Rick Santorum: It’s About a Movement

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“When Allahpundit first asked, ‘Second look at Gingrich?’ on Oct. 18, my visceral reaction was, ‘Are you freaking kidding me?’ Nothing astonishes me more than poll numbers . . . suggesting that people are taking Newt seriously as a presidential candidate. And of all the prognotications I’ve ever made, of none have I been more confident than in predicting this: It won’t last.”
— Robert Stacy McCain, Nov. 14, 2011

Bill Quick is for Newt. Now that his candidate’s implausible posture of “viability” has collapsed, The Guy Who Named the Blogosphere shrugs:

You know, now that it’s pretty much guaranteed that we’ve got a Romneycare versus Obamacare race this year, I’m actually looking forward to voting for Newt in the California primary. At least I’ll get to vote for one candidate I actually want to vote for this year.

No regrets for Bill. He never had a problem with Gingrich’s narcissistic grandiosity, but Rick Santorum’s opposition to porn? Unacceptable!

My temperament and instincts are simply different than Daily Pundit’s, and this long-running friendly electoral flame-war between Bill and I (with Smitty throwing in the occasional volley) reflects those differences.

The point of yesterday’s political psychotherapy session was to put into perspective the emotional reactions to which political junkies are prone. My combative temperament and populist instincts — to hell with these elitist insiders and their shabby self-serving ways! — are not universally admired by my fellow conservatives, some of whom don’t share my view that the Republican Party keeps losing fights because it is run by people who are more interested in advancing their own narrow ambitions than in accomplishing anything meaningful toward the defeat of liberalism.

In that basic sense, nothing has changed since 2009: The GOP Establishment is still an arrogant bunch of clueless dilberts collecting paychecks for running their phony sham opposition to liberalism.

My support for the Santorum campaign is a continuation of my support for the Tea Party, for the “Not One Cent” Rebellion (Marco Rubio vs. the NRSC), and for Doug Hoffman vs. Dede Scozzafava in NY-23.

What I would like to see is for Rick Santorum to emerge from this fight with the scalp of the allegedly “inevitable” Mitt Romney on his belt — a savage warrior, red in tooth and claw, and ready to lead a howling bloodthirsty tribe of right-wing barbarians against a Democratic Party stricken with fear at the prospect of contending against a genuine grassroots conservative movement.

This goes back to something my friend Stephen Gordon said to me a few years ago. Gordo was the Alabama state director for the 2008 Ron Paul campaign and, when I remarked on the ferocious dedication of the Paulistas, Gordo said: “The Ron Paul movement is not about Ron Paul, it’s about a movement.”

Exactly. Which is why I am perturbed by those who have viewed the 2012 presidential campaign as merely a matter of personalities.

To hell with that. It’s about building a grassroots conservative movement powerful enough to overwhelm all opposition. Newt Gingrich failed to do that, and why? Because Newt was always all about that 10-car motorcade and the big media entourage.

And the Tiffany’s account.

And the Aegean luxury cruise with his third wife.

Whatever anyone’s disagreement with Rick Santorum about “issues,” the point is that he has organized an actual movement, one which has exceeded all expectations, whereas Newt Gingrich . . .

Well, some guys actually like big fake boobs. I’m just not one of them.

 

RICK SANTORUM for PRESIDENT
He’s Real — And He’s Spectacular!

74 comments

  1. What movement?  Is this over birth control?  Because even those on the Religious Right don’t buy into the “dangers of contraceptives.

    Mr. “Take one for Team”  is anything but some pure, Tea Party conservative, he’s exactly the type of Establishment insider the Tea Party was formed to fight. 

    Here’s a guy that would brag about all the pork he brought home, voted for the Federal takeover of schools, voted against Right to Work legislation, voted for the largest entitlement in a generation (MediCare Part D), voted to increase the debt ceiling every time, etc.

    That’s why this contest is so ridiculous, at least in 1976, there was REAL differences between Reagan and Ford.  Santorum is no Reagan, he’s just an outspoken Social Conservative on issues that even most social conservatives would prefer to leave alone.

  2. The difference between Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum at this stage of the game is that Gingrich knows he can’t win a majority of the delegates before the convention, but neither Santorum nor his followers have figured out that Rick isn’t going to get a majority before Tampa either.

  4. Listen to Brad, Stacy, he’s right on. And like I said, you had your chance to get behind Bachmann, or failing that, Perry, but for some reason or another neither one of them passed your litmus test. And that is unfortunate, for whatever you feel about them and their individual weaknesses, failings and missteps, they were the only two true conservatives who ever entered the race. That is nothing but the facts.

    But more to the point, conservatives haven’t been able to settle. You’ve run from one to the other as soon as somebody makes the slightest misstep. Instead of picking out one good solid candidate and sticking with that person (Bachmann, Perry, or otherwise), conservatives have fallen for first one huckster after another. Cain was a huckster. Unfortunately, so is Newt. Santorum may not be a huckster, but he is just as delusional at this stage as Newt.

    You, my friend, allowed the perfect to be the enemy of the good, as have a good many others. Now you’re reduced to pitching out visually hilarious scenarios of Rick Santorum leading the “barbarian horde”. I supposed I could see that, unfortunately I can’t, not without seeing him armed with an ax or a power saw and wearing either a hockey mask or an insane leering grin.

    It’s over, Stacy, at least as far as the Republican nomination goes. Maybe if you’re lucky Bob Barr will make another run for it. If not, well there’s always Buddy Roehmer.

  5. Brad, who are you for? Or rather, who were you for?

    The reason I ask is because (you should read the “political psychotherapy” post closely) it seems to me that many people who backed Rick Perry or Newt Gingrich absorbed the “He’s Just a Social Conservative” critique of Santorum back in December and January, when Santorum zoomed out of nowhere to win Iowa. Advocating for either Perry or Gingrich as their favorite “Not Romney,” these people memorized the anti-Santorum talking points you cite, and clung stubbornly to them even after Perry quit and Gingrich began his (entirely predictable) downward spiral.

    And now that Newt’s toast, all these people who spent months vowing that Romney must be stopped at all costs have, instead, clung so tightly to their resentment of Santorum’s unexpected success that they have forgotten their original opposition to Romney.

    Such an attitude is perfectly understandable to me, as a sort of amateur student of political psychology, although I regret the way it impedes what I believed to have been the whole goal of the Tea Party movement in 2012, namely to prevent the GOP Establishment from coronating Mitt Romney.

    But maybe I’m guessing wrong, and maybe you were with Romney from the outset.

  6. Since you’ve developed such an interest in political psychology, how would you diagnose a person who refuses to face reality and accept that the process is all but over?

    Or, if you’d prefer not to go there, how about a little bit of group psychology? How would you explain Santorum’s rejection in Ohio, resulting in Mitt’s solid win in that state, a state Santorum needed to win to remain viable?

  7.  robertstacymccain;

    I am with you! I have NOT voted yet and frankly I am sick and tired of the “Mitt is the ONLY one who can…fill in the blank’ mantra. Reminds me of “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.” GAG

    Rick is actually my 4th choice out of all of those that ran from the start…I guess that shows how much I am in the NOT Romney club. I went through the same thing in 08′. I think our whole primary process needs to be revamped. I am tired of someone being crowned before millions of people have had a chance to vote. How can we go about changing that?

  9.  If you were on the Board of Directors of a mid-cap company – usually defined as an equity base between $2-10 billion or so – and you were interviewing for a new CEO, you would throw Santorum’s application in the trash.  Even granting such an obviously unqualified candidate an interview would be too great a waste of time.  The guy is a lawyer-lobbyist who has never run anything bigger than his Senate staff – who in their right mind would think him qualified to run the biggest operation in the world?

    For example:  Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, DC.  These are all places – so far – that Santorum either failed to make the ballot or submitted incomplete delegate slates or petitions.  Alan Keyes managed, Santorum could not.  Qualified to be President?

    But-but-but, the Santorum supporters protest as they suppress a whine, what about Obama?  Well, he wasn’t qualified either – just look at this mess! – but he had the advantage of being a black guy with a scanty record the media would help cover, following eight years of a President (only once since  WII has the country kept the same party in after two terms).  Any Democrat would have won.

    If gas keeps going up, it’s even possible any Republican could beat Obama this year, but that still wouldn’t make Santorum qualified for the office, would it?

    Moot point, since he faces a sweep next week, and even his lead in PA has crumbled to less than the MOE.  Say goodnight, Gracie.

  13. Don’t worry about this noise Stacy.  Actions speak louder than armchair quarterbacks.  Rick, you, and everybody standing up in the public sphere for the right reasons are making an important and positive impact, even if it happens that victory for Rick’s candidacy isn’t achieved.  Don’t doubt that, and I thank you for all your work this primary, even though we’ve disagreed heatedly on points.

  14. Way to go RSM!  Your words resonate with this conservative!  Santorum’s campaign, movement…on to the convention floor!  And beyond…It’s about t.i.m.e.  We’ve had enough of this GO.O.P party…

  15.  The difference is Newt’s a lap down at Talladega screaming “Get out of my way!” as they pass him.  He can wreck them the next time they go by, but he can’t beat them.

  16.  Same here.  Started with Palin as the furthest outsider, moved to Cain as the next furthest outsider when she withdrew, moved to Santorum.  Pelosi couch potato Newt was NEVER an outsider, he was just an insider who f***ed up.  And Mitt, well…. see my replay below to Pagan Temple.

  17.  PT, Romney came right out today and SAID, “We don’t need smaller government, we need smarter government.”

    Right to your face, he said he will NOT shrink the government, not reduce the degree of its intrusion into our lives.  All he will do in piss in the pot to flavor it to his taste.

    There is NO POINT to voting for Mitt Romney.

  19. “how would you diagnose a person who refuses to face reality and accept that the process is all but over?”

    Remember, sir, that I have a professional interest in the matter, both as a Neutral Objective Journalist, and as the Future U.S. Ambassador to Vanuatu.

    So I have to try to keep those interests compartmentalized, as it were, and recognize them as something separate from my own individual emotional enthusiasms. It would perhaps be nice to relax and enjoy the luxury of merely spouting whatever ideological, partisan or personal preferences struck my fancy, but the maintenance of sanity requires me to remind myself once in a while that I’ve got skin in the game, and am not merely an amateur pursuing a hobby.

  20.  Very well Richard but you’re not grasping my point, which is, Mitt is going to be the nominee regardless. You don’t have to vote for him, of course, but there’s no point in acting like there’s any chance that Santorum or anybody else has even the slightest chance to be the nominee, as Stacy insists on doing.

    You seem to be interpreting my posts in this regard as support for Team Romney. I never supported the guy. I went from Bachmann to Newt, though with some reservations. And for a while I was resigned to Santorum as the last hope for ABR, and for a while was actually starting to really be supportive of him.

    But that last hope is all but faded away, and barring a miracle (or a tragedy) I don’t think there’s any point in denying the obvious.

  23.  Which pushes Newt even farther back in the pack and makes him even less relevant as a spoiler. 

    I would be delighted to see neither man get to the Convention with the winning number.  I would be delighted to see the two of them facing the assembled delegates and watch Mitt have to defend every waffle and weasel he’s babbled on Obamacare and Big Government.  I would love to see him have to accuse Santorum of being too moral for the Republican party.  And then I would love to see the vote.  The VOTE, Finn, not the rubber-kneed collapse in the face of tough talk and contempt for giving the people, ALL the people, of this country the opportunity to cast their vote and make themselves heard.

    There is something profoundly shameful and frankly unAmerican in theses calls for Santorum to roll over.

  25. From what I read, someone asked him that question on his website months ago, and he answered it.  Then it suddenly became an issue by one of the blogs.  Romney and Newt have the same opinion as Santorum.

  27.  Gee, I thought Congress decided how big the government is, through the appropriations process . . .

    But “no point” to voting for Romney?  If judicial appointments alone don’t convince you, you are too deep in the swamp to pull out.

  28.  Look, if you whiny little shi’ites want to leave the party and help reelect Obama, we can’t stop you.  But standing at the door threatening to leave repeatedly is NOT going to make us beg your crybaby butts to stay.  All you do is complain when you lose, bitch, whine, and moan – and then wonder how it is you haven’t convinced the rest of us how marvelous your position is.

    So if leaving is what you are determined to do, just DO IT and quit announcing you are about to like some little drama queen.  Don’t let the screen door hit you on the way out.

    And after you’ve helped reelect Obama and he’s discarded you like used toilet paper, don’t expect us to pretend nothing happened.  You will have demonstrated you are unstable and unreliable.  You are the real RINOs who desert the Party when you don’t get your way, like bratty toddlers.

  29.  I will say this. If by some highly unlikely miracle Sarah Palin were to decide to enter the race, as an independent, I might well vote for her. I would have to seriously consider it at least.

    But failing that, if Romney gets the nomination-and make no mistake about it, he will get the nomination-then I am going to vote for him.

    Then I am going to trust the people and the hopefully conservative majority in both houses of Congress to keep him in line, especially when it comes to appointing conservative judges.

    And that’s how it should be. I would do the same thing with Palin, or Bachmann, or anybody else. I’d stand behind them when they were right, but on those few occasions they were wrong, as every human being is from time to time, I would staunchly and steadfastly oppose them just as fiercely as I would Mitt, or anybody else.

  30. Given that the polling in Pennsylvania has Mitt pulling within the MOE of Rick in Rick’s home state, I think this primary season is going to be over after April 24.  After Romney wins New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Delaware, everyone but the delusional will agree it’s over.

  32.  Then work to grow the conservative movement, bring more people to your side, both inside and outside the party. Then you’ll have more and more influence over it, and maybe even in time you’ll come to be the dominant force in the party. But don’t expect other factions in the party to just roll over for you, especially when you’re obviously not the dominant wing of the party as of now.

    A hint-if you want to do that and be successful at it, work to spread not just conservative principles, but federalist principles. There is the sizzle that would sell the steak. When you leave the impression of conservatism as just another way to utilize the federal government in a different way over the people and the states, the steak becomes a maggoty, rotten smelling piece of spoiled meat to most people.

  33.  Translation:
    “Bend over and take it biatch. And you WILL like it. It doesn’t matter who we nominate, we can always point to the horror of the Democrat candidate, genuflect to the judicial nominations process, and you will get in line. WE OWN YOU!  If you refuse to spread, then it’s your fault we can’t get a Republican elected.”

    Guess what. I was never a Republican. Still ain’t. I’m a Conservative. I didn’t even vote for Bush, on the basis that he believed in spending like a drunken sailor in Perth. What on earth makes you think I’d vote for a worthless, lying, two-faced, elitist Progressive Republican shite like Romney? His alleged fiscal conservatism? My wife used to work for  KB Toys.

    This election is likely to be the death of the GOP for the next 20 years or more if Romney is nominated and fails to win the election, which I believe is the likeliest outcome at this point. And it won’t be the fault of Conservatives who refuse to vote for a man so completely unacceptable to them. It will be the fault of the GOP for displaying such contempt for what should be their natural constituency.

  34.  Actually if they refuse to vote for Romney, yes it will be their fault, and nobody’s fault but theirs. As for genuflecting to the judicial nominations process, name me one thing that’s more important than the make-up of the federal judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, which will decide the direction the country takes for at least two decades to come, conceivable more.

    You want more conservatives, then draw more conservatives into the party and try to explain conservative and federalist principles to people whenever you get the chance, both inside and outside the party. Then you might have the influence over the party that you lack now, including over who it nominates.

    Until you’re willing to do that hard work, then your complaints are nothing but sour grapes.

    Also, work to reform the state primary process. They should be open to no one but registered Republicans.

    Finally, pick a candidate, and stick with him or her, hopefully one who’s conservative record is better than dubious at best. You know, like somebody that doesn’t openly defend earmarks out of one side of his mouth while farting conservatism out of his ass.

  35.  “You want more conservatives, then draw more conservatives into the party”

    You missed the part where I said I’m not a member of the party. Blaming me for your own failings as a party will hardly “draw me in.” My duty as an American voter is to cast my vote for who I believe will  best serve to increase the freedom, integrity, prosperity and morality  of the American people. I have come to the conclusion that Romney will not serve those interests.

    I don’t owe the GOP my vote. Rather than telling me I owe you my vote, demonstrate to me that Romney will serve those interests. If I believe (as I do) that Romney will be a disaster, only slightly better than Obama, shrieking ever louder that I have no choice will hardly serve that purpose.

    As Mother Theresa said, ours is to fight. God’s is to win. Giving up the fight for the country in order to win the election is strategizing to lose the war. It’s retreating from Gettysburg to reinforce Portsmouth NH. The GOP elite doesn’t believe in the war and don’t want to win it. That’s why they are doing whatever is in their power to make sure it doesn’t get fought.

    Judicial nominations will be important. Show me where you have any reason to believe that Romney will nominate conservatives or even, God forbid, traditionalists, to the Court. You assume he will, just as everyone assumed Reagan, Bush I and Bush II would do so.  How’s Souter working our for you?

  38.  If you’re not a member of the party, then like I said, you should have no say whatsoever on who we nominate.

    I could say more, but I don’t see any use in debating somebody who’s so out of touch he doesn’t realize Souter’s retired from the court. Yeah, he was replaced then. By Elena Kagan. Nominated by Obama.

    “How’s that working our (sic) for you?”

    And good luck with that waiting for a godly candidate thing. I’m sure you must be happy with Obama’s twenty years of membership in Rev Wright’s church. Good Christian man there.

  39. Santorum just happened to be the last “not Romney” standing when the dust settled.  And the only reason he was still standing is because he was so boring and so lacking in ability that no one thought he had a chance so they didn’t go after him.   The day Newt drops out, the Romney money machine and the media will have Santorum thrown under the bus within 48 hours.  Anyone who contrasts and compares Romney, Santorum and Newt’s real plans and real accomplishments and still votes for Romney or Santorum is voting for an ideology instead of what is best for America. 

  40. You sound scared, Adjoran.  Afraid Wonder Boy ain’t gonna get it?  Don’t worry, he’s got as much chance as McCain, Dole, and Bush Sr..   Well, except he’s not war hero, so maybe a little less of a chance.  And he’s not going to get Palin, so even less of of a chance.

    And if standing for ordered liberty is only for bratty toddlers, then I’m a bratty toddler.

  42. What a masterful display of salesmanship.

    Listen, schmuck, where were you when I was getting into fistfights with lefties who tried to shove me into traffic when I was counterprotesting them?

    Where were you when I was walking precincts for a candidate, and putting in
    hours every night phone banking for him, only to have the State and National party flacks kill his candidacy by forcing us to shill for two candidates our state HATED in every phone call, tying a good man to their carpet-bagging termagants?

    Where have you been FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS while we’ve been donating money we couldn’t spare to candidates we couldn’t vote for, just to help other states elect men and women who would build a base of leadership on our beliefs?

    Where were you at the rallies, the tea parties, the immigration marches, facing off with ANSWER and CAIR, showing the conservatives of this country who couldn’t speak up at work or school for fear of hysterical outbursts or even threats to their employment from the house lefties, who had no idea how many other people might feel the way they did, that they were not alone?

    And you call US whiny, because we refuse to prostitute that commitment to a well-monied mannequin who sneers at our values and serves only the go-along, get-along party machine that got us in this mess in the first place? You call US ‘shi’ites’ after we watched our family members stumbling out of the dust of the Towers?

    FUCK YOU, you rancid, crawling little peon. You want to know why I don’t like Romney? Because he hides behind people like you, you crawling lickspittle, letting you vent his bile and insults while he postures like a plaster Caesar above the fray. Because you are eager, no willing, to be subservient to someone, and you will deny millions of Americans their right to speak up and vote and make their convictions known, so you can pretend you have in some immaterial way mattered.

    At least Annamika is up front about her malice; but your mask is starting to slip.

  45.  REAL Republicans vote for the Party’s duly elected nominee, even if our first or second choice lost out. 

    Don’t support the GOP?  That makes YOU a RINO by definition.

    You must be a Santorum backer, judging by the whining.

  46.  You’re not a Republican?  Fine, nothing wrong with that.

    UNTIL you start telling US how to run OUR party, or whining about the most democratic nomination process in the world, the GOP’s, just because our millions of voters, of their own free will, didn’t vote the way you wish they would have.

    To pretend it’s some grand conspiracy, or “the Establishment” (cue scary organ music) instead of the will of the Republican electorate just makes you a dumbass.

  47.  HUH?  The candidates who wanted to run, ran, didn’t they?

    Or are you sinking deep into the fever swamp of dark conspiracies and secret brotherhoods?

  49.  Look, you little wimp, I’m not trying to sell ANYTHING.  I’m telling you how it is, you can believe whatever fairy tale you want to.

    But I am NOT taking back-talk from you.  I rang doorbells starting with Nixon in ’68.  I attended the Tea Party events in my area.  I don’t owe or anybody else any deference.

    You are nothing but a little twerp sissy who is throwing a fit because because your unqualified candidate is losing.  Grow the hell up.

  50. If that is what it takes to get the Establishment to pay attention then so be it.  They brought the war, we can finish it.

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