Santorum ‘Kicking Around’ 2012 Prez Bid

Pekoe Joe ^ | 04/08/2010 | Craig Nunley

[butterbean]

I attended a talk given by Rick Santorum last night in Ashburn, Virginia. He spoke about the current political landscape, criticizing Obama and his administration on a long list of domestic and foreign policy issues. He said it wasn’t a forgone conclusion that the Republican party would win big in November because of their big spending ways last time they held power. The focus he said should now be on supporting good candidates that can win in November

During the Q&A after his presentation he was asked if he planned a run for the White House in 2012. He answered by saying that he was “kicking around” the idea. I guess this may not be big news, but I’m so used to hearing potential candidates playing coy and saying that it’s too early to be thinking about a run in 2012 that it’s refreshing that someone would respond truthfully. Santorum also said that he’s more interested in Republicans fielding a good conservative candidate than being that candidate himself.

This of course got me to thinking about whether I could support Santorum in 2012. I think I prefer him to any of the GOP candidates running in 2008. On the ideology/policy questions I think he is a solid conservative across the board. This I like quite a bit. It’s the primary criteria for judging a candidate for office. The secondary thing to evaluate is his ability to lead, persuade and inspire. I’m not sure about Santorum in this respect. I’d have to see him in campaign mode.

[mombrown1]

the reason Santorum lost is because he gave up his principles not because he was too conservative. Mr. Pro-life stood by and endorse pro-choice Specter at the Hilton in Pittsburgh while Pat Toomy was having his last rally before the primary in Greentree. Rick campaigned for and endorsed pro-choice Lincoln Chafee and Chritine Todd Whitman. He had a lousy record on his gun votes and had the audacity to tell us at FOAC that we had his record wrong. He rated barely 8 points above Specter and the GOA gave both he and Specter a C rating. And he was part of the tax and spenders. That is why he lost the 2006 election. Every time he gets on TV and says that he was too conservative I want to throw a shoe at the TV - he’s lying. And then his attendance at the RNC Convention where he was too good to mix with us peons but was like a moth to the flame with the press.. When he campaigned in 2000 one of his issues was that his oppenent moved his family out of Pennsylvania after he got elected. Then what does Rick do after winning, he moves his family to Virginia. He and his family are now residents of Virginia, living in Leesburg. There’s more but I’ll let it go with this. Rick is running to be President and he will do anything the party tells him to do to reach that end.

[tennmountainman]

Santorum is talking about how the GOP must get back to conservative values.

But when it counted most...support a REAL conservative in Toomy, he got behind that sorry piece of Scottish Law moron, Specter.

Santorum doesn’t have a chance with REAL conservatives.

[mak5]

Not much. I have met Rick, I know people he worked with, he isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.