I saw that long list, too, but who has time to research it all. There is context to consider with most, if not all, of those items. One example: the DOD dropped research on predator drones from their budget, so Santorum got an earmark to pay for continued research. These drones have come in handy in the WOT, but he is stuck with a bad reputation because this was one of his earmarks.
A few of the votes, like the one you mention ARE understandable. And there are a couple others that I can go along with that may mean, as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, that I am not a 100% rock ribbed conservative. I can even understand (with some misgivings) his position on Spectre (basically he was asked to be a team player, as I understand it.)
My problem is that we have plenty of Santorum supporters on here who seem to have unlimited time to blast Newt, but little to none to explain in detail where Santorum stands with regard to his record on a great many issues. Newt, on the other hand, is a policy wonk who loves to disseminate his ideas publicly, and has for a long time. So I find that particularly on economic issues, I have a much better idea of where Newt is at (or has been), warts and all.