I agree with you about Santorum’s penchant for big-spending projects and silly tax breaks for manufacturing. I wish he would make a clean break with his past and offer a bold free market plan.
On social issues, Santorum is actually quite articulate and thoughtful. Liberals — because what he says about family values makes them feel guilty deep down inside — can only respond that he is extreme and mistake-prone. Just like what they said about Reagan :-)
One good illustration of that point, is Santorum’s recent pipe dream, calling for the elimination of all corporate taxes to manufacturing, leaving all other forms of business to pick up the gap. What this also illustrates, is the fact that Santorum sees any such solution through the eyes of a Big Government, big spending, Union loving Washington insider, Lobbyist stooge.