Posted on 01/31/2012 5:59:50 PM PST by tcg
...While Mitt Romney "carpet-bombed" Newt Gingrich with merciless attacks; while Newt Gingrich succumbed to the temptation to respond with similar efforts, one candidate demonstrated the singularly most important trait we need in a President, character. His name is Rick Santorum, Bella's Dad.
There was a book of essays on Presidential leadership written in 1996 entitled "Character Above All" The book contained an excellent essay by Peggy Noonan on Ronald Reagan...
"In a president, character is everything..."
People like me, "former" Democrats, were inspired by the courage, character and manner of Ronald Reagan. His was the kind of "conservatism" which made sense to people like us - who never thought we were "conservatives". ...
We were not then - and are not now - comfortable with the "Nelson Rockefeller" blue blood image of the old Republican Party. Sadly, the image seems to be at work again in the coronation effort of the Republican establishment in Florida. ...
Sadly, this Republican primary has degenerated into a brawl. It just seems to get worse - at least between Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. Many people like me who are following this campaign are eager to replace the current occupant of the Whitehouse for many vital reasons. However, we do not want the "establishment" candidate for many reasons...
While "Mitt" and "Newt" were wresting in the mud (and I favored Newt in that match) Presidential candidate Rick Santorum stayed out of the fray. In fact, he went home to care for his beautiful daughter Bella. She had been hospitalized and was in a critical condition.
The very act of his leaving the campaign - while the pundit class was interpreting his exit as a sign of his demise - reveals the character of this good man...
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
Well said! Rick has gotten a free pass and he doesnt need to run as Bella’s dad. While prayers are up for his child...he doesnt get a sympathy vote. This is for the heart and soul of this nation and Newt has the conservative record. Santorum is a big earmark king, voted to fund the National endowment of arts and wants to allow felons that are rapist and drug kingpins to vote. NO thanks! GO NEWT! go home to your family Rick.
I can't vote for him now, I don't care what he says about 'pulling together'.
I love the way Santorum cares for his family, however he has started the same negative ads against Gingrich as Romney.
I will no longer consider him.
When the primary gets to California I will vote for Gingrich.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2650195/posts
The link above will take you to the FR HTML sandbox.
You can “practice” and not disrupt anything else on FR.
I learned A LOT by going there.
I hope you will too!!
Only if all Santorum voters voted for Gingrich.
...which is why he's where he's at in this primary because of what he did the last time. I'm almost certain that if he drops out he will endorse Romney again and do it claiming "he is the only one that can beat Obama"
Sorry Rick, that's not good enough for me.
"The (Traitor's) passport shall be made, and crowns for convoy put into their purse ...
"We would not die in their company whose fellowship they fear to die with us" ...
Aye! Huzzah!
The fact that he doesn’t come across as an angry guy helps Santorum a great deal. My grandmother says he reminds her of Coolidge.
My congressman ran a nice guy campaign and the democrat incumbent and unions threw their worst at him and in the end it all just slid off as he killed them with kindness and took the seat.
Santorum’s ads in Iowa were even more negative than those of Romney; Santorum was actually the idea guy in the nasty campaign.
I think Santorum is prissy, spiteful, controlling and Bloombergish, his ideas are either non-existent, incoherent, or the same old same old big government, and I think he’s working hand in glove with Romney because he wants to be Romney’s VP.
Santorum lost his last election by 700,000 votes. That shows you what the good people of PA thought of him.
Only if all Santorum voters voted for Gingrich.
That is very true....which not every one would have. However, tomorrow we will hear stories about how Santorum ripped Newt off on Florida......they have been sounding like Democrats today for sure. Especially the nasty Bella talk. UGH!!!!
Do I need to explain this to you?
Each vote Santorum gets is, probably, 0.60 of a vote Newt could have had, because though not everybody voting for Santorum would vote for Newt, but a majority of them probably would vote for Newt as a viable second. So, if Santorum wasn’t a factor, Newt could get 3 votes of every 5 of the Santorum votes.
Santorum will likely not win another state. But enough people will cast their votes for him, state by state, Romney will walk up the middle because Newt and Santorum will split enough votes between themselves that neither will have enough votes to win.
Now, I know you might suggest that Newt drop out, so that many of those voting can then vote for Santorum. But in simply raw politics, I see nothing that suggests that if Santorum were the only alternative to Romney, that he could take the vote. Romney would still win.
Of all those running, Newt is the only one that has a chance to beat Romney. But it’s unlikely that Newt will win if Santorum keeps playing spoiler.
My criticism is the same with Ron Paul, but Ron Paul is running for Ron Paul and no other reason.
This article is obscene.
The race may be far from over, but I will not be supporting Ricky unless and until he becomes the only thing standing between Obama and the oval office.
I voted for Santorum today and it was the first time since I voted for Reagan that I felt good about my vote.
Conservatives need to finally make a stand and stand with a candidate of this character caliber.
I would love to see Obama faced with defending his record and not handing him a punching bag he can spend $1 billion deflecting through negative ads.
Good question. How many summer soldiers and sunshine patriots abandoned Washington in the winter of 1776?
I think people should have choices. They should vote for the candidate closest to their views.
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