Posted on 02/11/2012 10:17:00 AM PST by Engraved-on-His-hands
Rick Santorum is running ahead of his rivals in Tennessee, a stronghold of evangelical Christians that votes on March 6, Super Tuesday.
Thirty four percent of likely Republican primary voters said they were backing Santorum, while 27% named Mitt Romney, 16% backed Newt Gingrich and 13% picked Ron Paul. The poll was taken by American Research Group February 8-9, when voters would have known about Santorum's sweep of voting contests in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado.
(Excerpt) Read more at politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com ...
I’m not a big fan of Santorum (or Gingrich or Romney) but I do admire the degree that the Sodomy Lobby dislikes him. My guess is, of the three, Santorum would most closely govern as Reagan did as regards social issues. He may even work a way to reverse the homosexualization of the military.
So you wrote a post telling someone else how to post, in which you said you don't tell people how to post.
I just thought that was funny. Carry on. :-)
Santorum will not last.
GO NEWT GO—it’s about the survival of our country!!
He pointed out in his speech that environmentalist radicals have taken over the EPA. Much has changed since Obama has been in office.
I appreciate your concerns, but I’m willing to take the word of a man who has, as an individual, done more to advance Conservatism than Anyone else in the Presidential race, or anyone currently serving in Congress. I don’t think the alternative would be to elect someone who has offered no plan, and given no specific actions that they would take.
We each have to weigh, as best we can, the choices before us and be thankful we still have that right. I have heard that Sarah Palin might be his choice for Secretary of Energy. I think that is a definite indication that he intends to move us in the right direction.
You replied: In the realm of really, really desperate mudslinging, your post #8 could be king.
Stating that a candidate is risky because he hasn't been vetted is the King of "really really desperate mudslinging"?
Wow. Who knew!
Has anyone considered that Gingrich is Santorum’s wing man? He goes after Romney like a bulldog and allowed Santorum to build up steam. He knows DC like the back of his hand, and was written off as dead 11 times. My bet is that he stays in to the convention and that he and Santorum have some kind of agreement. Gingrich does not poll well with women; that is a fact. He is an invaluable asset however, and would be great within the Cabinet somewhere.
As I stated, people may have their reasons to oppose Santorum, but saying that his background has not been explored is simply wrong. Those that propogate that falsehood are at best ignorant, at worst willfully dishonest.
Which one are you?
I live in PA and you are correct. Under the circumstances at the time, Santorum didn’t stand a chance with the well known name running against him.
GO NEWT GO—it’s about the survival of our country!!
Wonderful, since I am not a huge fan. I prefer Gingrich as I have stated, but I think it pays to be a realist as well.
Herman Cain and Michelle Bachmann were my favorites, although I always felt Bachmann was a much better VP candidate. I think Newt is the best man standing from a policy perspective, but I highly doubt he can overcome his negatives. I do hope I am wrong, but barring that Santorum is a much better choice then Romney. In my book, voting Newt is like betting on a 100-1 horse ... big risk / big reward.
I know. People give him a hard time for backing Specter in 2004 as well, but that was more about holding the Senate IMO (recall Bush endorsed as well). At the time it made me mad, but in 2004 there is no way Pat Toomey can win PA (and I was a huge Toomey supporter).
Santorum is a good Conservative who is guaranteed to appoint Conservative justices, but will also frustrate at times with support for labor, etc. He is not perfect, none of them are, but at the end of the day being unwilling to compromise may leave us all with Romney as the nominee.
Newt's not going anywhere until after Super Tuesday, but if he limps out of that effort then he really needs to pack it in.
Santorum is a megalomaniac who is only in the race because he is using Romney supporters money.
If I have to explain to you why Gingrich is a conservative who can win, look up the Contract With America and the 1994 election, when Gingrich threw out the communist majority in the House for the first time in 40 years.
The country clubbers at the RNC and the reds have been trying to destroy him ever since.
I was expecting Newt would be the front runner, and supported him as the realistic figure to defeat Mitt, but as Santorum continues to win several states, I believe it is time to switch over, and unite our support for Santorum. Newt may still be selected as Vice President, and I support that too, since his experience in the congress for pulling strings is valuable.
HE doesn’t have delegates in TN
Delegates in Tennessee can be assigned later. As it now stands, Santorum is eligible for at least 31 of the 58 delegates, and probably for all 58. (Fourteen will be assigned automatically to the winner of the state.)
Gingrich made history in Congress in taking down Speaker Wright, and he absolutely led the Republicans back into power after 40-years. He also made a lot of enemies in the process, and like it or not he has a lot of baggage. Whether or not Gingrich can overcome his very high negatives remains to be seen.
In any case I was simply try to point out that your argument about Santorum's money sources is borderline absurd. It also does absolutely nothing at all to help the cause of your candidate. All that your angry, irrational rants do is marginalize whatever message you are trying to convey to whomever is reading your posts. If you goal is to influence others, which is typically the point of posting for a candidate, you may want to take a different approach (or not ... it is really no skin off my back).
Most recognize Newt's on a mission and more than willing to go against whoever he has to to get our country back on track and moving forward again...and this without concerns for "other" political advancement, which Santorum most definately has and he will step on and over people to attain that.
Santorum's from my state so I am all too familiar with the likes of how he operates....further the following descriptions are from the people in my State that worked directly with Santorum who know Santorum best politically and professionally":
extreme”,... “big government”,... “pork barrel spender”,... “hair trigger volatility”,... “cruel”,... “extremely arrogant”, ...“dismissive”,... “massive ego”,.... lack of character,... poor temperament, ...“unfit”, ...“He treats people really badly with arrogance and contempt”, ...multiple personas,.. vindictive,... nasty,... “a disaster”,... “abrasive”, ...“absurd”,... “phony”,... “rigid”,... “divisive”,.... “a sure victory for Obama”.
http://hillbuzz.org/why-rick-santorums-pennsylvania-residency-scam-and-school-tuition-fraud-still-matters-and-why-he-cant-be-the-nominee-because-of-it-95754
Too late...that can't possible be done for a Santorum win when he is not registered in enough states to even come close to the delegates he needs.
He is not on the ballot in IN He is not on the ballot in DC He is not on the ballot in VA He will not field any delegates in ND,Ill, or TN He is not on the ballot in 20% of OH
He could not even try to compete in the first big state of FL, and has already said as much about CA and NY.
So how does this then happen for him...it doesn't! And for those who think going to a brokered convention is the answer... the GOP have already staged and set that for a Jeb Bush run as well....
...so more than likely Romney will promise Santorum a position before the convention, and deals are usually struck then because most don't want to go to convention,... Santorum won't refuse because that's why Santorum is in this race..to further his political ambitions..so we're stuck once again with Romney if people don't wake up and get behind Newt.
States rarely if ever assign delegates later...that’s an empty arguement. He needs over a thousand...where’s he going to get them...not possible..they aren;t out there for him without the states he’s not even registered in.!
Rick Santorum’s Senate voting record:
What A Big Government Conservative Looks Like .....do take the time to read...Rick’s from my state and I have many an issue with his voting record and how he goes about his political moves:
NEA
Voted for taxpayer funding of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Voted against a 10% cut in the budget for National Endowment for the Arts.
Bankruptcy
Voted for a Schumer amendment to make the debts of pro-life demonstrators not dischargeable in bankruptcy.
Defense and Foreign Policy
Voted for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
Voted against requiring the President to certify that the CWC is effectively verifiable.
Voted against requiring the President to certify that that Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, North Korea, China, and all other countries determined to be state sponsors of terror have joined CWC prior to submitting the instrument of ratification.
Voted for the START II Treaty.
Voted to allow the sale of supercomputers to China.
Voted to ban anti-personnel landmines.
Voted against increasing defense spending offset by equivalent cuts in non-defense spending.
Voted to require that Federal bureaucrats get the same pay raises as uniformed military.
Voted to allow food and medicine sales to state sponsors of terror and tyrannical regimes such as Libya and Cuba.
Voted to limit the President’s authority to impose sanctions on nations for reasons of national security unless the sanctions were approved by a multilateral regime.
Voted against requiring Congressional authorization for military action in Bosnia.
Voted to give $25 million in foreign aid to North Korea.
Voted to weaken alien terrorist deportation provisions. If the Court determines that the evidence must be withheld for national security reasons, the Justice Department must still provide a summary of the evidence sufficient for the alien terrorist to mount a defense against deportation.
Voted against delaying the India Nuclear until the President certified that India had agreed to suspend military-to-military exchanges with Iran.
Voted against the Conventional Trident Missile Program.
Nominations
Voted for Richard Paez to the 9th Curcuit (cloture).
Voted for Sonia Sotomayor, Circuit Judge.
Voted for Richard Holbrooke to be Ambassador to the UN.
Voted for Margaret Morrow to be District Judge.
Voted twice for Marsha Berzon to the 9thg Circuit.
Voted for Mary McLaughlin to be District Judge.
Voted for Tim Dyk to be District Judge.
Voted for James Brady to be District Judge.
Labor
Voted against National Right to Work Act.
Voted against repeal of Davis-Bacon Prevailing union wages.
Voted for Alexis Herman to be Secretary of Labor.
Voted for mandatory Federal child care funding.
Voted for Trade Adjustment Assistance.
Voted for Job Corps funding.
Voted twice in support of Fedex Unionization.
Voted against allowing a waiver of Davis-Bacon in emergency situations.
Voted for minimum wage increases six times here here here here here and here.
Voted to require a union representative on an IRS oversight board.
Voted to exempt IRS union representatives from criminal ethics laws.
Voted against creating independent Board of Governors to investigate IRS abuses.
Guns
Voted to require pawn shops to do background checks on people who pawn a gun.
Voted twice to make it illegal to sell a gun without a secure storage or safety device.
Voted for a Federal ban on possession of “assault weapons” by those under 18.
Voted for Federal funding for anti-gun education programs in schools.
Voted for anti-gun juvenile justice bill.
Reform
Voted for funding for the legal services corporation.
Voted twice for a Congressional pay raise.
Voted to impose a uniform Federal mandate on states to force them to allow convicted rapists, arsonists, drug kingpins, and all other ex-convicts to vote in Federal elections.
Voted for the Specter “backup plan” to allow campaign finance reform to survive if portions of the bill were found unconstitutional.
Voted to mandate discounted broadcast times for politicians.
Voted for a McCain amendment to require state and local campaign committees to report all campaign contributions to the FEC and to require all campaign contributions to be reported to the FEC within 24 hours within 90 days of an election.
Immigration
Voted against increasing the number of immigration investigators.
Voted to allow illegal immigrants to receive the earned income credit before becoming citizens.
Voted to give SSI benefits to legal aliens.
Voted to give welfare benefits to naturalized citizens without regard to the earnings of their sponsors.
Voted against hiring an additional 1,000 border patrol agents, paid for by reductions in state grants.
Taxes
Voted against a flat tax.
Voted to increase tobacco taxes to pay for Medicare prescription drugs.
Voted to increase tobacco taxes to fund health insurance subsidies for small businesses.
Voted to increase tobacco taxes to pay for an $8 billion increase in child healh insurance.
Voted to increase tobacco taxes to pay for an increase in NIH funding.
Voted twice for internet taxes.
Voted to allow gas tax revenues to be used to subsidize Amtrak.
Voted to strike marriage penalty tax relief and instead provide fines on tobacco companies.
Voted against repealing the Clinton 4.3 cent gas tax increase.
Voted to increase taxes by $2.3 billion to pay for an Amtrak trust fund.
Voted to allow welfare to a minor who had a child out of wedlock and who resided with an adult who was on welfare within the previous two years.
Voted to increase taxes by $9.4 billion to pay for a $9.4 billion increase in student loans.
Voted to say that AMT patch is more important than capital gains and dividend relief.
Welfare
Voted against food stamp reform.
Voted against Medicaid reform.
Voted against TANF reform.
Voted to increase the Social Services Block Grant from $1 billion to $2 billion.
Voted to increase the FHA loan from $170,000 to $197,000. Also opposed increasing GNMA guaranty from 6 basis points to 12.
Voted for $2 billion for low income heating assistance.
Waste
Sponsored an amendment to increase Amtrak funds by $550 million.
Voted to use HUD funds for the Joslyn Art Museum (NE), the Stand Up for Animals project (RI) and the Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Project (WA).
Voted to increase spending on social programs by $7 billion.
Voted to increase NIH funding by $1.6 billion.
Voted to increase NIHnding by $700 million.
Voted to for a $2 million earmark to renovate the Vulcan Monument (AL).
Voted for a $1 billion bailout for the steel industry.
Voted against requiring that highway earmarks would come out of a state’s highway allocation.
Voted to allow Market Access Program funds to go to foreign companies.
Voted to allow OPIC to increase its administrative costs by 50%.
Voted against transferring $20 million from AmeriCorps to veterans.
Voted for the $140 billion asbestos compensation bill.
Voted against requiring a uniform medical criteria to ensure asbestos claims were legitimate.
Voted to increase community development programs by $2 billion.
Spending and Entitlements
Voted to make Medicare part B premium subsidies a new entitlement.
Voted against paying off the debt ($5.6 trillion at the time) within 30 years.
Voted to give $18 billion to the IMF.
Voted to raid Social Security instead of using surpluses to pay down the debt.
Health Care
Voted to allow states to impose health care mandates that are stricter than proposed new Federal mandates, but not weaker.
Voted twice for Federal mental health parity mandates in health insurance.
Voted against allowing consumers the option to purchase a plan outside the parity mandate.
Education
Voted to increase Federal funding for teacher testing.
Voted to increase spending for the Department of Education by $3.1 billion.
Voted against requiring courts to consider the impact of IDEA awards on a local school district.
Energy
Voted to allow the President to designate certain sites as interim nuclear waste storage sites in the event that he determines that Yucca Mountain is not a suitable site for a permanent waste repository. Those sites are as follows: the nuclear waste site in Hanford, Washington; the Savannah River Site in South Carolina; Barnwell County, South Carolina; and the Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee.
Voted to make fuel price gouging a Federal crime.
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