Sorry, it doesn't wash. Rick Santorum was clearly and indisputably one of our most idealogically pure Senators. He lost by 18%!!
No one in Pennsylvania was confused about his conservatism yet he lost by 800,000 votes. That wasn't an endorsement of his opponent's dead father but a rejection of principled conservatism when it was tied to the debacle in Iraq.
Rick Santorum accused his democrat opponent as being more pro-life than himself.
Evidentally Rick Santorum was running from the left of his opponent.
He endorsed Spector. Spector is a liberal. Spector is hated in PA. He almost lost his primary and he almost lost his last election by 2%. The only thing that saved him was a Bush/Santorum endorsement and the Unions in Philly.
Conservatives in PA did not forget that. Spector kept a low profile during Santorum's race because that is how much he is disliked. If PA is so liberal than an endorsement and heavy campaigning by Spector would have been good for him but even the RINO himself knows how unpopular he is. Here in PA Casey is a bigger name than you think it is and it's a conservative name.
It is a tragedy that we lost him here in PA. Having Santorum made Spector bareable for me.
I say Santorum lost because of his clumsy involvement in the sodomy law and Schaivo controveries.
He turned WAY too many people off and I predicted way back that he would lose his Senate seat.