Santorum for President [plus ping list]

December 27, 2011 | Antoninus

[Antoninus]

Sarah Palin is not running.

Rick Perry has shown himself not up to the challenge (unfortunately).

Herman Cain got borked by the establishment media and could not take the heat (unfortunately).

Ron Paul, for every sensible position, has one that marks him as a kook.

Newt Gingrich is being attacked relentlessly, fairly or unfairly, and because of his very mixed record on many issues, the attacks are weakening him.

Michelle Bachmann's apparent role as Mitt Romney's attack dog has left her mired in single digits in the polls.

So the political class in this country (and I include the elites of both parties and the media in this group) have succeeded in systematically neutralizing any candidate whose name is not Mitt Romney.

Except one.



Rick Santorum

Here are the top 10 reasons conservatives should support Rick Santorum in 2012:

10. Santorum is a good family man, husband, and father. There are no skeletons in his closet and he has shown himself to be very admirable when it comes to caring for his own family. As a homeschooling father, Santorum does more than just talk about family values. He lives them.

9. He is a solid fiscal conservative. Santorum worked tirelessly to pass the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. He has been a steadfast proponent of entitlement reform, particularly advocating for the privatization of Social Security and Medicare. He has opposed the Wall Street bailouts. While in Congress, he sponsored the balanced budget amendment. He has adamantly called for ObamaCare to be repealed and replaced. Santorum has called for the Federal Reserve to be audited and its role pared back to managing inflation.

8. Santorum is a solid social conservative. His campaign has been one of uplifting social conservative values and pointing out that the breakdown of the American family is at the root of nearly all of our most intractable domestic problems.

7. Santorum is unflinchingly 100% pro-life. Santorum's stellar record as a champion for the unborn is well-known. His courage on the issue was demonstrated clearly when he fought for the partial-birth abortion ban and made Barbara Boxer look like a ghoul on the senate floor.

6. Santorum believes in a strong national defense. While not calling for war as some have insinuated, Santorum has been among the most vocal leaders when it comes to understanding and dealing with the threat posed radical Islam. As president, we can expect Santorum to help rebuild and re-arm America in the face of this threat. He is also the only Republican candidate who has said he will reinstate "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

5. Santorum is pro-family and against homosexual marriage. While other Republicans cower in fear of the homosexual lobby, Santorum has stood strong. With great foresight, he fought for the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004, bringing the measure to the senate floor even though members of his own party opposed him. Santorum's efforts have earned him the undying enmity of homosexual advocacy groups, yet Santorum does not hate homosexuals. Indeed, he retained a known homosexual on his staff. He has shown himself to be fair-minded but utterly steadfast on this issue.

4. Santorum is very strong on Second Amendment issues. He's a life member of the NRA and has always been an ally of Second Amendment rights groups. While in Congress, he opposed gun bans and lawsuits against gun manufacturers.

3. Santorum understands that government interventions in the economy do more harm than good. He believes in sound economic policies including reduced taxation, reduced spending, reduced regulation. At the same time, he knows that the federal government does play an important role as defined by the Constitution to make sure that the border is secure and has called for federal tort reform to help prevent the legal profession from strangling trade.

2. Santorum has been consistent. He his not a flip-flopper on the issues. He has shown the spine to fight for conservative ideals and the ability to go against the grain when members of his own party want to cave in to the left.

1. Santorum is hated by the hard left. Those who support abortion, homosexuality, fiscal profligacy and a surrender-first foreign policy all despise Rick Santorum. He is so hated by these people that they have slandered his name across the internet, trashing him in the most vile language imaginable. If you can define a man by the depravity of his enemies, Rick Santorum must be a noble soul indeed.

For a more detailed breakdown on Rick Santorum's positions on the issues, I encourage you to visit:

http://www.ricksantorum.com/issues

How is this not better than any of the other candidates running? Is this not precisely the kind of platform conservatives want to get behind and support?

Santorum's conservative critics have hung their hat on a single fault that in retrospect (and compared to those of his opponents) looks quite minute indeed:

In 2004, Santorum supported Arlen Specter. I criticized Santorum for doing this at the time as well. He clearly had chosen to play the role of good soldier when G. W. Bush asked him for a favor. He shouldn't have done it, especially considering how exposed and vulnerable the Bush administration's botched policies would leave Santorum in 2006 when he ran for re-election himself. But in retrospect, Pat Toomey has not shown himself to be a stellar conservative. One of his first actions after getting elected was to support Obama's decision to homosexualize the military. It's really hard for a conservative to claim that Santorum's support of Specter makes him in any way unacceptable as a presidential candidate, particularly when compared to the flaws of the other Republicans in the race.

As the primaries rapidly approach, it is time for serious conservatives to coalesce around one candidate. If we can do so, we'll have our best chance at ensuring a political doppleganger like Mitt Romney (who, even if elected president, will be a disaster for conservatives) is not nominated to lead the Republican party in 2012.

I humbly submit to you that Rick Santorum is the best candidate for conservatives to support in 2012. He is a true-blue conservative who can be counted upon to articulate and advance conservative positions and ideals. He will really take the fight to Obama in the general election and to the Democrat party as president.

[RasterMaster]

Add another to the list! Santorum and Bachman are the only conservatives in the race. Lesser of the RINO evils won’t get my vote.

[Steelfish]

This demographic is not all that stable. They include single as well as married women who are more interested in economic progress, a non-threatening foreign policy, and of course someone who is reasonably telegenic. It also includes a fair percentage of moderate Catholics. Santorum is Catholic. Besides, if he, as favorite son, peels of PA, Obama is toast.

[natcie]

[natcie]

Please add my to the lise

[EDINVA]

I would hope that if Santorum were the nominee, he’d attract that demographic. Some years ago I was monitoring a gubernatorial election here in VA where in the closing weeks of the campaign, the D candidate made a huge issue of the R’s pro-life position (Wilder v Coleman, c. 1989?). I was shocked to see the white, middle class, family women at my then-neighborhood flocking to the polls to vote for Wilder. It was (at least then) a very R precinct. Wilder carried it by @ 60%, well above his statewide performance. The election was so close, Coleman got a free recount that turned out to be, essentially, the end of his political career. (well, except until John Warner resurrected him to run as an independent spoiler in ‘94 to fracture the R vote and assure that Chuck Robb would beat Ollie North for the U.S. Senate seat). My faith in white, middle class women to vote R was demolished that day.

[Yaelle]

Sign me up!

[Yaelle]

Liked the ad though he didn’t talk about what his vision is for the country and our out of control government. Shocked that the ad has twice as many dislikes as likes. Seriously, people despise him. I guess he is threatening to alternative lifestyles and people who like killing babies and want more of it.

[Steelfish]

That’s strange since Reagan ran as pro-life as did Bush.

[Steelfish]

That’s strange since Reagan ran as pro-life as did Bush.

[Theodore R.]

Edinva, the same think happened in TX a year later, when suburban women turned against Clayton W. Williams, Jr., and narrowly elected Ann Richards, who stressed her support for abortion. Had Williams won, there would have been no opening for GWB in 1994!

[Theodore R.]

Do you think Santorum could win PA if he were the nominee? PA hasn’t elected a president since 1856, and home-state pride sometimes helps, but not for George McGovern in SD in 1972.

[Antoninus]

Shocked that the ad has twice as many dislikes as likes.

I'm not at all. Santorum is hated by the pervert left. These people are stalkers--literally. They've even gone so far as to equate the man's name with a filthy homosexual act. That is what the mentally ill do, unfortunately.

[Joe 6-pack]

"Because Rick can’t win in his own state."

Unlike Newt, who's having trouble even getting on the ballot in his own state...

[EDINVA]

“...Reagan ran as pro-life as did Bush.”

A major difference is that with Reagan, when you envisioned his political philosophy, his priorities, the first thing that came to mind was “anti-Communist, anti-USSR.” His pro-life position was a secondary consideration. In political terms developed since ‘80, Reagan was seen as a ‘national security’ candidate.

With Santorum, the first thing you think of is ‘pro-life,’ and ‘pro-(traditional) marriage.’ He is known primarily as a ‘social conservative,’ without an offset that involves the economy or national security. If Santorum were seen as strong on one of those issues it would affect the consideration of a pro-choice woman who would be willing put social issues lower on her priorities in consideration of a candidate to support.

Note: I am not saying Santorum hasn’t been involved in those issues, and am addressing perceptions only. The perception of Santorum is that he’s only a ‘social conservative.’ And the women I refer to are not those whose first and only issue is ‘choice,’ but those to whom it is important but not the only or top issue.

As to Bush ... well, he won his elections but not by margins approaching Reagan’s. He ran on a pro-life platform, but those social issues were not seen as his top and only issues.

[Reddy]

Didn’t know Santorum had a daughter who was born with Trisomy 18. Didn’t know he home-schooled (we do, too!)

Maybe it’s a good thing he’s been below the radar while Cain and Gingrich were pummeled. They deflected the hate and rage of the MSM (and GOP) and perhaps now Santorum can be a phoenix and win the nomination. Hoping he can stop Romney!

[Reddy]

Please add me to the Santorum ping list. Thanks.

[Antoninus]

Maybe it’s a good thing he’s been below the radar while Cain and Gingrich were pummeled. They deflected the hate and rage of the MSM (and GOP) and perhaps now Santorum can be a phoenix and win the nomination. Hoping he can stop Romney!

From your keyboard to God's ears.

[FrdmLvr]

Santorum is the most conservative, plus I believe he would make the most conservative appointments. I trust him above all the others.

[Pinkbell]

Please add me, sir.

[JohnBovenmyer]

Santorum and Cain endorsed Romney in 2008, but the real shocker for many here, who are either new members or have tried hard and succeeded in forgetting the past, is that Freepers, unofficially as a group, favored Romney in 2008... once it was down to the final three of Romney, Huckabee and McCain. Or at least so our polling then showed IIRC. There certainly was a very strong anti-Romney group here then, which IMHO has grown even stronger since, and the majority of Freepers earlier favored either Duncan Hunter or Fred Thompson. But after they bowed out the anti-Huck and anti-McCain factors were stronger than the anti-Romney ones here.

I'm NOT saying this to support Mitt- I'm voting for Santorum Tuesday - we should remember the past here and learn from it. I'd be willing to try dragging Bachmann or Perry across the finish line in the fall, but believe Santorum is a far better choice. I don't trust Newt as far as I could throw Paul.

Santorum's negatives are Spector and his big 2006 loss. He lost big then for three reasons. #1 was Spector. Anyone who votes Obama over Santorum in the fall would be guilty of more of the same than was Santorum in choosing Spector over Toomey. Although worthy of consideration in the primaries the problem disappears in the general. #2 was voters were mad at Bush and congressional RINOS for going along with big spending Democrats in 2006. As they are now more mad at Obama than the RINOs and Bush isn't running that problem also disappears for Santorum in the general. That might be a problem if Mitt were the choice. It might also be problem were Perry the choice as Obama and the MSM would vigorously caricature him as W's dumber brother. I know he's not, but Perry hasn't show the ability to prove it! Santorum's #3 problem in 2006 was the left found the last pro-life name Democrat in the country to run against him, thus denying him the monopoly on pro-life single issue voters. With the most pro-abort Democratic running that problem also disappears in the general.

All the left can do to attack Santorum is to attack him on the issues. He's been through enough tough races to have outed any dirt on him; there isn't any. The only unvetted dirt would be Obama's. Most here would support his stands on the issues; certainly more so than Romney's stands. Unlike McCain he'll strongly defend those issues. If he does well in Iowa, especially if he beats Bachmann and Perry, he'll rise in the polls at their expense and start to become a plausible option. Get to where Cain had been in the polls and his "unelectable" label will be forgotten as was Herman's for awhile. Sure he'll need money, but any GOP nominee will have enough funds, used wisely, to compete in the fall. None will have as much as Obama, but even McCain's stash would have been enough had he fought as hard as his Veep and had he seen through TARP (which Santorum did.)