The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Rick Santorum in Windham, N.H.

Posted on | January 5, 2012 | 11 Comments

WINDHAM, N.H.
The Southern New Hampshire 9-12 Project is hosting “An Evening With Rick Santorum.” I just interviewed State Sen. James Luther, who endorsed Santorum today. Luther said Santorum first asked for his endorsement six months ago — and kept asking and asking until he finally got it.

Among the press here for the event are Kerry Picket of the Washington Times, Robert Costa of National Review, Dan Balz of the Washington Post, and Michael Barone of The Washington Examiner.

UPDATE: Like all of Santorum’s town halls today, this event is packed.

UPDATE II: Barone said he thinks the crowd for Newt Gingrich here last month was larger, but this is still a full house.

UPDATE III: The 9-12 group leader, who is also a state representative, just boosted their “Candidate Positions Matrix,” which is very popular with Tea Party activists nationally.

Big news: Santorum has raised $2 million in the past 48 hours and the campaign is planning a major South Carolina ad buy.

UPDATE IV: Santorum gets a standing ovation when he’s introduced. Jokes that polls show him “a mere 39 points behind Governor Romney.”

UPDATE V: Santorum urges the audience to “lead, don’t follow. . . . Pick who you think is the best person.”

In Q-and-A, the first question was about detention of U.S. citizes, second question was about “Agenda 21” and U.S. sovereignty.

Comments

11 Responses to “Rick Santorum in Windham, N.H.”

  1. M. Thompson
    January 5th, 2012 @ 8:07 pm

    Hopefully, the enthusiasm for Mr. Santorum is infectious.

  2. richard mcenroe
    January 5th, 2012 @ 10:58 pm

    It still seems to be spreading in  Iowa…

    http://www.kcci.com/news/30144582/detail.html#ixzz1idUftgoh 

  3. Multimedia Group
    January 5th, 2012 @ 11:00 pm

    To hear Erik Erikson last night on his show lay into Santorum, you’d think Rick was a big government Lib.  But in looking at the Candidate Position Matrix (which I notice gives high marks to Doctor Loon so take that as you will), Erikson’s guy, Perry (who I would certainly vote for in a heartbeat), is more liberal than Santorum on several issues.

    Both are good but Santorum is more impressive in his demeanor and ability to articulate his message.

  4. Jorge Emilio Emrys Landivar
    January 6th, 2012 @ 4:51 am

    Again, why are you supporting the guy who backed Arlen Specter?

  5. Adjoran
    January 6th, 2012 @ 5:35 am

    There are many reasons to question Santorum’s record and qualifications (not that any are necessarily disqualifying, but need to be asked).  The Specter endorsement is NOT one of them.  I say that as a Toomey backer that year.

    Specter was a senior incumbent, Santorum’s senior Senator, and a man who had endorsed and helped him in his early years.  His leadership and the President of his own party pressured him to do it and, in truth, Toomey could not have won statewide then – he only barely won in the big Republican wave in PA in 2010.

    Bottom line is that if you expect the party to support you, there are times you have to support the party.  That’s what being in a political party is all about.  If you never do anything for the party, why should the party do anything for you?  You cannot suck on the party teat and then fart in our general direction. 

    At least, not twice.  Unless you’re John McCain or Newt Gingrich or somebody really cool like that there.

  6. ThePaganTemple
    January 6th, 2012 @ 6:56 am

    He knows all that, you could explain it to him in the most direct terms a thousand times a day and he’ll still come back the next day bitching about Santorum endorsing Specter, and all the other nonsense. I don’t waste my time preaching the same shit to the same people. That’s why I would make a terrible television pundit, if I had to go through the same talking points to the same person too much I’d be tempted to reach out and bitch slap somebody.

  7. Datechguy's Blog » Blog Archive » Santorum Q & A from Windham NH » Datechguy's Blog
    January 6th, 2012 @ 2:30 pm

    […] base report is here, Stacy McCain’s is here and Roxeanne’s liveblog is here Share this:PrintRedditDiggStumbleUponEmailFacebook […]

  8. Under the Fedora: In New Hampshire
    January 6th, 2012 @ 3:52 pm

    […] I’m sitting in the rather excellent Martha’s Exchange Restaurant and Brewing Company on the main drag in Nashua, New Hampshire with Robert Stacy McCain, Kerry Picket of The Washington Times, and my co-blogger Roxeanne De Luca, also of Haemet. We’ve been covering Rick Santorum’ campaign in Windham, NH. […]

  9. Rick Santorum in Windham, N.H. : The Other McCain | Peek Twitter
    January 6th, 2012 @ 6:00 pm

    […] Rick Santorum in Windham, N.H. : The Other McCain […]

  10. Jorge Emilio Emrys Landivar
    January 7th, 2012 @ 7:08 am

    Its beyond that. Santorum doesn’t even really believe in federalism.  He says he does but his next statement immediately shows he doesn’t.

    http://volokh.com/2012/01/07/santorum-federalism-and-states-right-to-do-wrong

  11. Jorge Emilio Emrys Landivar
    January 7th, 2012 @ 7:09 am

    Heck no.  I’d rather have anyone there other than Santorum…. I’d even take Newt over Santorum.