What a crock of crap. Unlike you and others who regurgitate this talking point, I actually live in PA, and have lived here for quite some time, the idea Casey Jr was going to simply carry the day simply he had his daddy's name is NONSENSE. Its a nice talking point that the Santorum backers and camp love to espouse but its complete CRAP.
Santorum lost and lost HUGE because frankly, he deserved to lose and lose HUGE.. he was repeatedly 2 faced throughout his career, and those things finally came back to haunt him. He had a nice anti-illegal immigration screed on his english re-election web site, and a nice pro-immigration/amnesty line on the spanish version. Casey literally no showed the campaign, and trounced Santorum not because Casey was Casey, but because ANY democrat would have trounced Santorum by that point because Santorum had alienated over his 12 years in the senate most of his support by perpetually doing things to drive his supporters away. You can only play the say one thing and do another game so many times before it comes back to bite you on the arse, and by the last election, Santorum had run his fate.
Wheter it be his attacks on Wofford for not living in PA when he was trying to beat him, only to be found not to be living in PA and lying about it himself by keeping an empty vacant house and claiming it as his residence later, etc etc etc... Santorum did not lose because of an OFF year, he didn't lose because "Casey Jr" has his daddy's name, he lost because he deserved to lose, and he lost by a huge margine because he deserved to lose.
He was attacked by the left, and had no counter to their attacks at all, he had managed over time to alienate most of the big money republican donors, etc etc etc.. He lost because frankly he deserved to lose, he coulnd't handle that campaign he has ZERO chance in a national one against an opponent who is far more charismatic and funded.
About the only thing Santorum does have is a nasty streak that comes out during elections, so on that front he'll be on an even keel, but he has NO shot at beating Obama, he would not be able to get over 45% of the popular vote by the time its done, and against the most incompetent administration in history no less. Most likely he'd wind up around 40%
He's a non started in a national campaign, he'll get defined by the left as radical, have no counter to it, and get routed just like he did in PA. Those that believe otherwise are drinking way too much kool aid.
I get that you are upset about Santorum's shortcomings but I think it hinders your objectivity when discussing his 2006 race. Casey Jr's favorability ratings as a legacy and statewide officeholder and appeal for center-right social conservatives (again, partly due to his father) made him unbeatable.
Any objective observer would agree that you can't beat a Democrat in Pennsylvania who has high favorables, almost no unfavorable rating, strong appeal to culural conservatives, plus support of MontCo social liberals & the Democrat base. It's absolutely impossible.
Would Santorum have lost against, say, Ed Rendell? Probably - 2006 was a bloodbath nationally and PA leans Dem - but not by 18 points.