Where does Santorum go from here?

American Thinker ^ | 4/11/2012 | Rick Moran

[WPaCon]

Nate Silver points out that Santorum is effectively blocked from seeking statewide federal office in Pennsylvania which means his future is up in the air:

Mr. Santorum could also look to statewide office in Pennsylvania, but that might require a reasonably long wait. The incumbent governor there, Tom Corbett, is a Republican and is eligible for another term in 2014, so Mr. Santorum would either need to mount a primary challenge or hope that Mr. Corbett retires.

Of Pennsylvania's two incumbent senators, one is a Democrat, Bob Casey, who resoundingly defeated Mr. Santorum in 2006 and who remains fairly popular. Because Mr. Casey is on the ballot again this year and it is too late for Mr. Santorum to challenge him, he would need to wait until 2018 for a rematch. Pennsylvania's other incumbent senator, Pat Toomey, will be up for election in 2016. But Mr. Toomey is a Republican who is relatively young and who is too conservative to be vulnerable to a primary challenge.

Mr. Santorum is himself fairly young at 53, so he will have plenty of time to build up his brand name and evaluate his options. Still, it could easily be that the 2012 nomination campaign will prove to be the high-water mark of his political career.

[WPaCon]

Where does Sanoturm go from here?

The author does seem to be right about Santorum not having maybe options in Pennsylvania. I wish he would have mentioned Corbett's relationship to the Penn State situation, which, although a long-shot, might give Santorum an opening to seek the governorship.

[Jonty30]

I tend to think, if he can’t run for the Senate again, he might go state.

[WPaCon]

maybe

Oops, I meant "many."

[Vigilanteman]

Casey Jr. isn’t necessarily popular. His handlers are just very, very good at keeping him hidden and letting some of our dumb voters think they are still voting for his father.

[wolfman23601]

He could move to Louisiana and challenge Mary Landreiu in 2014

[Joe 6-pack]

Rick and his family would be welcome to move on down here to Louisiana and unseat Mary Landrieux.

[cripplecreek]

I think he should spend a couple of years speaking to conservatives and build on his base. He can run for office again in 4 years when Obama leaves.

[throwback]

He should move to the Midwest or South. He has more support there than in his own state. I’d love him to run for governor of my state.

[Joe 6-pack]

LOL...GMTA!

[Linda Frances]

Who says he has to go into politics again? This piece looks like casual hit on him? People, especially the media, need to leave him alone. He’s out, they got what they wanted. Let him have time with his family.

[kabar]

Santorum goes back to his $2.5 million home in Great Falls, VA and becomes a lobbyist or resumes working for of the many law firms in the area or a think tank.

For most politicians, you can't go home again. Newt didn't go back to Georgia or Dole to Kansas or Clinton to Arkansas or Trent Lott to Mississippi. They all live in the DC area making money.

[WPaCon]

I could imagine Santorum in Louisiana. Louisiana and western Pennsylvania have more similarities than one would expect, he’s well suited to a more socially conservative and Catholic state like Louisiana.

I can see him in the House, also, being some type of Bachmann or West on social issues.

[DFG]

I hope Santorum goes away. He is about as exciting as a root canal.

[ngat]

Out of the 12 postings so far, yours is the one that hit the mark.

[txrangerette]

He served 4 yrs in the House which I figure you know, couldn’t wait to make the Senate, ultimately lost the seat, was in the political wilderness then ran for president by moving to Iowa for the caucus.

Right now he’s focusing most on the family.

Long run, hard for me to see him returning to the House as a back bencher, even if a LA district might elect him, but the suggestion he move there and run for Landrieu’s senate seat has more merit.

But can anyone say “carpetbagger”?

Best guess is he winds up lobbying, think tanking or lawyering, biding his time until another presidential run in the unforseeable future.

Who knows?

[DaxtonBrown]

Santorum is a weak sister, like a lot of us told people. He continues to be a second tier candidate.

[Joe 6-pack]

"Louisiana and western Pennsylvania have more similarities than one would expect."

Yep. I grew up in one, and currently live in the other. Voted for Rick as my Senator twice and again in the recent primary. Would happily vote for him again.

[Eva]

Santorum is a weak sister, but Romney is a political hermaphrodite, who isn’t sure of his identity and has already had one realignment, and is considering another.

[Agamemnon]

Where does Sanoturm go from here?

Romney's Secretary of HHS.

Rick's job description begins at:

1. Gut every vestige of Obamacare already implemented, regardless of the outcome of USSC decision.

2. Pull FDA approvals of Plan-B "morning after" pills and RU-486.

3. Require all abortion clinics in the US to conform to hospital licensure standards required for safety (as was done in VA under Bob McDonnell), and watch the industry collapse under the regulatory burden (regulatory strangulation - believe me: two can play at this game).

4. Defund all of Planned Parenthood's HHS directed funding.

There is a future for Santorum and he can leave a long lasting impact upon the betterment of national healthcare policy.

Add Sarah Palin as Sec'y of Energy and vested with the mission of establishing oil drilling "homesteading" of Federal lands now cordoned off from profitable development (includes Prudhoe Bay, Coastal VA, and Gulf of Mexico), and then job #2: Gut the Dept.

Add Newt as Sec'y of Education vested with gutting it, gutting Federal School Loan origination and management (e.g., FASFA) and increase scholastic competition for performance-based excellence as determined by employ-ability of graduates.

Yes, there's a future for all three if we win the White House and Congress.

So let's all quit sniping at each other, and grousing about who is going to be running, and let's all de-bone the Kenyan this November, shall we?

FReegards!

[brewcrew]

Maybe he could go home and take care of his family now.