Without a doubt, puh-thet-ick.
Who is the most conservative GOP candidate, and who are you leaning toward voting for, Jim?
I think Ron Paul is the most conservative in a historical context because he is more of a strict constitutionalist and his foreign policy is one our Founding Fathers would most agree with.
But Santorum is a close second and will do fine instead.
I dont think Paul is running to win, but to send a message.
I would agree with you re Paul embracing conservatism as it was expressed by the Founders. My only serious quarrel with Paul is in his seeming naivete re what the threats to our individual liberties are and his tolerance toward those who will not only not reciprocate but will interpret such toleranvce as American weakness and vulnerability.
Because I see the number one and in effect the ONLY legitimate function of the Federal government as identifying, respecting, and protecting our unalienable rights and promoting the free exercise of same, that alone is sufficient for me to put Paul at the bottom of the aspiring candidates. He is spot on in almost all of his other economic viewpoints though.
As for Santorum, I had never paid a lot of attention to him other than when he was in the Senate, he brilliantly debated some of the leftwing wackos. Through the fairly wide exposure he has received in this campaign, I am coming to appreciate him as a good, decent, practical person who is not immune to political campaign hyperbole but seems to be keeping that to a minimum. I don't pick up that he is just saying what he thinks people want to hear, but that he really believes it.
I am genuinely afraid of Ron Paul but would vote for him in a heartbeat over Obama.
I am not convinced that Mitt Romney doesn't say what he thinks people want to hear which I think is what makes him come across as disingenuous to some.
I don't have a clue what Newt Gingrich's core convictions are. I know he is brilliant, knows his stuff, has amaxzing recall abilities, and says a lot of stuff that really needs to be part of the debate. But I wish I knew exactly where his heart lies.
I think I know where Rick Santorum's heart lies, and all things considered, he and I share a lot of viewpoints though we do differ on some. I like him, believe he is the real deal, and maybe the least wierd and/or dishonest. The only thing keeping me from throwing my hat into his ring is I am not yet convinced he possesses the hard, tough core necessary to withstand the cruelest pressures of the Presidency--he cant count on the media to insulate him from that like Obama can--and I don't have a clue whether he possesses a good leadership skill set.
But in the end, any one of the four, or ANY of those who have already dropped out, would be a better President and would do a far sight less damage to the country than the current occupant in the White House.
What will be interesting is if nobody gets the necessary number of delegates so that we go to a brokered convention in the late summer or early fall. Then all those who have already suspended their campaigns plus the undeclared--Palin, Christie, Jindal, Rubio et al--would be fair game to pull into the mix.
