Santorum Could Trample Trump: Put the Pennsylvanian on the main stage

The American Spectator ^ | December 29, 2015 | Quin Hillyer

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

With just two major Republican debates remaining before the Iowa presidential caucuses, Donald Trump has been remarkably lucky. The only major candidate who could actually inflict lasting harm on the vulgar poster child for inherited wealth, and the only one who could readily attract and hold some of Trump's blue collar constituency, is the only one banished - by the idiotic, poll-driven debate rules to which the feckless Republican National Committee acquiesced - from sharing a single stage with The Donald.

For reasons both stylistic and substantive, Pennsylvania's former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum could eviscerate Trump in a direct encounter.

This is not necessarily to say that Santorum could vault from near-last to first the way he did for a while in 2012. It is, though, to say he could do enough damage to Trump that either he or another candidate could finally surpass Trump, lastingly, in the national polls.

Here's why.

[Flick Lives]

Santorum is running? I never knew.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Gotta love how these wannabe pundits who have never lived in Pennsylvania, have likely never been to Pennsylvania, and probably can’t even spell Pennsylvania, have nonetheless gained such keen and exclusive insight into how people here think.

[conservative98]

Santorum called into the Mark Levin show about a week ago. He was incoherent. It is sad what happened to Rick.

[prisoner6]

GOOD GRIEF! Santorum is HORRIBLE! A Hillman RINO republican brought here by Elsie Hillman herself to beat Doug Walgren. His ONLY asset is his Pro-Life stance. Outside of that he is like Heinz and the rest of the GOPe!

I have lived in Pittsburgh all my life and been to the Hillman estate several times. My parents were active in the republican party here. That family defines GOPe! It’s one of the reasons I refused to register republican!

For the life of me I can’t grasp why some FReepers think he is presidential.

[McGruff]

Trump Derangement Syndrome

[Lurkinanloomin]

I really do like Rick Santorum, he’s one of the three candidates to stand with the citizens and the rule of law.
He’s not getting elected to President.
I wish he would run against one of our feckless Senators, since he lives in Virginia now.

[piytar]

Wow. This is dehydrated rock hard stupidity.

The only candidate who has a chance of surpassing Trump is Cruz, who has legitimate conservative credentials, is second in the polls, and has a great ground game.

But Santorum? What a joke!

[EEGator]

“For the life of me I can’t grasp why some FReepers think he is presidential.”

Sweater vests...

[Buckeye McFrog]

Totally agree. This is coming down to Trump or Cruz.

[Farmer Dean]

The author of this article should have quit the hard stuff a long time ago.

[Mastador1]

I thought American Spectator was supposed to be Conservative, so why are they using the same derogatory descriptors for Trump as the liberal yellow rags? And there is a reason Santorum is at the kiddie table with the rest of the kids, giving him a unearned seat at the grownups table won't change that.

[AndyTheBear]

vulgar poster child for inherited wealth

Stopped reading here. Interested in thoughts, not venom.

[Grampa Dave]

Run a drug test on the clown who chicken scratched this faux article.

[chris37]

What is this I don’t ev

[McGruff]

“For the life of me I can’t grasp why some FReepers think he is presidential.”

“His ONLY asset is his Pro-Life stance”

I think you answered your own question. Regrettably.

[LS]

LOL. very funny.

[LS]

Death is easy. Comedy is hard. Political comedy is impossible.

[CIB-173RDABN]

“...the vulgar poster child for inherited wealth..”

No bias here.

[Billthedrill]

Hmm...one suspects that Quin Hillyer has access to some powerful medicine. I read the article, every word, and what I came away with was that Mr. Santorum is a fine debater. Apart from that his signal advantage appears to be that he will send that ol' bully running away with a bloody nose. Mighty inspirational, that, only Hillyer didn't manage to list a single solitary reason to vote for the fellow, which as I understand it is very important in American politics.

Even the "he should appeal to the lower middle class" argument is suspect, because patently he does not or we wouldn't be having this conversation. After all, due to television exposure even the lowest-of-information voter recognizes The Donald (and probably Cruz as well at this point) but it is highly doubtful if he could pick Santorum out of a small police lineup, and frankly, it's highly doubtful if I could. That's going to be a bit of a problem come Election Day.

I'm guessing from the text of the article that Hillyer has allowed his personal dislike of Trump to drive him to a thoroughly silly conclusion. Trump losing any contrived television "debates" is no longer any determiner of political success. We crossed that bridge. And Santorum's failure to become recognizable as the champion of any particular issue has doomed him to a pasty anonymity. Time to move on.

[freedomlover]

LOLOL