Posted on 04/13/2012 10:18:18 AM PDT by Josh Painter
Rick Santorum dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday. Almost to a column, editorial and news account, the analysis centered on Santorum’s somewhat successful capture of conservative voters.
And there lies the mystery. How could a man seemingly so opposite of conservative have entranced so many voters who label themselves just that?
The easy answer is that as someone who made his religion such a prominent part of his campaign strategy... religious types who tend toward conservatism perhaps felt they’d found their man.
[...]
Indeed, if we ignore for a moment how very anti-conservative it is for any candidate to coddle certain commercial sectors, the simple truth is that to the extent that manufacturing jobs were ever glorious (a big reach on its own considering the proud history of sons and daughters of factory workers moving away from manufacturing locales), the very investors whose capital creates those jobs feel it’s yesterday’s news. That investors no longer value factory work explains why they migrated to China, and why a rising China has begun to similarly shed those jobs. For Santorum to then say he’ll bring them back not only smacks of a controlling, central planning gene, but it also speaks to a candidate divorced from reality in the economic sense. If Santorum were to actually succeed in reducing the manufacturing tax rate to zero, this wouldn’t alter the all-important investor perception of work that is no longer valued from a labor-intensive point of view.
Happily Santorum’s candidacy is in the rear-view mirror. Not so happy, however, is what his candidacy said about the beliefs of conservatives. If Santorum was truly their guy, it seems a movement once animated by the sunny, economically advanced dynamism of Ronald Reagan has taken a giant, impoverishing leap backwards.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
As happens over and over. Social conservatives will reject any fiscal conservative who is not socially conservative enough for them. Ditto for fiscal conservatives. In the end, both camps cancel each other out and hand victory to the RINO.
Dittl
Ditto
Agreed. The real question should be, "Why Were FReepers So Enamored of Newt Gingrich?" If you would have said a year ago that FR would be overwhelmingly Newt Country, you would have been laughed off this forum, just like if you had proclaimed Trent Lott would be promoted as the "true conservative" freeper candidate for President in 2012. Both were 90's has-beens that conservatives were fed up with.
I could see people throwing this support behind him in desperation to "stop Romney" when Newt was surging back in December, but when it became clear that Newt couldn't win any state outside S.C. besides his own, people continued to cling to him. Why so many freepers loved a severly flawed, backstabbing, long-past-his-prime egomaniac whose only positive in the campaign was "excellent debater" is beyond me. We're choosing a President, not a Debate Team captain.
Hang on: three times zero is STILL zero. . .
As far as Suzzyflubber is concerned, she was just another individual running for Congress under the Republican label. I doubt Newt, or any former Speaker check out new candidates all that closely ~ do you?
He hasn't begged us to take her back BTW.
The language he used to hedge in the illegals was such that only a handful would not be handcuffed and tossed over the Rio. You really have to study the whole litany he delivered on that one first.
Now that's not to defend Newt ~ he can do that himself. On the other hand I get the distinct feeling the MOTIVE behind your litany arises out of a concern that Mitt might yet get tossed.
I have no such concern for Mitt and pray night and day that he'll come to his senses and drop out of the race now!
You cannot legitimately be a Republican or a Conservative and back Mitt Romney.
Kennedy could have told him about the same thing but he totally lost his head.
Rick can come back later once he's fixed his problem.
HE IS! He is the ONLY true conservative in this race.
Mitt just sat back and laughed as the conservative vote was divided.
Mitt and his professional minions DESIGNED it that way. Remember, he's been at this for years. Now he laughing as some many bought his 'anyone but obama' mantra. Not me! I'd never taint myself.
Mitt's ONLY threat ever is Newt! He knows it, the media and GOP e knows it. They sold their soul knowing mitt is a POS. They will rot as they reap what they sow.
ABR.
My guess is because he was the most religious candidate. Not the best candidate. That would be Newt.
“I never understood the appeal of Santorum. He is a big-government social conservative and he’s never managed or governed.”
Social conservative is THE draw for most of his supporters, and many perceive him as a model family man. That was sufficient for them. Not my guy for a handful of reasons, but I could have settled for him.
“Perry was my first choice too, I still cant believe how bad he imploded, it’s unbelievable.”
News I read a week or two ago indicated he was on a HEAVY duty painkiller during the first debates. I forget the name of the painkiller, but FReepers who commented who had used it said wow, that is a drug that is hard to function on.
I accept it as providence, sadly, that he had to have the surgery and he had to use painkillers and he had to debate - so he just was not at his best, through no fault of his own, at the critical time.
America’s loss. Maybe next time?
Because Newt's not considering Newt. I wish Newt had Rick's fight, it would be a different scenario right now. Instead, Newt's saying it's over, talking about a show on Fox, and other crap
Seems like an obvious enough answer.
Obama MUST be voted out office, no matter what follows. We know America cannot survive four more years of Obama. With Mutt, who knows? If Mutt is elected, the end result may be the same, but at least it won’t be Obama. We have a choice between no hope, or a dim glimmer. Sara Palin has said she will pull the lever for Mutt if he is the candidate in November. Does that mean she is not conservative?
I will answer your question from my point of view.
No one, NO ONE, to my knowledge has had the stones to stand up to Obama, with the exception of Sarah (and I am not in the tank for her). In my fantasy scenario, Newt would hand Obama his @ss in a debate. Plain and simple, I would like to see that, before all record of it was scrubbed the next day in the MSM. I would like to see the paper tiger fold just for once.
Still, I realize Newt is a big govt guy, really I do, but I would just like to see a little FIGHT by someone with an R next to their name. We wont see that with Romney.
You asked.
Damn - that would explain a lot. Worse than a shame....
Exactly. He's a liberal and his record confirms it. But when the time is right, he will be vetted and all votes for him brings in Barry. So those fearful who vote for mitt under the ABO guise WILL get what they were fearful of.
That's why I'm $upporting Newt - it is the BEST I can do for my country!
because he was a lot better than Mitt Romney
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