Posted on 01/04/2012 4:12:59 AM PST by Kaslin
Even though he is a columnist for The Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer often makes shrewd observations about American politics.
On Fox News the night before the Iowa caucuses, however, Krauthammer indulged in a false appeal to common knowledge -- before casually dismissing Rick Santorum as a nonviable presidential candidate
Bill O'Reilly asked: Who is going to win Iowa?
"I'll tell you that it's win, place and show, everybody knows: Romney, Santorum and Ron Paul," Krauthammer responded. "And I'm not sure it will matter either way, because Santorum has a one-in-50 chance of winning the nomination. Paul has zero chance."
As I write this, the Iowa caucuses are still a few hours in the future. I do not know who is going to win, place or show.
But I know this: A month ago, someone looking for a frontrunner in Iowa might have picked former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who hit 33 percent in a CNN poll of likely Iowa caucus-goers -- 13 points ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and 16 ahead of Paul.
Before that, former Godfathers Pizza CEO Herman Cain, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann all took turns at the top of the Iowa polls.
Before December, Santorum never topped 7 percent in the state. Why did he emerge?
First, Santorum passed the basic test all candidates face: He is up to the office.
Santorum's knowledge of public policy -- developed over two terms in the U.S. Senate -- is deeper and broader than any other candidate's except, perhaps, Gingrich's. He is clearly qualified to be president -- even if he has never been a community organizer like Barack Obama or a venture capitalist like Mitt Romney.
Secondly, Santorum has done something fairly radical in modern presidential politics: He not only has insisted on saying exactly what he believes, he has turned his heartfelt beliefs into the foundation of a visionary message for the country's future.
Responding to a question at a town hall meeting (broadcast by C-SPAN from Marshalltown, Iowa) on Friday, Santorum used one of his signature issues -- the right to life -- as a launching point to explain his broader vision.
"You have a lot of presidential candidates who will say the words: I believe life begins at conception," Santorum said. "Ladies and gentlemen, I don't believe life begins at conception. I know life begins at conception. It is a biological fact."
"We need someone who is going to go out and be unapologetic in laying out the truth to the American public -- not only on faith, family, life, but on all the issues that we are dealing with," said Santorum.
"This is the most critical time in our country's history, economically, morally, culturally, national security," he said. "And the reason President Obama has divided this country is because he has not told the truth to this country. He hides the ball. He plays games. He pits groups against another. It's all this political chess game, instead of trying to be honest with the American public."
"If you're a leader as a president, you have got to motivate the American public, and the best way to do that is to be truthful, to lay out the problems and say here is the problem that we have and what are we going to do to join together and solve that problem," said Santorum.
"I think one of those common things that we agree on, that we should agree on, are these basic foundational principles of our country, based on the Declaration of Independence," he said.
"If everyone is endowed by God -- not any god, but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that God -- with the right to life, then there are certain things that we need to follow through and we need to have in our laws," he said.
"If you believe in the right to liberty, then there are certain things that come with liberty," he said.
"Freedom is not an open checkbook to write whatever check you want, to perform whatever actions you want," Santorum said.
"We cannot long last as a country with people going around living lives that are not responsible," he said. "Freedom comes with the responsibility to do not what you want to do but what you ought to do. That is the freedom our founders gave us.
"If you look at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, happiness in the vernacular today has a very different meaning than it had at the time of our founders," he said.
"Happiness today is enjoyment, pleasure, what makes you feel good. At the time of our founders, one of the principle definitions was to do the morally right thing," said Santorum. "So, think of what our founders envisioned: The freedom to do the morally right thing. Rights given to us by God to serve him and his will in our lives. That is the moral foundation that is America.
"Now, can we get Americans to agree with that or not?" he asked. "I believe the vast majority of Americans would agree with those foundational principles. Then we say: OK, how do we build upon that?"
"We build a culture of freedom," he said, "but a freedom to do what you should do, not what you want to do."
Santorum's great secret may be that after spending months visiting town after town in Iowa, he takes American voters more seriously than establishment pundits and political reporters.
Sorry chief - no pouting for me - A B O in 2012.
Blame the voters, not the party.
What is your plan? Do you think we should all vote for Obama?
It’s not about pouting.
It’s about
the islamization of America,
constant additional regulation with no repeals,
the homosexual agenda,
government schools and their left-wing indoctrination,
etc. (we could list a long list)...
NONE of that would change under a Romney administration.
So there is little difference between a Romney administration and an Obama administration.
The key difference is that a Romney administration would make most Republicans fall asleep and not protest so much.
An Obama administration would keep conservatives angry and complaining to their Congressmen like they have for the past 4 years.
We’d have a legislative deadlock like we do now which would limit how many rights-grabbing laws and government overreach could happen.
The Republican establishment is just as bad as the Dems, libs and commies because it does nothing to stop their agenda.
If I can’t get repeals, I want deadlock.
As far the the “economy” that “Mitt” is “so good at”, the economy will languish - at best - until the regulatory environment is downscaled significantly. The shackles on small business and the disastrous tactics of big business combine to make the economy a “going nowhere fast” proposition.
Small business and the individual citizen needs repeals of laws and regulations.
Romney won’t repeal squat. He will only have big free-money giveaways for his big capital buddies: goldman, jp morg, ms, silicon valley, green energy, big healthcare, etc., etc., etc.
Under Romney - the Obama scam continues. But with Republicans being accountable !
LLS
LLS
- The government should not prevent someone from doing right;
- The government should not force someone to do wrong.
Strange as it may sound, conscientious-objector status came from this vision of freedom. If someone truly believes killing to be wrong, they should not be forced to do wrong.
Interesting that there's no conscientious-objector option when it comes to liberal social engineering...
No one should vote for Obama. However, voting for a GOP “enabler” that compromises all of the will of the conservative voters is a vote for Obama in disguise.
We are in a new age here whereby instant mass communication is still the main source of information to the voters...that is...as long as that freedom lasts. The MSM is so corrupt that no news can be trusted from them, even if the weatherman states during the next 24 hours half of the day will be dark and the other half light.
The internet is trusted since all articles can be sourced, examined and compared with others and comments from those who know what is happening, and best of all, the truth can be found by doing a little research and providing that to those who (or can’t or won’t) research it themselves.
If whatever the news is, if it is important, within 24 hours the whole world will be very aware of it in short order.
The same thing applies to a political movement (See the OWS movement) and see how fast things can organize and change.
We need to organize a political party to take our country back and the Republicans sure the hell ain’t that party.
They are afraid of the Democrats, liberals, progressives, and most of all, Political Incorrectness!
I’ve been voting for over 45 years and in each major election cycle (except for Regan) the Republican party has compromised our rights away at an ever increasing rate and you can see today, our total loss of freedoms.
Did you buy an incandescent bulb today? If you did, you violated one of the 2012 laws that went into effect. Do you have a 3 1/2 gallon toilet in your house? Guess what?
A revolution is brewing in this country and voting for a party rather than your beliefs will ensure that it comes quicker rather than later for the period of 2012 to 2014. During that period, you will have caused your children, grandchildren and future generations to curse the horrors perpetrated upon them many years before.
Many wars have been won by losing battles but coming back to win many more. By not voting for the Republican “soup of the day” may lose that particular battle but the war goes on and it is not finished until the final battle victory is won...and that will be the establishment of a third party that ensures that we have some type of choice in the matter of politics and is in place to protect the American people in a like manner of the three branches of government: Legislative, Executive and Judicial. The actions of one alone cannot override the other two...except in Obama’s thuggish and criminal enterprise operating around the Constitution with the blessed silence and inaction of the Republicans. A three party system would keep an option for those who can’t bring themselves to vote for people who will screw them again year after year and strip them of their God given rights a little bit at a time.
Go ahead and vote for someone you KNOW will lie to you in your face and then turn around a screw you and your descendents every change he/she gets in order to advance his/her lifestyle and glory.
I won’t!
Sorry, but you are stuck with trying to work within the system we have.
So, do we vote for Obama or the Republican nominee? There is no other choice.
Before December, Santorum never topped 7 percent in the state. Why did he emerge? First, Santorum passed the basic test all candidates face: He is up to the office... Secondly, Santorum has done something fairly radical in modern presidential politics: He not only has insisted on saying exactly what he believes, he has turned his heartfelt beliefs into the foundation of a visionary message for the country's future.
And if other candidates try to destroy Mitt? While some seem to think he’s a bit of a wuss - I think Romney is likely to give as good or better than he gets. Pretty much I think any and all of them will go negative if needed. Paul has proven quite adept - while Romney’s getting the blame for Newt in Iowa - Paul spent some serious $$ and gave some good kicks too.
Did you even read the article? It’s worth the read even though I’m not a big Krath fan.
The article is pretty much on the mark IMO..from Santorums perspective of this nation and gels with mine.
But here we go again bashing our own good people with the same crap the ones before were bashed with. ....There are no perfect candidates but we sure do make them look worse than they are without the media or Democrates....we really do eat our own!
Whatever noose our candidates have around their necks it’s guaranteed we’ll tighten it all the more without the press or Democrates...they simply watch the show and then report it for all to see.
I like Santorum’s positions and cannot see much in his past that going to outweigh his favorable positions...nothing at all that’s earth shattering. Even his support for Spector doesn’t shake me.....He’s still not my first choice...but I’d certainly vote for him and be glad to do so if my man doesn’t make it to the finish.....but Newt will rise again here shortly...
Chuckle....good answer..lol
“If you believe in the right to liberty, then there are certain things that come with liberty. Freedom is not an open checkbook to write whatever check you want, to perform whatever actions you want....We cannot long last as a country with people going around living lives that are not responsible. ...Freedom comes with the responsibility to do not what you want to do but what you ought to do.... That is the freedom our founders gave us.”
I liked this one very much as well. Reminds me of Newts love and understanding of our country and values. I like them both and would be happy to vote for either of them.
A three-way tie means no one got jack-shit out of Iowa.
I don't buy that it's all Politicians fault, many Americans have been asleep at the wheel, not just our Representatives...they haven't moved because we haven't moved them. We vote for them and then go home and about our business. Few aware what they're doing after the fact until something hits our pocketbook hard enough we start whining, moaning and groaning...and we've been whining for many years now.
9/11 shocked the foundation of our nation hard enough that most of us woke up...but it still took years for people to wrap their heads around where we are at and why. Then the Tea Party found the American peoples voice for a time....because of them most found there's..we saw that in the landslide we got a short while ago...but the jobs not done yet.
Things have changed in how we have to approach these elections and candidates....and as much our party...every bodies on shaking ground now including our nation and we're all trying to stabilize the boats.
Reality....face it...and we've won half the fight...and there are still those who can't quite see it....help them get their head around it instead of grumbling as they try to.
That's what FR is about...gaining understanding and getting the job ahead done the best way that's possible...vetting our guys not tearing them to shreds before they even get out the gate. And yes supporting the better ones even if we might not like them all that much...if they can do the job that needs doing of now....and that's getting us back on track...then let's get behind them....there's really only two left that can fit that bill...Santorum and Newt...the rest are done.
And that needs to be repeated often...the press sure isn't going to. Actually at the time the administration didn't want it reported and rightfully so. Can you imagine the mess that would have ensued by divulging where they were found in a country surrounded by nations already at war and high alerts?
I was aware because I had been told by military people who were guarding the areas until our guys could get them out of the country. And for sure there were soldiers who knew and were closed mouth for the most part about it.
The definition of absolute stupidity is trying to do the same thing over and over again exactly the same way and expecting a different result.
Need I say more. Keep voting Republican no matter what.
....there’s really only two left that can fit that bill...Santorum and Newt...the rest are done.
Accepted, so now what do we do?
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