Santorum dips toes in 2012 Iowa waters

Politico ^ | 8/11/09 | Jon Martin

[pissant]

Add former Sen. Rick Santorum to the list of potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates.

POLITICO has learned Santorum will visit first-in-the-nation Iowa this fall for a series of appearances before the sort of conservative activists who dominate the state GOP’s key presidential caucuses.

The Pennsylvanian, who lost his 2006 re-election bid, will visit Iowa on October 1st, appearing on a Des Moines radio talk show and speaking to a luncheon and workshop of Iowa’s Right to Life group before heading east to Dubuque, where he’ll headline a fundraiser for the conservative America’s Future Fund PAC and then speak about the future of the GOP to a public audience in the Mississippi River city.

“Your voice becomes more amplified when you go to a place like Iowa or New Hampshire,” Santorum explained in an interview Tuesday about the visit.

Like other potential White House aspirants, he insisted it was too early to consider a presidential run. But he acknowledged that he was interested in taking a higher profile in the party.

[Ann Archy]

No kidding.....he learned a VERY valuable lesson....NEVER TRUST A DEMOCRAT, which is what Specter was/is.

[Domari Nolo]

Again, NO white guy is going to beat o in 2012,IMHO

[SoConPubbie]

From OnTheIssues:


They have him listed as a hard-right conservative, however, given the votes I have highlighted below, I am not sure just how hard-right he is.

1. Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation. (Sep 1996)
2. Voted NO on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds.
3. Voted NO on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business.
4. Voted NO on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women.
5. Voted NO on repealing tax subsidy for companies which move US jobs offshore.
6. Voted YES on targeting 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010.
7. Voted NO on killing a bill for trade sanctions if China sells weapons.
8. Voted NO on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence.
9. Voted YES on limiting self-employment health deduction. 10. Voted NO on restricting business with entities linked to terrorism. (Jul 2005)
11. Voted YES on allowing another round of military base closures. (May 1999)
12. Voted YES on cutting nuclear weapons below START levels. (May 1999)
13. Voted YES on banning chemical weapons. (Apr 1997)
14. Voted YES on restoring $550M in funding for Amtrak for 2007.

[pissant]

He’s a soft conservative. Finger in the air a bit too much.

[Yorlik803]

And that is his “Mark Of Cain”. He forever doomed himself with the Conservative diehards.
But he not a RINO by any means.

[SoConPubbie]

Too socially conservative for me. I want a fiscal conservative-libertarian and strong on national defense and the borders. Plus the fact he endorsed Specter pretty much killed his career.

Now that is a surprise.

I've taken you as a social conservative all this time.

How disappointing...

[Ann Archy]

He is NOT a RINO,,,,he made one big mistake.....I will forgive him...hope Penns. will.

[pissant]

EEE is a libertarian conservative of sorts. The problem with that is that the leaders of libertarian wing of conservatism are mostly fruit loops. A problem EEE recognizes. The most solid guys are almost always socons AND fiscons

[Loyalist]

Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign will no doubt get about as far as Jim Gilmore’s.

[pissant]

Mercifully.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Will he bring in his Socialist buddies Specter and Slick Willard to stump for him ?

[FrdmLvr]

Didn’t his backing of Sphincter ultimately do-in Toomey in that race - Toomey was ahead in the polls until that endorsement?

[boatbums]

Is the senate or representative seat from his state up for grabs in 2010? See if he can will again there, or as governor. We don't need a another young politician running for the big ball of wax in 2012, do we?

[editor-surveyor]

Bump

[beancounter13]

Agreed, and let’s face it. A candidate who cannot carry his home state should not be on the ticket...

even Mondale carried his own state in ‘84.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

To compare him with Mitt or RINOs isnt true.

I agree, he doesn't rise to Romney standards.
He could be a good cabinet secretary or something.

[9YearLurker]

Let’s just hope we have candidates to split the RINO vote—instead of candidates to split the conservative vote. That’s the name of the game in the primaries.

[pissant]

Let’s hope the frontrunners are ALL conservatives. I think people are ready for Reaganism, part II. No more damn Rudy McRombees.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I am socially conservative. I support pro-life and pro-traditional values/marriage politicians.

What I don't like is Republicans pushing nanny-state, big-government laws like banning online gambling, tobacco bans, or going after porn. It's just more statism under the guise of conservatism.

[Lancey Howard]

Awesome!
Santorum is hated by the socialists.

Go Rick GO!