The contraception stuff was enough to make him not a credible alternative for many, perhaps most, of the people looking for a non Romney. Once it became known that Rick said the following (on video last October):
"One of the things I will talk about that no President has talked about before is I think the dangers of contraception in this country, the whole sexual libertine idea. Many in the Christian faith have said, 'Well, that’s okay. Contraception’s okay.' It’s not okay..."
...many conservatives grasping at some alternative to Mitt struck Santorum from the list. Sorry, but we just don't need a national conversation on why contraception is "not okay". Any candidate that thinks we do just can't be taken seriously and would be a sure-bet to drag the campaign into long ago settled social issues that would be a guaranteed loser.
Bingo
We tried to warn those who blindly went for him. We warned them that he could not win the nomination or the general, and that he would just split the vote and guarantee a Romney win.
Well guess what? Hello Reality!
He lead national polls at one point, what do you call that? Just whilsting dixie? It's true he's had some gaffes but if he hadn't lost Michigan and Ohio because of Gingrich vote splitting, who knows. "It was doomed from the start" might make you feel better but it's nonsense. The sadder truth is it wasn't, his own misuces combined with the absurdity of another candidate staying in the race and splitting the vote combined to create our current situation of a more likley than not Romney nomination.
Truer words have never been spoken.
It may not be the smartest thing to talk about at this point in time in a political campaign (which he didn’t, actually, since the quote was from last year), but the wisdom of contraception is not “long ago settled”; it’s actually one of the chief factors killing off Western Civilization.
The West will have to face the issue at some point, or it will disappear. What will replace it will not be as accomodating to the mores of modern cosmopolitan culture. See: Iran.
I think the main reason Santorum is fading is that he just doesn’t have the money to compete.