How Rick Santorum is laying the groundwork for another presidential run

Yahoo News ^ | January 28, 2014 | Chris Moody

[C19fan]

alk about campaign trail déjà vu.

As hundreds of bundled-up supporters gathered around him on a freezing January day, Rick Santorum towered over a lectern and rallied his troops. Aides pecking at smartphones lined the perimeter of the hotel conference room. An army of young children scurried across the floor. Volunteers collected email addresses and phone numbers at a fold-up table near the door.

The people, the “candidate” — even the weather — gave the event a presidential primary campaign feel. But this scene played out in the Capitol Hill Hyatt in Washington, not a Sheraton in West Des Moines — and there won’t be a presidential election for another two years.

It’s at events like this gathering before the March for Life, which marked the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, that Santorum is conducting a presidential campaign in waiting. There were banners, aides, supporters, a stump speech — a whole campaign-style apparatus organized by Patriot Voices, a conservative advocacy group the former Republican presidential hopeful founded after ceding the field to Mitt Romney in April 2012.

[C19fan]

Please please I hope this is not true. He needs to go away. We have so many possible conservatives for 2016 who actually accomplished something we don't need Mr. Sweater Vest providing evidence for the MSM to portray the GOP in the worst possible light.

[Resolute Conservative]

Please, no more retreads.

[onyx]

UGH.

GO AWAY, STAY AWAY, Santorum.

[Trapped Behind Enemy Lines]

It would help if he moved away from Washington and perhaps back to his home state.

[sickoflibs]

Jeeze, not again!

Next Newt and Bachman will jump in again.

[cripplecreek]

I would go for Cruz or Paul first but if Santorum were the only alternative to the Christie/Bush cabal of the GOP I would definitely vote for him in a hot second.

That said, I hope none who ran last time, run this time.

[Jewbacca]

No, no, no. Go away Rick. Take the Huckster with you.

[Darren McCarty]

I voted for him last time. I’d vote for him over Romney, Newt, or Christie. I’d vote for Walker, Paul (Rand, not Ron), or Pence over Santorum.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Agreed. Rick is a good guy but he has no prayer.
We need to focus our energy on someone who can actually win and bring an end to this nightmare.

[Darren McCarty]

That said, I hope none who ran last time, run this time.

Said it better than I did. If they couldn't beat Romney or McCain (08), what makes them think they could win in 2016.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Oh, no, Rick; please no. Please just find a think tank or a foundation or maybe start a talk show or a line of sweater vests or something but please don’t run for President.

[firebrand]

This cycle could be worse than last time, because the presidential slot will be vacated. Can you see thirty contenders up there confusing the dickens out of everyone and taking shots at one another and spending the funds that should be going to the candidate?

Is there any way to avoid this?

[fwdude]

We have so many possible conservatives for 2016 who actually accomplished something we don't need Mr. Sweater Vest providing evidence for the MSM to portray the GOP in the worst possible light.

Please enlighten us on who you think these conservatives are. I'm almost going to predict that you thought Romney was a better candidate than Santorum.

And if we're going walk on eggs over what the eneMedia thinks of our candidates, we'll NEVER win, because whoever conservatives pick will ALWAYS be vilified by the MSM. We need to learn to ignore their lies.

I don't think Santorum is the best possible candidate by far, but he was heads higher than most of the last crew.

[fwdude]

We need to focus our energy on someone who can actually win and bring an end to this nightmare.

Echos of words about Romney, the "candidate who could win."

Here's a tip: REAL CONSERVATISM ALWAYS WINS.

[elpadre]

other than conservative ideas just what does Rick bring to the table?

[C19fan]

How about Walker and Jindal.

[Leaning Right]

If Santorum jumps in again, 2016 could end up being a repeat of 2012.

Step 1: Many conservatives with very little chance of winning enter the race.
Step 2: The conservative primary vote is split. The mushy GOPe candidate wins the nomination.
Step 3: The mushy GOPe then loses the general election.

[Ted Grant]

re: Real conservatism always wins.

That’s repeated a lot on FR and elsewhere, but it just isn’t true. It’s not even close to true. Real conservatism gets rejected all the time.

Dennis Vacco was NY Attorney General, swept into office in the 1994 election. A real conservative.

He was rejected at the ballot box four years later, in 1998. Who beat him? Eliot Spitzer.

[old and tired]

Echos of words about Romney, the "candidate who could win." Here's a tip: REAL CONSERVATISM ALWAYS WINS.

The problem is when Santorum supported Specter, he lost my heart. I believe he was still on the ballot in the PA primary last time around so I think I ended up voting for him (I know I didn't vote for Mittens). However, this Pennsylvanian still holds a grudge and will vote for another conservative over Santorum. I don't think he is a viable candidate, though I obviously would support him over whomever the GOP-elite are endorsing.

[pgkdan]

Wow. I was going to post but you said exactly what I was thinking!