It is not a liberal or even a RINO newspaper. If it actually endorsed a GOP primary candidate, I predict it would be that nutcase Ron Paul.
Still, you will see this editorial being quoted widely by those who want to trash a decent, consistent conservative who has the best chance of winning.
Santorum is not perfect. But on his worst day, he is still slightly more conservative than George W. Bush. On his best day, he gets into the same ballpark as Ronald Reagan.
I’m just happy that the phrase “big government” is finally becoming anathema along the lines of the words, “Liberal”, “Progressive”, “Socialist”, etc.
More crap from the pro-Obama Socialists
Politicians judge themselves by what they say.
Voters judge politicians by what they have done.
Since Conservatives conserve, what has Santorum done to conserve, preserve, and otherwise protect something as important as the US Constitution?
BTW, keep in mind that the US Constitution trumps any State’s Constitution.
Using Rick Santorum and RR in the same sentence is an insult to thinking conservatives.
Santorum lost his own state by 18 points, his social views will assure that women vote for Obama in even higher numbers than in 08, and he is a big gov’t solutions political animal. Reagan was the anti-thesis of most of what Santorum’s record (not his rhetoric) shows him to be.
Santorum is the last candidate I can vote for. Anyone else is on their own.
Santorum may not be perfect, but when Romney is the alternative, what else can voters do?
This is quite a shocking editorial. As you have noted, this is not some liberal rag. This is the newspaper where Chris Ruddy first worked reporting on Vince Foster’s “suicide”. This paper led the charge to have Clinton impeached. This is a newspaper with a decidedly conservative bent.
I agree with them that Santorum has some flaws in his record. He voted for the perscription drug benefit and no child left behind. However, weighing that against Romneycare. No contest. I’ll take Santorum’s baggage any day over Mittens. Sontorum may not be perfect, but he’s still very conservative and will look to cut the size of the government.
The three thing IA accomplished:
1) Gave Santorum some momentum. Whether he can maintain it or nt not is yet to be seen. My gut is he has the backbone for it.
Does anyone believe the MSM will not do whatever it takes to destroy him?
2)It got Newt fired up. He is ready to rip Rinomney’s head off. Just the thought of it makes me smile.haha
In my not so humble opinion he should use surrogates to do his dirty work.
While he pretends to take the high road like Obama and Romney.
3)Willard didn’t advance despite spending gobbly goops of money..haha
Mr Savy Business man payed way to much for his votes.
Sorry MSM opinions don’t cut it any more.
I scarcely give a s....er....smelly Obama.
"If you're a conservative, there really is only one place to go right now. I would even argue farther than that. If you're a Republican, if you're a Republican in the broadest sense, there is only one place to go right now and that's Mitt Romney." –Rick Santorum, 02/1/2008 [source]Some additional points from here:
“I came to the House as a real deficit hawk, but I am no longer a deficit hawk. I’ll tell you why. I had to spend the surpluses. Deficits make it easier to say no.” –Rick Santorum, 02/5/2003 [source]
"One of the criticisms I make is to what I refer to as more of a libertarianish Right. They have this idea that people should be left alone, do whatever they want to do, government should keep our taxes down and our regulations low, that we shouldn't get involved in the bedroom, that we shouldn't get involved in cultural issues. That is not how traditional conservatives view the world." –Rick Santorum, 08/04/2005 [source]
"Don’t give me this idea — I hear this: ‘Oh, you’re a moralist. You’re trying to impose your values.’ Everybody’s trying to impose their values. That’s what America’s about." –Rick Santorum, 12/29/2011 [source]
- #1 most lobbied member of Congress in 2006.
- Wrote an article in 2008 titled Vote For Foreign Aid.
- Endorsed pro-abortionist Arlen Specter who has a 0% NRLC rating.
- Has argued a position of 'touchback amnesty' and advocates increased immigration levels.
- A prolific supporter of earmarks, having requested billions of dollars for pork projects in Pennsylvania while he was in Congress. Perhaps recognizing the sign of the times, Santorum finally reversed his position in 2010, saying that he was opposed to them , but one must remain skeptical about his sincerity. As recently as 2009, he said, “I’m not saying necessarily earmarks are bad. I have had a lot of earmarks. In fact, I’m very proud of all the earmarks I’ve put in bills. I’ll defend earmarks.”Also see: Rick Santorum the Pro-Life Statist
- An examination of his scores in the NTU rating of Congress shows that Santorum compiled a very strong record on taxes and spending in the first four years of each of his two Senate terms, then a sharp swing to below the Senate Republican average in the Congress before his reelection campaign.
- In the 2003-2004 session of Congress, Santorum sponsored or cosponsored 51 bills to increase spending, and failed to sponsor or co-sponsor even one spending cut proposal. In his last Congress (2005-2006), he had one of the biggest spending agendas of any Republican -- sponsoring more spending increases than Republicans Lisa Murkowski, Lincoln Chafee and Thad Cochran or Democrats Herb Kohl, Evan Bayh and Ron Wyden.
- Santorum also supported raising congressional pay at least three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2003.
- He voted NO on raising the minimum wage in 1995 and 2005. But on the same day he voted NO in 2005, he sponsored an amendment that would increase the minimum wage, which he later boasted about to skeptical voters in a 2006 campaign brochure he released called “50 Things You Didn’t Know About Rick Santorum.”
- In the same “50 Things” campaign brochure, Santorum boasts about sponsoring a bill to regulate “price gouging and unfair pricing by the big oil companies.” This contradicts his opposition to a “windfall profits tax” that Democrats tried to impose on oil companies in 2005. He also voted YES on Sarbanes-Oxley, which was an overreaching bill that tried to tighten accounting regulations following the Enron scandal.
- Voted YES in 2003 for Medicare Part D / Prescription Drug Benefit mandate.
- Voted YES for airline bailouts in 2001.
- Voted YES for the 1996 anti-gun Lautenberg Amendment which strips citizens of gun ownership rights if convicted of certain misdemeanors.
- Voted for the Gun Manufacturers Liability Act of 1994 prohibiting the sale of hand guns with safety devices.
- Voted against Death Tax repeal in 2003.
- Voted for the federal regulation of farms requiring that large farms construct animal waste treatment facilities.
- Voted YES for Bushs' No Child Left Behind and other national testing initiatives.
- Voted for affirmative action (later voted against it).
- Voted for Minimum Wage increases (Flipped on this several times).
- Voted for federal funds for military operations in Bosnia.
- Voted to cut Trident II D-5 missiles several times.
- Voted against the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts funding numerous times.
- Voted to seize private property to designate 7 million acres of Cal. desert as a wilderness area.
- Voted against the first amendment and for lobbying restrictions and regulations.
- Voted for the Motor Voter law several times.
- Voted to limit Striker Replacement of union thugs.
- Voted on the FY 94 Clinton budget, which contained at that time the largest tax increase in U.S. history.
- Voted against SDI several times.
- Voted against Hunter amendment that sought to require the Defense Department to ask individuals entering the armed forces if they are homosexuals. (He later switched to the more conservative position on this).
- Voted against school choice early in his career. (He later switched to the more conservative position on this).
- Voted against both the 1991, 1992 spending freeze and voted for numerous large Bush II Budgets.
- Voted for tabaco tax increases (1998).
- Voted against the exemption of banks with assets of less than $250 million from the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (1998).
- Voted for the Chemical Weapons Treaty of 1997 that the ACU said, "violated U.S. constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure, ceded U.S. national sovereignty to international agencies, and threatened U.S. defense forces".
- Voted for Kassenbaum amendment to the Ryan White Reauthorization which allowed for funds to be used to promote homosexuality or intravenous drug use.
- Voted for the 2005 highway bill that included thousands of wasteful earmarks, including the Bridge to Nowhere.
- Voted to continue funding the Bridge to Nowhere rather than send the money to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
- Sponsored a bill to extend milk subsidies in 2005, which he claimed he did to “save countless Pennsylvania dairy farmers.”
Good link at the right of the article in the Pittsburgh paper to Tebow and Denver’s chances against the Steelers.
Santorum got booted for his efforts at "following orders and falling in line with" leaders, against his better judgment.
Sometimes, we learn much more, unfortunately, not by what we do right but what we do wrong.
Is Santorum a really great conservative, nope, is he better than those left standing today, I think so. I can go down the list on Perry (Al Gore's DNC Chairman for TX); Newt, well there's just too many to mention; then we're left with Mitt, who absolutely NO one, claims is conservative.
I’m sick of these political games fought by the marxist media and room temperature IQ pundits. The last 3 candidates that I supported were Fred Thompson, Sarah Palin, and Rick Perry. Shows how much I know. RINOS, “moderates”, and spineless voters, go ahead and elect your million dollar Breck commercial candidates. I’m heading for the hills!
Still, the GOP seems intent on blowing it back to Obama. Let's get a team together and go after the Mombasa MF. Newt/Santorum, Romney/Santorum?
And Ron Paul is right on the budget. Whole departments like EPA/ED/ Gotta Go. Right now, the problem is still "serious" not "grave." If we can cut the Federal Budget by 15% in 4 years we are getting the problem 80% solved.
Right now we are playing the MSM game and looking like crap. If you want the MSM/Obama Game Plan in detail, just listen to NPR for 1 hour. Team Obama has a brilliant campaign going, as a result of which the ignorant voters who put the Mombasa MF in office in the first place, would be led to plausibly believe that everything from the earthquakes in Youngstown, to the Jobless Recession, to high gas prices is the fault of racist, crazy, evangelical, gun-totin' Republicans and George Bush. Obama is focused and campaigning his ass off. Why all of our troubles are due to this do-nothing Congress! Things are improving! Why change now? etc. ad nauseam.
Romney? Oh yeah, he's the best of a bad lot according to the MSM. Let Romney and Newt fight, OK? In My book, Newt's main problem? He ain't Cewt!
Is there any Republican that the Trib likes? Not just Presidential candidates, I mean at all.
They are a strong voice for small gov’t conservatism, but seem to save a lot of venom for the GOP. They’ve always been after Santorum. They have a thing for Tim Murphy and wouldn’t endorse anyone for the Allegheny county executive.