The Santorum Strategy

[g5000]

What is wrong with our culture?

Watch an hour of a reality TV show. The Jersey wives one or that one where they vote you off the island or the Big Brother one. It says a lot about our culture that these programs which bring out and reward the very worst character traits are the shows that are popular.

 

[Barb]

Well, he might just be positioning himself as the best gop pick for veep. The gop won't win just on moderates and independents, it needs the nutroots invested as well. They win when they appeal to emotional wedge issues, a sense of shared (if contrived) values, and common resentments.

Well yes....sort of. It's true that a candidate needs their base but the nation is pretty evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. It jockeys around a bit depending on what is going on but for the most part each party gets about a third or so of the electorate. Even with a highly charged base though, that's not enough to win an election. You MUST get support for the Independents. So the traditional method is to campaign hard toward your party base to secure the nomination, them immediately pull a u-turn and move back to center to get the Independents.

The theory is that once the nomination is secure going back to center is safe because the party base will suck it up and vote for their party's candidate whether they are totally in love with him or not because it's better than letting the other party win. With the extreme rhetoric Santorum is laying out lately on social issues I am not sure he is going to be able to effectively move back to center and gain Independent support.

After last night and what I think will be a big night for Romney next Tuesday I think it will end up being academic, but...well....there it is

everything you say makes sense, but the gop pays close, very close attention. When the dems split in 08, there was a tremendous backlash from Hillary voters. It wasn't enough to throw the election, especially because the gop clearly didn't want the "win" that time. They might want it this time, although I'm not really sure they do. If thy do, they'll cover every base, not only in the primaries, but in the finals as well. That would mean throwing that bone to the nutroots. The gop will figure that a Santorum veep is enough of an emotional bone, and the middle can console themselves with the fact that whichever wins the party endorsement will be healthy enough to serve at least one and probably two full terms, so the red meat won't cost them anything but window dressing.

 

[LogikAndReazon]

rick santorum, sarah palin..................so much time and hysteria spent on persons who will never be president.............

al gore, john kerry..............same thing

 

[sealybobo]

Santorum blew his chance last night in Michigan. If he couldn't beat Romney with all the liberals that showed up to vote for Santorum, he's dead meat. That means he would have absolutely positively no chance of winning Michigan, but last nights Michigan win for Romney has us liberals a little worried. How did he beat Santorum when the unions showed up to vote against him? Romney must have had a big turn out.

Or as I think, they stole it. I don't trust the GOP Governor Rick Snyder one bit. I think they gave it to Romney last night and if they will do that, may as well do it again in November. Who's in charge? Rick Snyder and a right wing radical Secretary of state pushing ALEC's agenda?

Come on America! Republicans are even cheating in their own primaries. So now not only do our liberal votes not matter, neither do conservative voters who don't want a mormon liberal representing them.

 

[Barb]

No I am not necessarily saying that. But every election has the issues that are pivotal and on the minds of the American people and those issues depend on what is happening at the time. This election is going to be about the economy because that's the problem we are currently facing. I think that very few people are actually going to base their vote on issues like contraception and religious faith this time around. If the economy was rocking, unemployment was at around 4% then sure; those social issue gain more importance. But right now they are largely irrelevant to the voters.

So Santorum providing the liberal media with juicy sound bytes that they can use to paint him as a religious lunatic doesn't seem to be a very good idea. There's little to gain because voters are not concerned with those issues and a lot to lose because his positions on them are so extreme that he looks like a nut. This is the major point I am making. It may help him with the religious right but it will turn moderates and Independents away in droves. Indeed that seems to be exactly what's happening as Santorum's poll numbers are predictably beginning to slip.

Well, he might just be positioning himself as the best gop pick for veep. The gop won't win just on moderates and independents, it needs the nutroots invested as well. They win when they appeal to emotional wedge issues, a sense of shared (if contrived) values, and common resentments.

I would be shocked if he gets the VP pick. Aside from the baggage...he adds absolutely nothing to the ticket. Conservatives will go for whoever gets picked. What they need on the ticket is an appeal to Democrats and Independents..or someone who doesn't detract from Romney.

Look for Santorum to be the next "hot" new FOX pundit.

Honestly, look at it this way: The gop doesn't really have much to run. Romney really is the guy, as Stewart said, that is intellectually and emotionally most closely aligned with the guy who would fire your dad. He's got the filthy rich ************ vote tied up tight. He's got the "I COULD someday BE a filthy rich ************ (self delusional and PROUD) vote tied up tight. What's he missing? He's missing the emotional tug (being Cheney with a somewhat natural pulse) that would make anyone aware about economics to throw their own interests under the bus for shared "values" and "identity," and "resentment." That's it, that's what he needs, and that is Santorum, in all his American Taliban splendor.

Watch.

 

[chikenwing]

I have been thinking about this a lot the last week or so. How have Santorum's religious views become so dominant in political discourse lately? The conservatives blame the press for asking the questions and attempting to focus the conversation, but on the other hand Santorum is stupid enough to get caught in the trap. If these social issues are truly "non-issues" then why bother to talk about them? Why not simply say "I have my own personal beliefs but let's discuss the economy"? I have concluded that a) he is as stupid as a post and can't keep his mouth shut or b) facing a critical primary tomorrow in Michigan (he can forget about Arizona, Romney has that one locked up) and with Super Tuesday a mere week away (a situation where he cannot possibly hope to contend financially with Romney) he is doubling down with the strategy that his comments will focus the national dialogue on him (thereby giving him free publicity in states where he doesn't have the money to campaign) and the religious right will bail him out. I personally think it's more B than A but......

Questions

What's the difference between him and Santorum on faith.

1) If A and he is simply too stupid to avoid media traps shouldn't we be concerned about his intellectual capacity as POTUS?

2) If B and he is engaging in a political strategy will it work?

3) If B and it does work will he be able to convincingly move back to center if he gets the nomination (which is vital in order to to gain support from moderates and Independents)?

I'm thinking A. All he has to do is say I have my religious beliefs and leave it at that......but he just can't shut up


He is already the current anybody but Romney, he doesn't have to provide excuses to scare people away

Obama has just stated that his economic policies are based on his faith, the bible and his commitment to Christianity.

What's the difference between him and Santorum on faith?

You really need to ask??!!! come on!!

 

[BluePhantom]

everything you say makes sense, but the gop pays close, very close attention. When the dems split in 08, there was a tremendous backlash from Hillary voters. It wasn't enough to throw the election, especially because the gop clearly didn't want the "win" that time. They might want it this time, although I'm not really sure they do. If thy do, they'll cover every base, not only in the primaries, but in the finals as well. That would mean throwing that bone to the nutroots. The gop will figure that a Santorum veep is enough of an emotional bone, and the middle can console themselves with the fact that whichever wins the party endorsement will be healthy enough to serve at least one and probably two full terms, so the red meat won't cost them anything but window dressing.

Ahhhhhh....but you forget. In September of 2008 McCain had pulled ahead of Obama and the gap was widening. It was looking like a sure-fire McCain victory. Liberal analysts around the nation were howling and having absolute hissy fits. Then the market crashed and it was game, set, and match for Obama. Had the market held off until after the election McCain would almost certainly have won that election.

 

[BluePhantom]

Santorum blew his chance last night in Michigan. If he couldn't beat Romney with all the liberals that showed up to vote for Santorum, he's dead meat. That means he would have absolutely positively no chance of winning Michigan, but last nights Michigan win for Romney has us liberals a little worried. How did he beat Santorum when the unions showed up to vote against him? Romney must have had a big turn out.

Well for the same reason that the unions' recall efforts in Wisconsin seem (at least at this point) doomed to fail. People are pissed at the unions and so they are currently voting against whatever side they are on.

 

[Barb]

everything you say makes sense, but the gop pays close, very close attention. When the dems split in 08, there was a tremendous backlash from Hillary voters. It wasn't enough to throw the election, especially because the gop clearly didn't want the "win" that time. They might want it this time, although I'm not really sure they do. If thy do, they'll cover every base, not only in the primaries, but in the finals as well. That would mean throwing that bone to the nutroots. The gop will figure that a Santorum veep is enough of an emotional bone, and the middle can console themselves with the fact that whichever wins the party endorsement will be healthy enough to serve at least one and probably two full terms, so the red meat won't cost them anything but window dressing.

Ahhhhhh....but you forget. In September of 2008 McCain had pulled ahead of Obama and the gap was widening. It was looking like a sure-fire McCain victory. Liberal analysts around the nation were howling and having absolute hissy fits. Then the market crashed and it was game, set, and match for Obama. Had the market held off until after the election McCain would almost certainly have won that election.

You think so, even with Sarah? Ehhh, I don't so much. Plenty of conservative voters didn't like her at all.

People were struggling and not buying the "strength of the economy" long before the market crashed. Hell, I called the crash a good five years before it happened. Everything was in place for it.

 

[ABikerSailor]

everything you say makes sense, but the gop pays close, very close attention. When the dems split in 08, there was a tremendous backlash from Hillary voters. It wasn't enough to throw the election, especially because the gop clearly didn't want the "win" that time. They might want it this time, although I'm not really sure they do. If thy do, they'll cover every base, not only in the primaries, but in the finals as well. That would mean throwing that bone to the nutroots. The gop will figure that a Santorum veep is enough of an emotional bone, and the middle can console themselves with the fact that whichever wins the party endorsement will be healthy enough to serve at least one and probably two full terms, so the red meat won't cost them anything but window dressing.

Ahhhhhh....but you forget. In September of 2008 McCain had pulled ahead of Obama and the gap was widening. It was looking like a sure-fire McCain victory. Liberal analysts around the nation were howling and having absolute hissy fits. Then the market crashed and it was game, set, and match for Obama. Had the market held off until after the election McCain would almost certainly have won that election.

You think so, even with Sarah? Ehhh, I don't so much. Plenty of conservative voters didn't like her at all.

People were struggling and not buying the "strength of the economy" long before the market crashed. Hell, I called the crash a good five years before it happened. Everything was in place for it.

So..........you called the crash 5 years before it happened.

Did you forsee the recovery that's going on right now as well?

 

[Lakhota]

 

[theunbubba]

I have been thinking about this a lot the last week or so. How have Santorum's religious views become so dominant in political discourse lately? The conservatives blame the press for asking the questions and attempting to focus the conversation, but on the other hand Santorum is stupid enough to get caught in the trap. If these social issues are truly "non-issues" then why bother to talk about them? Why not simply say "I have my own personal beliefs but let's discuss the economy"? I have concluded that a) he is as stupid as a post and can't keep his mouth shut or b) facing a critical primary tomorrow in Michigan (he can forget about Arizona, Romney has that one locked up) and with Super Tuesday a mere week away (a situation where he cannot possibly hope to contend financially with Romney) he is doubling down with the strategy that his comments will focus the national dialogue on him (thereby giving him free publicity in states where he doesn't have the money to campaign) and the religious right will bail him out. I personally think it's more B than A but......

Questions

1) If A and he is simply too stupid to avoid media traps shouldn't we be concerned about his intellectual capacity as POTUS?

2) If B and he is engaging in a political strategy will it work?

3) If B and it does work will he be able to convincingly move back to center if he gets the nomination (which is vital in order to to gain support from moderates and Independents)?

Very penetrating analysis. I hadn't thought of the free publicity angle at all. It seems neither has Limbaug et al. They seem to think he's too open and honest about who he is to duck.
I'd say B is about right though. Shrewd. Very shrewd.

I'm putting out Santorum signs all over Knoxville.

 

[Lakhota]

I have been thinking about this a lot the last week or so. How have Santorum's religious views become so dominant in political discourse lately? The conservatives blame the press for asking the questions and attempting to focus the conversation, but on the other hand Santorum is stupid enough to get caught in the trap. If these social issues are truly "non-issues" then why bother to talk about them? Why not simply say "I have my own personal beliefs but let's discuss the economy"? I have concluded that a) he is as stupid as a post and can't keep his mouth shut or b) facing a critical primary tomorrow in Michigan (he can forget about Arizona, Romney has that one locked up) and with Super Tuesday a mere week away (a situation where he cannot possibly hope to contend financially with Romney) he is doubling down with the strategy that his comments will focus the national dialogue on him (thereby giving him free publicity in states where he doesn't have the money to campaign) and the religious right will bail him out. I personally think it's more B than A but......

Questions

1) If A and he is simply too stupid to avoid media traps shouldn't we be concerned about his intellectual capacity as POTUS?

2) If B and he is engaging in a political strategy will it work?

3) If B and it does work will he be able to convincingly move back to center if he gets the nomination (which is vital in order to to gain support from moderates and Independents)?

Very penetrating analysis. I hadn't thought of the free publicity angle at all. It seems neither has Limbaug et al. They seem to think he's too open and honest about who he is to duck.
I'd say B is about right though. Shrewd. Very shrewd.

I'm putting out Santorum signs all over Knoxville.

I remember Santorum in the U.S. Senate, and especially the year Pennsylvania voted him out of office in 2006. Santorum is simply religiously crazy. So, I'd rule out the "political strategy" part...

 

[theunbubba]

I have been thinking about this a lot the last week or so. How have Santorum's religious views become so dominant in political discourse lately? The conservatives blame the press for asking the questions and attempting to focus the conversation, but on the other hand Santorum is stupid enough to get caught in the trap. If these social issues are truly "non-issues" then why bother to talk about them? Why not simply say "I have my own personal beliefs but let's discuss the economy"? I have concluded that a) he is as stupid as a post and can't keep his mouth shut or b) facing a critical primary tomorrow in Michigan (he can forget about Arizona, Romney has that one locked up) and with Super Tuesday a mere week away (a situation where he cannot possibly hope to contend financially with Romney) he is doubling down with the strategy that his comments will focus the national dialogue on him (thereby giving him free publicity in states where he doesn't have the money to campaign) and the religious right will bail him out. I personally think it's more B than A but......

Questions

What's the difference between him and Santorum on faith.

1) If A and he is simply too stupid to avoid media traps shouldn't we be concerned about his intellectual capacity as POTUS?

2) If B and he is engaging in a political strategy will it work?

3) If B and it does work will he be able to convincingly move back to center if he gets the nomination (which is vital in order to to gain support from moderates and Independents)?

I'm thinking A. All he has to do is say I have my religious beliefs and leave it at that......but he just can't shut up


He is already the current anybody but Romney, he doesn't have to provide excuses to scare people away

Obama has just stated that his economic policies are based on his faith, the bible and his commitment to Christianity.

What's the difference between him and Santorum on faith?

Santorum isn't making it up. Nobody believes Obama for a split second. Just sayin....

 

[theunbubba]

well put

Your leader is saying his policies are based on the Bible.

Care to comment?

I think they would have to read the Bible for themselves to make a worthwhile comment.

Well that isn't very likely, now is it?

 

[Lakhota]

Santorum is a religious nut. Obama isn't...

 

[theunbubba]

Santorum is Opus Dei....

Rick Santorum sent two of his sons to a Washington, D.C. all-boys school affiliated with Opus Dei, the Catholic group whose members were portrayed as sinisterly weird in the sensationalistic Da Vinci Code but in reality only engage in some mild self-mutilation, "nothing traumatic," as the group's website says. Santorum went to Rome in 2002 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Opus Dei's founding, and he belongs to the St. Catherine of Siena Parish, a favorite of Opus Dei.

How Opus Dei Influenced Rick Santorum - Politics - The Atlantic Wire

And Obama was educated in a Madrassa. You want to make a case on which is wierder?

 

[theunbubba]

Santorum is appealing to Christian fanatics who have a taste for authoritarianist societies based on a rather primative and ignorant form of Christianity.

That is who he is, and that is what he thinks this nation ought to be.

It's about that simple, really.

You want everybody to believe Santorum is this:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfBPjRp81fo]The Jimmy Castor Bunch - Troglodyte ( Cave Man) - RIP - YouTube[/ame]

 

[theunbubba]

Santorum is a religious nut. Obama isn't...

Yes he is. The religion of Socialistic superiority of the Academic over the common man.

 

[Lakhota]

Santorum is a religious nut. Obama isn't...

Yes he is. The religion of Socialistic superiority of the Academic over the common man.

Whoa, lay down that crack pipe and get some fresh air and rest.