Posted on 01/05/2012 6:40:43 AM PST by Vigilanteman
Just how unserious are Republicans about defeating Barack Obama in November? So unserious that, in Iowa, at least, they came painfully close on Tuesday night to making Rick Santorum their putative standard-bearer.
Mr. Santorum, the former congressman and senator of Pennsylvania, came within eight votes of defeating former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. It was the closest finish in the history of the Hawkeye State caucuses.
Santorum bills himself as the conservative alternative to Mr. Romney. But saying you're a conservative doesn't mean you are one. (Think John McCain.)
Oh, indeed, the Virginian (ne Pennsylvanian) has the corner on the theological wing of the GOP. But Santorum is a disaster when it comes to economics. He's a recidivist big-government conservative all too prone to rationalizing his big-government proclivities.
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
It is not a liberal or even a RINO newspaper. If it actually endorsed a GOP primary candidate, I predict it would be that nutcase Ron Paul.
Still, you will see this editorial being quoted widely by those who want to trash a decent, consistent conservative who has the best chance of winning.
Santorum is not perfect. But on his worst day, he is still slightly more conservative than George W. Bush. On his best day, he gets into the same ballpark as Ronald Reagan.
I’m just happy that the phrase “big government” is finally becoming anathema along the lines of the words, “Liberal”, “Progressive”, “Socialist”, etc.
More crap from the pro-Obama Socialists
Politicians judge themselves by what they say.
Voters judge politicians by what they have done.
Since Conservatives conserve, what has Santorum done to conserve, preserve, and otherwise protect something as important as the US Constitution?
BTW, keep in mind that the US Constitution trumps any State’s Constitution.
Using Rick Santorum and RR in the same sentence is an insult to thinking conservatives.
Santorum lost his own state by 18 points, his social views will assure that women vote for Obama in even higher numbers than in 08, and he is a big gov’t solutions political animal. Reagan was the anti-thesis of most of what Santorum’s record (not his rhetoric) shows him to be.
Santorum is the last candidate I can vote for. Anyone else is on their own.
Santorum may not be perfect, but when Romney is the alternative, what else can voters do?
Santorum is the last candidate I can vote for. Anyone else is on their own.”
____________
I’m not convinced that we’ve seen all of the options.
This is quite a shocking editorial. As you have noted, this is not some liberal rag. This is the newspaper where Chris Ruddy first worked reporting on Vince Foster’s “suicide”. This paper led the charge to have Clinton impeached. This is a newspaper with a decidedly conservative bent.
I agree with them that Santorum has some flaws in his record. He voted for the perscription drug benefit and no child left behind. However, weighing that against Romneycare. No contest. I’ll take Santorum’s baggage any day over Mittens. Sontorum may not be perfect, but he’s still very conservative and will look to cut the size of the government.
The three thing IA accomplished:
1) Gave Santorum some momentum. Whether he can maintain it or nt not is yet to be seen. My gut is he has the backbone for it.
Does anyone believe the MSM will not do whatever it takes to destroy him?
2)It got Newt fired up. He is ready to rip Rinomney’s head off. Just the thought of it makes me smile.haha
In my not so humble opinion he should use surrogates to do his dirty work.
While he pretends to take the high road like Obama and Romney.
3)Willard didn’t advance despite spending gobbly goops of money..haha
Mr Savy Business man payed way to much for his votes.
Santorum is our only remaining conservative choice, and he is the longest of long shots, baggage and all.
“I’m Number One” as sung by:
Palin
Trump
Romney
Bachmann
Perry
Cain
Gingrich
Santorum
Huntsman needs to be on standby. He might still get a chance to be #1, at the rate this campaign season is going.
Santorum is just now being introduced to the MSM/Dem/Elite Republican attack machines.
That says a lot right there. Santorum is a very weak candidate. He won't appeal to independents. He his too bland, too dull. No comparison to Reagan in that department.
So what are our options? I guess it's go with Newt.
Sorry MSM opinions don’t cut it any more.
I scarcely give a s....er....smelly Obama.
Santorum is the alternative which easily carries the least risk. Just watching how the gay mafia and the enemedia reacts confirms it.
"If you're a conservative, there really is only one place to go right now. I would even argue farther than that. If you're a Republican, if you're a Republican in the broadest sense, there is only one place to go right now and that's Mitt Romney." –Rick Santorum, 02/1/2008 [source]Some additional points from here:
“I came to the House as a real deficit hawk, but I am no longer a deficit hawk. I’ll tell you why. I had to spend the surpluses. Deficits make it easier to say no.” –Rick Santorum, 02/5/2003 [source]
"One of the criticisms I make is to what I refer to as more of a libertarianish Right. They have this idea that people should be left alone, do whatever they want to do, government should keep our taxes down and our regulations low, that we shouldn't get involved in the bedroom, that we shouldn't get involved in cultural issues. That is not how traditional conservatives view the world." –Rick Santorum, 08/04/2005 [source]
"Don’t give me this idea — I hear this: ‘Oh, you’re a moralist. You’re trying to impose your values.’ Everybody’s trying to impose their values. That’s what America’s about." –Rick Santorum, 12/29/2011 [source]
- #1 most lobbied member of Congress in 2006.
- Wrote an article in 2008 titled Vote For Foreign Aid.
- Endorsed pro-abortionist Arlen Specter who has a 0% NRLC rating.
- Has argued a position of 'touchback amnesty' and advocates increased immigration levels.
- A prolific supporter of earmarks, having requested billions of dollars for pork projects in Pennsylvania while he was in Congress. Perhaps recognizing the sign of the times, Santorum finally reversed his position in 2010, saying that he was opposed to them , but one must remain skeptical about his sincerity. As recently as 2009, he said, “I’m not saying necessarily earmarks are bad. I have had a lot of earmarks. In fact, I’m very proud of all the earmarks I’ve put in bills. I’ll defend earmarks.”Also see: Rick Santorum the Pro-Life Statist
- An examination of his scores in the NTU rating of Congress shows that Santorum compiled a very strong record on taxes and spending in the first four years of each of his two Senate terms, then a sharp swing to below the Senate Republican average in the Congress before his reelection campaign.
- In the 2003-2004 session of Congress, Santorum sponsored or cosponsored 51 bills to increase spending, and failed to sponsor or co-sponsor even one spending cut proposal. In his last Congress (2005-2006), he had one of the biggest spending agendas of any Republican -- sponsoring more spending increases than Republicans Lisa Murkowski, Lincoln Chafee and Thad Cochran or Democrats Herb Kohl, Evan Bayh and Ron Wyden.
- Santorum also supported raising congressional pay at least three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2003.
- He voted NO on raising the minimum wage in 1995 and 2005. But on the same day he voted NO in 2005, he sponsored an amendment that would increase the minimum wage, which he later boasted about to skeptical voters in a 2006 campaign brochure he released called “50 Things You Didn’t Know About Rick Santorum.”
- In the same “50 Things” campaign brochure, Santorum boasts about sponsoring a bill to regulate “price gouging and unfair pricing by the big oil companies.” This contradicts his opposition to a “windfall profits tax” that Democrats tried to impose on oil companies in 2005. He also voted YES on Sarbanes-Oxley, which was an overreaching bill that tried to tighten accounting regulations following the Enron scandal.
- Voted YES in 2003 for Medicare Part D / Prescription Drug Benefit mandate.
- Voted YES for airline bailouts in 2001.
- Voted YES for the 1996 anti-gun Lautenberg Amendment which strips citizens of gun ownership rights if convicted of certain misdemeanors.
- Voted for the Gun Manufacturers Liability Act of 1994 prohibiting the sale of hand guns with safety devices.
- Voted against Death Tax repeal in 2003.
- Voted for the federal regulation of farms requiring that large farms construct animal waste treatment facilities.
- Voted YES for Bushs' No Child Left Behind and other national testing initiatives.
- Voted for affirmative action (later voted against it).
- Voted for Minimum Wage increases (Flipped on this several times).
- Voted for federal funds for military operations in Bosnia.
- Voted to cut Trident II D-5 missiles several times.
- Voted against the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts funding numerous times.
- Voted to seize private property to designate 7 million acres of Cal. desert as a wilderness area.
- Voted against the first amendment and for lobbying restrictions and regulations.
- Voted for the Motor Voter law several times.
- Voted to limit Striker Replacement of union thugs.
- Voted on the FY 94 Clinton budget, which contained at that time the largest tax increase in U.S. history.
- Voted against SDI several times.
- Voted against Hunter amendment that sought to require the Defense Department to ask individuals entering the armed forces if they are homosexuals. (He later switched to the more conservative position on this).
- Voted against school choice early in his career. (He later switched to the more conservative position on this).
- Voted against both the 1991, 1992 spending freeze and voted for numerous large Bush II Budgets.
- Voted for tabaco tax increases (1998).
- Voted against the exemption of banks with assets of less than $250 million from the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (1998).
- Voted for the Chemical Weapons Treaty of 1997 that the ACU said, "violated U.S. constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure, ceded U.S. national sovereignty to international agencies, and threatened U.S. defense forces".
- Voted for Kassenbaum amendment to the Ryan White Reauthorization which allowed for funds to be used to promote homosexuality or intravenous drug use.
- Voted for the 2005 highway bill that included thousands of wasteful earmarks, including the Bridge to Nowhere.
- Voted to continue funding the Bridge to Nowhere rather than send the money to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
- Sponsored a bill to extend milk subsidies in 2005, which he claimed he did to “save countless Pennsylvania dairy farmers.”
Good link at the right of the article in the Pittsburgh paper to Tebow and Denver’s chances against the Steelers.
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