See that quote from Santorum in post 15 to see that they are political bedfellows. Romney was Santorum’s choice for President last time, now Romney talks of Santorum being his veep, one thing they share, defeat that conservative guy Newt.
Your defense of Santorum is typical, that he is moderate and not very conservative, non threatening to those that abhor or fear conservative candidates.
That is why the Palin/Reagan, conservative branch of the Republican base supports Speaker Gingrich, while the Romney/Santorum branch support their favorite between those two.
You have a 1999 sign up date, if you were conservative you would recognize the Romney followers that you would have been doing battle with for the last 5 1/2 years.
I am not really a fan of the “don’t run someone so conservative they offend the masses” theory, I think it is a mistake that got us McCain, and continually gets the GOP in trouble with conservatives, who tend to win the masses when left to campaign on their own. So I am a little disappointed to find myself appearing to offer such a defense. Perhaps I need to reword it later when I have time/sleep.
I see Santorum as consistently conservative in areas that matter, and presumably will trickle down to economic areas where he seems a little weaker. When I hear him speak, I hear someone likeable, whom I know to share many core values with me.
Despite Gingrich’s riding the conservative groundswell in the nineties, I haven’t seen him as consistent, except as a politician. He got a raw deal, but he also failed to deliver on commitments (perhaps he was outmaneuvered, I do not know). When I listen to him, I like what he says, but I do not know if I know or trust him in the same way.
My take was that the Contract with America was evidence that we want unabashed conservatism and will vote for it. Then, once in power, the GOP began to act like it needed to cross the aisle, and be non offensive, and not be all the things it claimed when courting our vote, I suppose to try to get the votes of the people it did not need to sweep in, anyway, or perhaps just to be liked.
Back to post 15 - I suppose the smartest course would have been to endorse no one. What a wretched field we had when everyone had to point to Romney as the most conservative horse in the race.