Sellout: Santorum Proves He’s Just Another Washington Insider

The Red Side of Life Conservative Musings from New York ^ | 4/19/12 | RedInNewYork

[jmstein7]

In my estimation, the hallmark of the true politician, the true Washington insider, is the intentional evasion of responsibility and/or blame – the sin of omission. By this standard, Rick Santorum, in the end, is nothing but a typical two-bit political hack.

For all his bloviating and posturing, painting himself as a true conservative, selling his alleged “genuineness”  and values – a regular Joe – Santorum has shown his true colors by failing to endorse when it could have made a difference. Plainly, he is avoiding the ire of the GOP establishment by not endorsing Gingrich, and he is avoiding the ire of his own base, the base that believed in him, by not endorsing Mitt – who does not share the values of the Santorum base.

Of course, Santorum’s silence is indeed a tacit endorsement of Romney – but, in the spirit of jim Taggert, Rick “hasn’t said that.” It is beyond dispute that a timely endorsement of Gingrich would have likely injected the Gingrich campaign with fresh life – in both supporters and in news coverage. His silence has resulted, instead, in the further atrophy of the Gingrich campaign. But don’t blame Rick… he “hasn’t said anything!”

On the basis of my “Caucus Theory,” as a friend put it, Santorum has the right to endorse anyone still in the race; he certainly has the right to endorse Romney if he so chooses. He clearly has – but in a way that undermines his integrity… in a way that allows him to evade the responsibility for an explicit Romney endorsement. Rick has elected the Washington two-step over Main Street candor.

Rick, indeed, has the right NOT to endorse, just like an uncommitted or undecided voter has the right to NOT go to the polls. But the exercise of such right by Santorum, or a voter who has committed to a candidate and/or a set of principles, is distinguishable because such a non-vote implies a rejection of a professed set of principles or a loyalty (to a candidate). And, in Rick’s case, the implication of a non-endorsement is of great magnitude and consequence.  Here, Rick has sold-out on principled conservatism by not endorsing the remaining principled Conservative (Newt has a 95% Conservative lifetime rating by the ACU, the only objective measure to go by here).

THIS is the art of the dodge – something that makes Santorum more like Obama. As you may recall, Obama was notorious for voting “present” in the State and US Senate to avoid creating a record, to avoid being pinned-down for supporting, or not supporting, a measure that may become relevant, popular or unpopular. On his support of Conservatism, Rick Santorum has voted “present.”

[DannyTN]

Sorry “Failure to endorse Gingrich” does not equal “Washington Insider sell out.”

[Cicero]

Talk about bloviating, this one takes the cake.

Calling Rick silly names because he won’t endorse Newt ain’t gonna help Newt, any more than calling Newt names a couple of weeks ago because he wouldn’t endorse Rick would have helped Rick.

At most, it just annoys people.

[Retired Greyhound]

Sorry “Failure to endorse Gingrich” does not equal “Washington Insider sell out.”

Ordinarily, no. But when the only other option is Mitt Romney, the establishment candidate, it certainly does have a whiff of selling-out.

[Fiji Hill]

Santorum is a conservative, so why would he endorse Gingrich?

[jmstein7]

Thank you... exactly the point.

[DannyTN]

"But when the only other option is Mitt Romney,"

It's probably just smart politics. I don't think Gingrich can win at this point no matter how strongly Santorum endorses him.

So why do it?

[Yashcheritsiy]

Santorum is not a conservative, so why would he endorse Gingrich?

FIFY

[Deb]

Ah, our side. we never hesitate to run down the hill and shoot the wounded.

[truth_seeker]

Six paragraphs to repeat a couple of things, over and over?

[Ken H]

This pissed me off more than anything else he's done in the campaign...

Santorum: Zimmerman ‘has a very sick mind,’ motive ‘a malicious one’

[ivory49]

Rick is a sell out. The article is spot on.
Ricky is an opportunist.He sounds like a consertative but if you look at his record, He is far from one.

[jmstein7]

Right on!

[joe fonebone]

Correct... It is his voting record as a senator that makes him a sell out....

[Ken H]

Ah, our side. we never hesitate to run down the hill and shoot the wounded.

Like Santorum did to Zimmerman?

[alstewartfan]

What is the point of endorsing a man who has won but TWO states out of thirty-something? NO, it would not help Newt. It is too late. This is getting as silly as the Ron Paul meme from his supporters. We may have had had our day if Palin ran, or if enough Republicans were strong-minded enough to resist the phony Romney attack ads against Santorum. But it’s freakin’ over, Folks! Bob

[presently no screen name]

I said that from the beginning - Mitt surrounding himself with ‘conservatives’ who where politically hungry - the mark that they can be bought out.

MB, Cain and Santorum and, of course, his cousin were his protectors - so it appeared as if there were many choices and, the end, mitt would be the preferred candidate. MB attacked Perry unmercifully and gave the maggot mitt a total free pass. Cain’s answer to anything was 9-9-9. Not one of these attacked mitt except Perry and the media side with mitt and called Perry sour grapes. Then Cain accused Perry’s campaign of those women coming forward. It confirmed it for me he was a mittbot as anyone w/a half a brain knew it was mitt’s mo as Cain was the #1 candidate at the time - he had stuff on them all if they suddenly ‘took off’ ahead of him. Not strange Cain supports mitt now, so will MB.

Towards the end of the debates Santorum went after Romney about Romneycare but softly enough for Romney could lie about it and blame others for it.

Then both Rick and Mitt both went after Newt with millions upon millions of attack ads that were damnable lies! I watched the debates with no dog in the race - clear vision of dirty politics in play all done to deceive voters that the candidates were above board.

Everything all according to script designed since ‘08 with his political team. The ones mitt surrounded himself with didn’t even have qualifications to be president! Voters just wanted them and didn’t care. It was horrible to watch. They were all duped.

[alstewartfan]

I agree, but I think that like me, Rick came to assume that the two-week silence by law enforcement in Fl. smelled of a cover-up. You know, I had a first cousin murdered in Fl, and since the perps were politically connected and wealthy, authorities tried everything to sweep it under the rug. Of course, the silence in the Martin case amounted to either stupidity or naivete, we now know. Bob

[finnsheep]

Let’s wait and see how the PA primary turns out. Rick could win. My absentee ballot was mailed before he dropped out.

[alstewartfan]

Well, you have 535 “sell-outs” in every Congress then, except for Ron Paul, who hungrily loads appropriation bills with excessive pork, then smarmily votes against the bills. Rick Santorum is a helluva man and leader. You have an incapacity for imagining how much one can accomplish *from the inside*, and Santorum was masterful. Perfect no, effective and principled, YES! bOB

[alstewartfan]

He’s got my vote, and my wife’s and mom’s. Bob

[presently no screen name]

Well you are one voter who can’t be duped - TOO many can be and have been. And they got offended if they were told.

[HamiltonJay]

If you think Santorum is a Conservative, in any manner other than his social views you are completely ill informed.

He has no qualms expanding government intrusion in everyones lives for those views, nor spending taxpayer money for graft and endorcements etc etc.

He may not be a communist, but he’s hardly a bastion of conservatism.

[central_va]

It's probably just smart politics. I don't think Gingrich can win at this point no matter how strongly Santorum endorses him.

Smart Politics™ is what has brought us to the brink of collective hell.

[HamiltonJay]

Hahaha.. Rick isn’t going to win, and wasn’t going to win PA, that’s why he withdrew when he did. The writing was on the wall he was going to lose his home state, and that would finally and without question be the end of his political career.

It should have been over when the voters of PA sent him rightfully packing by a 17 point margin, but alas a whole lot of folks who haven’t had to deal with the guy directly in the rest of the country got duped into backing him to ensure a Romney nomination.

Santorum, is, was and ever will be nothing more than useful hack. Not politically intellegent or savvy enough to know when he’s being played the fool.

[Mr. Lucky]

We can only hope that you have a real job that doesn’t involve dealing with people or expressing cogent thoughts.

[ltbigv]

Why is it so hard to understand that Gingrich was a fringe, vanity candidate that never had a chance, and his time for preening in front of the mirror is over?

Dissatisfaction that milquetoast Romney will be the nominee is one thing we all share.

But The inability to see that Newt is a major turn off to about 80% of the people who's votes matter, with questionable conservative credentials of his own (see couch/Pelosi. Also see trough feeding: Freedie Mac), that would lose 40 states if nominated, requires willful blindness.

[jmstein7]

Obviously, you don’t, ad hominem.

[ivory49]

Has anybody in this country heard of core conviction and priciple.I don't care if Newt is down in the polls.Rick claims he's the conserative,why not stand on pricipale?

[dforest]

Even Sarah didn’t officially endorse Newt. Santorum has no obligation, nor does he owe Newt a darn thing. Newt did pen that article about how Santorum isn’t qualified. On that note, I would tell Newt to pound sand.

Newt isn’t a popular guy. He was out of this race a long time ago. He may pick up some Santorum votes in the coming weeks. But he is done and he knows it.

[DannyTN]

You expect Santorum to endorse Gingrich when Gingrich was trailing badly and refused to drop out and endorse Santorum?

Santorum owes Gingrich nothing!!!

And your core conviction and principles are warped if you think he does.

[Yaelle]

Are you kidding? Gingrich would make a bad President, even if FReepers are so enamoured of him. He’s the best running currently, which is not a hearty endorsement. He’s a good historian and debater but he doesn’t stick to conservatism in life or politics. He just likes a good fight.

Santorum is doing the only decent thing. Not endorsing Romney.

[nurse-rn]

Not conservative? What do you call balancing the budget for 4 years in a row? You do recall that he won back the house leadership after 40 years in dem. control. And the list goes on. By the way don’t you think that we need a fighter as our next President? Go NEWT.

[Deb]

And, here, I thought you were gonna say something STUPID!!!

[ansel12]

We know which type of candidates that Santorum endorses.

In 1996 he endorsed Arlen Specter for president, Specter was running to remove pro-life from the republican party platform, Santorum tells us that he himself was pro-abortion until he started putting together his run for Congress.

In 2008 of course, Santorum felt that Mitt Romney was the man who was superior to the pro-life, more conservative candidates.

[Ken H]

Nah, there was enough ‘STUPID’ in his comments about Zimmerman for all of us.

[ivory49]

Vis-versa.When Newt was up in the polls,and Rick was trailing bad, Rick could of drop-out then.
Go pound sand.

[fortheDeclaration]

Yea, like Santorum is ‘wounded’, more like a 5th columnist, used by the Romney campaign.

[Fiji Hill]

[presently no screen name]

Exactly. But I didn't know this Specter was running to remove pro-life from the republican party platform.

[ansel12]

Santorum formally endorsing during this announcing event as Specter kicked off his presidential run. He is to the left of Specter in the video.

Santorum endorsed and campaigned for his candidacy and this platform.

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/64281-1

3:46 mark: “In 1996, I intend to win the other house — the White House — with ten commitments to America… including a woman’s right to choose…

13:22 mark: “Even though we have this historic opportunity for these achievements, there are those in our party who would lead us down a different path — and squander this unique moment in our nation’s history — by using our political capital — to pursue a radical social agenda — that would end a woman’s right to choose…

13:48 mark: “When Pat Robertson says there is no constitutional doctrine of separation between Church and State, I say he is wrong…

14:31 mark: “When Ralph Reed says a pro-choice Republican isn’t qualified to be our President, I say the Republican Party will not be intimidated or blackmailed by those kinds of threats.I, and millions of other pro-choice Republicans, will not be disenfranchised and made second class citizens.

15:33 mark: “… it is not Christian, or religious, or Judeo-Christian to bring God into politics; or to advocate intolerance and promote exclusion.

15:54 mark: “I want to take abortion out of politics. I want to keep the Republican Party focused on the vital economic and foreign policy issues — and leave moral issues such as abortion to the conscience of the individual. I believe abortion is an issue to be decided by women…

16:40 mark: “I pledge to lead the fight to strip the strident anti-choice language from the Republican National platform…”

[Deb]

Whatever that means.

[fortheDeclaration]

It means no one is shooting our ‘wounded’, Sanatorum was in the race to keep the conservative vote divided.

[Deb]

Oh, geez. Not ANOTHER conspiracy. And who was behind this super-secret scheme to keep the conservative vote divided? The Build-A-Burgers? The RINO Illuminati?

You people are demented. Seriously, get help.

[fortheDeclaration]

Dividing the conservative vote is not a conspiracy, it is a tactic.

[Deb]

And just why would Santorum be in on the plot to divide the conservative vote? Who was behind him? For what purpose?

Seriously, get a brain scan.

[fortheDeclaration]

Santorum is an insider, who knows what his payoff will be.

Take your blinders off.

[fortheDeclaration]

'For what purpose'?

To divide the Conservative anti-Romney vote!

Had a single conservative emerged, Romney would have never won the nomination.

Open your eyes to the reality of politics.