensforethics.org/page/-/PDFs/Reports/Most%20Corrupt%20Reports/Most%20Corrupt%20Report%202006%20-%20Beyond%20Delay%20Report.pdf?nocdn=1

[Marguerite]

“He also earned $395,000 sitting on the board of Universal Health Services (UHS), a for-profit hospital chain (with hospitals in Puerto Rico)whose CEO made contributions to his Senate campaigns and which stood to benefit from a big hike in Medicare payments Santorum proposed in 2003. (Incidentally, the Department of Justice sued UHS for Medicare and Medicaid fraud during Santorum’s four-year tenure on its board.)”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/us/politics/after-senate-santorums-beneficiaries-became-benefactors.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&ref=politics

Between 2003 and 2005, Mr. Santorum sponsored or co-sponsored several legislative initiatives that would have increased Medicare payments to hospitals in Puerto Rico, where health care providers long complained that the program was less generous to them than to their counterparts in the 50 states. Mr. Santorum, who was joined in his effort by a handful of other lawmakers, said at the time he was standing up for elderly patients shortchanged by inequities in Medicare.

A Congressional Budget Office analysis found that one of his attempts to address the issue — an amendment to the 2003 Medicare overhaul — would have cost as much as $400 million over 10 years. The reimbursement formula was eventually changed, but not to the extent Mr. Santorum sought.

[IrishBrigade]

Newt is my guy and I could vote for Santorum but until actual votes and not polls are counted it is crazy for either to get out. Both need to stay in the race IMHO

...just want to be sure you’re aware that Newt staying in right now is the best thing Romney can hope for...

[IrishBrigade]

Newt is my guy and I could vote for Santorum but until actual votes and not polls are counted it is crazy for either to get out. Both need to stay in the race IMHO

...just want to be sure you’re aware that Newt staying in right now is the best thing Romney can hope for...

[montanajoe]

I don't buy your premise but I guess we will see how that works out for Romney at the convention...

[b9]

What a pusillanimous - - - - - CREEP.

I wonder how often he lords his wife’s past over her.

[RasterMaster]

"When he led Santorum in the polls, he urged the Pennsylvanian to leave the race. On his own arguments the proper course for him now is to endorse Santorum and exit.

Newt had done so based only on his mythical polling that has yet to materialize.

Newt has surrendered far too many issues to be a viable candidate. It takes more than a debate performance and a few soundbites to get voters motivated, and thus far Santorum has the momentum while the rest of the field stagnates or sink like a stone.

[Marguerite]

“What a pusillanimous - - - - - CREEP.”

The more I read about PRick, the less I like him.

[b9]

No kidding. What a prig. You’re not alone.

The more folks hear from Newt, the more they like and trust him.

The more they hear from Santorum, the more they’ll see there’s no THERE there.

[JediJones]

This is true. See below for a chart of the most conservative states according to Gallup. Only 1 of the top 25 has voted so far. 7 of the bottom 25 have. Almost half of the delegates are in the top 25, the other half in the bottom 25.

What we have to worry about though in winner-take-all states like Tennessee is vote-splitting between Newt and Rick. It would do some serious damage if Romney won that state with a plurality and got all the delegates.

"Mitt Romney and the RINOs" sounds like a good name for a rock band. This could be Romney's fallback career if the whole presidential thing doesn't work out...

http://www.gallup.com/poll/152459/Mississippi-Conservative-State-Liberal.aspx

TOTAL DELEGATES BY STATE (1144 needed to win):
CON 909
MOD 661
LIB 605
??? 32

01. CON Mississippi (primary) - 40
02. CON Utah (primary) - 40 (WTA)
03. CON Wyoming (caucus) - 29
04. CON Alabama (primary) - 50 (WTA)
05. CON Louisiana (primary) - 46
06. CON Arkansas (primary) - 36
07. CON Oklahoma (primary) - 43 (WTA)
08. CON Nebraska (primary) - 35
09. CON Idaho (caucus) - 32
10. CON Tennessee (primary) - 58 (WTA)
11. CON South Carolina (primary) – 25 [GINGRICH]
12. CON North Dakota (caucus) - 28
13. CON South Dakota (primary) - 28
14. CON Kansas (caucus) - 40
15. CON Texas (primary) - 155
16. CON Georgia (primary) - 76
17. CON Indiana (primary) - 46
18. CON West Virginia (primary) - 31
19. CON Montana (primary) - 26
20. CON Missouri (GOP caucus) – 52
21. CON Kentucky (primary) - 45
22. MOD North Carolina (primary) - 55
23. MOD Ohio (primary) - 66
24. MOD Virginia (primary) - 49
25. MOD Arizona (primary) - 29 (WTA)
26. MOD Florida (primary) - 50 (WTA) [ROMNEY]
27. MOD Iowa (caucus) – 28 [SANTORUM]
28. MOD Michigan (primary) - 30
29. MOD New Mexico (primary) - 23
30. MOD Pennsylvania (primary) - 72
31. MOD Wisconsin (primary) - 42
32. MOD Colorado (caucus) - 36 [SANTORUM]
33. MOD Minnesota (caucus) - 40 [SANTORUM]
34. MOD Delaware (primary) - 17 (WTA)
35. MOD Nevada (caucus) - 28 [ROMNEY]
36. MOD Illinois (primary) - 69
37. MOD Alaska (caucus) - 27
38. LIB Maryland (primary) - 37
39. LIB Maine (caucus) - 24 [ROMNEY]
40. LIB Vermont (primary) - 17
41. LIB Connecticut (primary) - 28
42. LIB New Hampshire (primary) – 12 [ROMNEY]
43. LIB Rhode Island (primary) - 19
44. LIB New Jersey (primary) - 50 (WTA)
45. LIB California (primary) - 172
46. LIB Hawaii (caucus) - 20
47. LIB New York (primary) - 95
48. LIB Washington (caucus) - 43
49. LIB Oregon (primary) - 28
50. LIB Massachusetts (primary) - 41
51. LIB District of Columbia (primary) - 19 (WTA)
52. ??? U.S. Virgin Islands (caucus) - 9
53. ??? Puerto Rico (primary) - 23