Your points cover about 98% of all politicians in this country....maybe the universe. We have serious business at hand. We have to win the government back at every level. To pose as a person who cares and then degrade the front runner on our side reminds me of the “none of the above” voters. We have to win and make our side heard. Newt should have been heard more but Santorum took center stage thanks to the media. Now they have him playing with an etch a sketch. We can make our leaders...even if it’s Romney. We can mold them. We can grow them....but we can’t make them grow up. Santorum acts like a kid.
We had a ready-made advocate for Conservatives in Rick Perry but he was rejected by some of the same hate-Romney crowd. He was rejected by FReepers. He was an icon for conservatism both in his political life and personal life. Romney is not Corzine. I don’t like jumping on the train or getting in the boat or whatever cute little slogan out there. We’re in the trenches now. Anyone but Obama.
I would have gladly supported anyone who ran in the primary except Romney, Ron Paul or Gary Johnson. I was for Newt most of the time but Perry became my second choice. Santorum is totally acceptable. I don’t disqualify someone because on maybe 10% of votes they got pulled in the wrong direction. He is willing to get out there and defend his principles, not simply cave in every time the going gets tough. That’s one of the most important criteria for being a president, to be a leader, not just a finger-in-the-wind follower.
I don’t care who is the “front runner.” What if it was Hillary Clinton? When would the candidate go to far to the left for you? Romney’s way far over the line for me based on his record as governor. He was socially and fiscally liberal. And on military and national security credibility, he’s shown no more prowess than Herman Cain did, and disturbingly even supported Obama’s domestic security initiative.
We weren’t even able to pull Bush, Sr. to the conservative side even after he promised not to raise taxes. We’d have better luck pushing Obama to be conservative because our party might actually fight for it. They’ll just be rubber-stamping everything Romney does as “team players,” not to mention many want a more liberal platform anyway so they can keep up their cocktail party cred.