10 Advantages Rick Santorum Has Over Mitt Romney

From The Daily Mail

By Toby Harnden

So how do we make sense of what happened last night? No one but no one (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) predicted that Rick Santorum might win all three states on what turned out to be Loopy Tuesday. Mitt Romney remains the frontrunner but the former US Senator for Pennsylvania is clearly a force to be reckoned with.

Here are 10 things to understand about Santorum's second surge and what it means for Romney, Republicans - and President Barack Obama.

1. Santorum is not Romney

It may seem tough to start off with a negative but Santorum's success perhaps says more about Romney than Tuesday night's victor himself. Indisputably, Romney is a hard candidate for grassroots Republicans to love and his conservative bona fides will always be open to question.

Though many Republicans respect Romney or can tolerate him or can calculate in their heads that he should be their nominee, they can't fall in love with him. Ultimately, they may not need to. But this makes the road to the nomination a rocky one for Romney, involving a series of candidates in the ABM (Anyone But Mitt) slot, the latest of whom is Santorum.

Rick Santorum campaigns in Nashua, New Hampshire. Photo: Toby Harnden

 

Rick Santorum, Conservative Stalwart

From National Review Online

By Quin Hillyer

Rick Santorum gives a thumbs up following an event in Keene, N.H., Jan. 6, 2012.

Just as the conservative movement finally has the first real chance since Ronald Reagan to see one of its own — a “full-spectrum conservative,” as Rick Santorum now calls himself, picking up the phrase from Rep. Steve King (R., Iowa) — win the Republican presidential nomination, the purists emerge to say he’s somehow not conservative enough. The attempt to attach a “big-government conservative” label to Rick Santorum for some rare wanderings from the conservative reservation makes about as much sense as arguing that record-breaking Drew Brees of the Saints is a poor quarterback because he threw 14 interceptions this season.

The reality is that Rick Santorum’s instincts and intellectual choices consistently tend toward freedom.

British Blogger Urges Prayers for Rick Santorum's Election

British blogger Dylan Parry, author of A Reluctant Sinner blog, explains why he wants Rick Santorum to be the next Catholic president of the United States.

Rick Santorum for US President - Praying that this God-fearing candidate will become the people's choice in 2012

Rick Santorum - a man devoted to the truth

Since coming a very close second to Mitt Romney in the 2012 Iowa Republican caucuses on 3 January, Rick Santorum is now a serious contender to win that party's nomination in this year's US Presidential election campaign. Fortunes change. Only a few weeks ago, Santorum had been dismissed by the mainstream American press for supposedly being out of touch, irrelevant or a no hoper. Now we see that the American people are beginning to think otherwise. They know an honest man when they see one.

Santorum Is Endorsed for Nomination by Former Romney Supporter

From Bloomberg Business Week
By Lisa Lerer and Mark Niquette

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, accompanied by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine leaves a news conference outside the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus Friday, where DeWine announced his support for Santorum.

Rick Santorum was endorsed in the Republican presidential race by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, another sign he is gaining ground on rival Mitt Romney.

Standing next to Santorum yesterday on the steps of the Ohio statehouse in Columbus, DeWine said he backed Romney last October because he thought the former Massachusetts governor was the best candidate to defeat President Barack Obama. DeWine said he no longer believes that after the campaign run by Romney, with support from an outside political action committee, Restore Our Future.

“To be elected president, you have to do more than tear down your opponent; you have to give the American people a reason to vote for you,” DeWine said. “Rick Santorum has done that. Sadly, Governor Romney has not.”

Santorum Moves Ahead in Michigan

This is the best and most astonishing news yet in the GOP presidential primary season.  Our friends who insist that the liberal Massachusetts Governor is "inevitable" and "electable" will get quite a shock when the chameleon candidate is defeated in one of his home states, a state in which his father served as Governor.  This demonstrates once again, that Republicans and Americans as a whole want a "choice, not an echo."  Nominating an Obama-Lite, yet another in the long string of losing "moderates" - Wilkie, Dewey, Ford, Dole and McCain - is not an answer; it is a proven prescription for defeat.

Our country is in grave crisis and the words of Ronald Reagan are as true as when he uttered them in 1975:

"Our people look for a cause to believe in. Is it a third party we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors, which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people?"

From Public Policy Polling

Rick Santorum's taken a large lead in Michigan's upcoming Republican primary. He's at 39% to 24% for Mitt Romney, 12% for Ron Paul, and 11% for Newt Gingrich.

Santorum's rise is attributable to two major factors: his own personal popularity (a stellar 67/23 favorability) and GOP voters increasingly souring on Gingrich. Santorum's becoming something closer and closer to a consensus conservative candidate as Gingrich bleeds support.

Rick Santorum Gaining Ground in Iowa

Rick Santorum is finally rising in the polls in Iowa. And Santorum gained a key evangelical Christian leader's endorsement Tuesday.

From The Christian Science Monitor

By Liz Marlantes

Republican presidential candidate, former Penn. Sen. Rick Santorum, speaks in Osceola, Iowa, Dec. 19, 2011.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The headline out of the latest Rassmussen poll surveying Republican voters in Iowa is all about Newt Gingrich’s continuing slide. The poll shows Gingrich now in third place, with 17 percent, behind Mitt Romney (25 percent) and Ron Paul (20 percent).

But just as interesting to Decoder is the fact that the poll also shows former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum now in fourth place, with 10 percent (tied with the other Rick, Perry). That’s the best result for Santorum so far this cycle. In fact, it’s the first significant movement he’s had in any poll at all - and, needless to say, it’s coming at an opportune time.

IOWA MIRACLE MAKES SANTORUM THE CONSERVATIVE ALTERNATIVE

Perry heads home to "reassess."

Santorum Momentum Rolls Into New Hampshire

Verona, PA - Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum will return to New Hampshire on Wednesday, January 4^th following the Iowa Caucus. The following events are open to the press, all times are local.

Santorum Continues to Lead in Newest Michigan Poll

From CNN

Mitt Romney may lay claim to home field advantage in Michigan, but according to a new poll released 12 days before the state's Republican primary, Rick Santorum is on top of the field in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.

According to a survey out Thursday by the Detroit News and CNN affiliate WDIV, 34% of likely Republican primary voters say they're backing Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, with 30% supporting Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who's making his second bid for the White House. Santorum's four point margin is within the poll's sampling error.

Christian Leaders Vote to Support Rick Santorum as Republican Nominee

An influential bloc of Christian conservative leaders have backed Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, as their choice in the Republican presidential race. 

Rick Santorum could now surge as he did in Iowa.   Photo: REUTERS

From The Telegraph

By Philip Sherwell

The support of the group of 150 evangelical power-brokers is a major boost for the prospects of Mr Santorum, who nearly snatched a surprise victory in the Iowa caucus.

The decision is also a setback for the prospects of a quick victory in the nomination battle for Mitt Romney, who has emerged as the Republican frontrunner after his narrow win in Iowa and comfortable victory in the New Hampshire primary.

Did Santorum Bring Down Perry?

From The Washington Post

By Jennifer Rubin

Whatever problems Texas Gov. Rick Perry faces are his own doing. He debated poorly, failed to advance a specific agenda and stubbornly stuck to extreme ideas in a book that contains ideas unacceptable even to GOP primary voters. But the instrument of his downfall may have been Rick Santorum.

It was Santorum who boxed him about the ears in successive debates on mandatory HPV vaccinations and in-state tuition breaks to illegal immigrants. Coming at Perry from the right, his criticisms were particularly effective.

I asked Gary Bauer, one of the most influential of the Christian conservative leaders, about Santorum. He told me, “He has been impressive in the debates. Eventually one person will emerge as the alternative to Romney. I think Santorum could easily become that alternative, and many social conservatives would agree.”

For Santorum, Faith and Reason are Benchmarks for Politics

From CNA/EWTN News

By Michelle Baumann

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says that reason does not conflict with his Catholic faith, but rather works with it to guide his political decisions.

“When the reason is right and the faith is true, they end up at the same place,” Santorum told CNA in an early October interview.

“Faith and reason. The conclusion must satisfy both.”

Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney Neck and Neck in Ohio

From The Boston Globe

By Shira Schoenberg

 

Rick Santorum is narrowly leading Romney in the crucial Super Tuesday state of Ohio, according to a Suffolk University poll out this afternoon.

The poll found Santorum with 37 percent support among likely Republican primary voters in Ohio, followed by Romney with 33 percent. Former House speaker Newt Gingrich came in a distant third at 16 percent trailed by Texas Representative Ron Paul with 8 percent. Santorum’s lead was just within the poll’s 4.4 percent margin of error.

The former Pennsylvania senator was ahead of Romney by a large margin (17 points) among voters who cast early ballots, but his margin shrank to three points among those who have not yet voted.

Ohio, with its 66 delegates, is considered a top prize among the 10 states voting on Tuesday. Romney and Santorum have been hotly contesting the race. Santorum surged in the polls, overtaking the former Massachusetts governor, after his Feb. 7 victories in Colorado, Missouri, and Minnesota. But Romney has been going after Santorum aggressively in advertising and on the campaign trail and has been closing the gap.

According to the Suffolk poll, Santorum’s strength is in his ability to relate to voters. Thirty three percent said Santorum’s political beliefs were the closest to their own, compared to all the GOP candidates.

 But Romney, as he has been throughout the race, remains the strongest when it comes to electability. A full 44 percent of voters ranked Romney as the candidate with the best chance of beating Democratic President Obama. If Santorum becomes the nominee, 15 percent of Republican voters said they would either vote for Obama or a third party candidate. If Romney were the nominee, that number would drop to 10 percent.

Overall, the Suffolk poll found that voters are not happy with the Republican race. Half of respondents said they are not happy with the current crop of candidates, and 47 percent would like to see a new candidate enter the race.

The survey of 500 likely Ohio Republican primary voters was conducted March 3-4.

 

 

Santorum or Romney? Culture War or Class War?

From The Center for Vision and Values, Grove City College

By Paul G. Kengor

The question for Republicans right now seems obvious: Would you prefer Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney to run against Barack Obama?

Well, it depends on whether you prefer to engage President Obama on cultural grounds or on terms of class warfare. Obama and his chief political strategist, David Axelrod, are going to give us one or the other. Thus, maybe the better question is: Can Santorum articulate and defend social conservatism better than Romney can defend free markets? Which of the two is a more forceful, eloquent spokesperson for the area that Obama and Axelrod will use to define and malign him?

Not only has President Obama been employing class rhetoric unceasingly for three years now, but David Axelrod has been planning precisely such an assault against Mitt Romney. “Obama officials intend to frame Romney as the very picture of greed in the great recession—a sort of political Gordon Gekko,” reported an August 2011 Politico piece titled, “Obama plan: Destroy Romney.” The piece quoted Axelrod: “He [Romney] was very, very good at making a profit for himself and his partners but not nearly as good [at] saving jobs for communities. He is very much the profile of what we’ve seen in the last decade on Wall Street.”

This was the plan even before the Occupy Wall Street movement exploded. Axelrod and Obama view Mitt Romney as red meat for the Occupy movement, the poster-boy for Wall Street greed.

“[Romney] says he represents business,” Axelrod told MSNBC in October, “but he really represents the Wall Street side of business.”

Axelrod told George Stephanopoulos that Romney is “not a job creator” but a “corporate raider” who outsourced “tens of thousands of jobs,” “closed down more than 1,000 plants, stores, and offices,” and joined “his partners” in making “hundreds of millions of dollars” at the expense of the poor. Axelrod calls this the “Bain mentality.”

This caustic, class-warfare rhetoric is just a taste of what will come if Romney gets the GOP nomination. The class envy will get far worse. And no one will do it better than a smiling Obama.

Perhaps the only thing that might energize the president and his team more is a battle with the Catholic Church over his HHS mandate on “contraception.” And that’s where Rick Santorum comes in.

I’m increasingly convinced that President Obama wants this fight with the Catholic Church. I think this is a fight not only close to Obama’s ideological heart, but one he perversely feels can help him politically. If he can frame this debate as not about taxpayer support of abortion drugs, or about religious liberty, or freedom of conscience, or the First Amendment and Constitution—all of which it is—but about “women’s rights” vs. the stodgy old men who run the Catholic Church, he will make headway with certain voters. Don’t underestimate Obama’s ability to do just that.

If Rick Santorum becomes the 2012 GOP nominee, he’ll be an automatic spokesman for the Catholic Church’s position. He’s a living, breathing testimony to the Church’s teaching, from his own personal life to his well-informed intellect on Church teachings. Rick Santorum is the rarest candidate who has actually read Church encyclicals like Humanae Vitae and Evangelium Vitae.

That’s just fine for President Obama and David Axelrod. They’ll take that guy any day. Hey, buddy, you want a culture war based on Catholic Church teachings? You got it!

Never mind, of course, that President Obama started this fight with his heavy-handed decree to the Catholic Church. The president’s protective media will behave as if Rick Santorum is the intrusive one, rudely and righteously thrusting his faith into the “public square.” The media will not portray Santorum as simply reacting to Obama’s totally unnecessary decree and intrusion—which is what really happened—but as a sexist Neanderthal who just can’t pull his nose out of your bedroom.

So, that brings us back to my original question for Republicans: Which of the two—Romney or Santorum—is a more forceful, eloquent spokesperson for the issues that Obama and Axelrod will use to define and malign him? I think the answer is Santorum, which is less a vote for Santorum than a vote of no confidence in Romney’s persuasive abilities. Or does that bring us back to Newt, assuming Newt remains politically viable?

One thing is certain: Neither of these Obama-Axelrod tactics will unify Americans; it will divide them, pitting them against each other by class or religion, by income or faith, by money or conscience. And that isn’t a good thing, especially from a president who promised to be a unifier and symbol of “hope.”

Dr. Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College, executive director of The Center for Vision & Values, and author of the newly released Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century. His other books include The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism and God and Ronald Reagan.

Upstate South Carolina Leader Endorses Rick Santorum

Richard Cash is a small business owner from Powdersville, South Carolina and edits the blog, Clear Notes.  In 2010, Richard ran for Congress in the 3rd district of South Carolina, finishing first in a field of six in the initial Republican primary. In a run-off for the Republican nomination, Richard was narrowly defeated by Jeff Duncan.

Richard and his wife of 25 years, Marcia, are blessed with 8 children. Richard graduated with honors from Furman University with a degree in Economics/Business Administration. He also holds a Master’s in Theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Richard Cash with wife Marcia and family

 Why I’m Supporting Rick Santorum

By Richard Cash

Like many of you, I have been following the Republican presidential primary race. I watched the first SC debate, the last SC debate, and portions of many debates in between. I am not a political junkie, but having run for Congress in 2010, I am more committed than ever to the future of our nation, and the role that politics and political leaders play in that.

And so, like many of you, I have been asking myself, “Which candidate should I support?” I find admirable qualities in all the candidates, so how do I decide among them? Well, there is an old adage that goes something like this; “In order to get the right answer, you must ask the right question.” I would like to share with you a few questions and answers that have greatly influenced my decision to support Rick Santorum.

About a month ago, I came out of a political meeting involving a different candidate, and as we were heading to our cars I remarked to a friend, “It’s too bad Jim DeMint is not in this race; I could easily support him and I believe he could win the nomination.” If you are a conservative in SC, you know what I’m talking about. It’s not that other candidates are bad, it’s just that we know and trust Sen. DeMint, and supporting him would be easy.

By the next day, I had begun thinking, “Since Sen. DeMint is not in the race, which candidate is the closest to him by comparison?” The answer seemed immediate and unequivocal, Sen. Santorum. Here is a person who has been a consistent conservative leader for many years, including 12 in the US Senate. Here is a person who understands how Washington works and how to get things done, but he has not been co-opted by Washington. Here is a person who is trustworthy, both in his personal and public life.

A second question also came to me along these lines; “If I had been elected and was serving in the US Congress, which candidate would I most like to have as my President, who could I see myself working well with?” Again, the answer was obvious, Rick Santorum. He is a clear thinker, he is articulate, he has good judgment, and he understands that the foundation of faith and family is essential to maintaining freedom. If I was serving in Congress, Rick Santorum is the candidate that I would have the highest level of comfort and confidence in.

Asking and answering those two questions influenced my decision a lot, but there was one other question to deal with, which you might be considering as well; “Can he win?” After a little research, I discovered that Rick Santorum has held events in all 99 counties in Iowa and is building a strong grass roots organization there. With six weeks to go until the Iowa vote, Santorum is ready for the stretch run, and if he does well in Iowa, the campaign dynamic will change overnight.

Many people will say, “All well and good, but Rick Santorum is very low in the national polls.” In reply I say that first, polls are a snap shot, not a predictor. Four years ago at this time, the polls had Romney leading Iowa, but Huckabee ended up winning it. Secondly, polls can change quickly. This year, several candidates have risen and fallen in the polls already, proving that most people have not yet locked in their commitment.

With six weeks to go until the Iowa vote, a lot can happen with the current poll leaders, meaning the race is still very much up in air. For those who are looking for a trustworthy consistent conservative, Rick Santorum is looking better all the time. I invite you to join us in the laying the groundwork for a successful SC campaign.

Santorum Gaining in Iowa

From Fox News

With 45 percent of Iowa Republican voters undecided and a roller-coaster ride about to come to a screeching stop next Tuesday with the GOP caucuses, it may be Rick Santorum's turn to take the final ascent and surprise the political class by ... doing better than expected?

Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, has been touted as the sleeper candidate by none other than 2008 Iowa caucuses winner Mike Huckabee. He has relentlessly campaigned in the state, hitting all 99 counties and moving his family out there. He has held 350 campaign events in the past year.

He has received key endorsements from well-known social conservatives in the state, and has had solid performances at each of the debates. And he's running an old-school style campaign that Iowa voters expect in the retail-style politics of the Hawkeye State.

Mitt's 'McCain Impression'

By Stephen Stone, President of Renew America

With Rick Santorum's recent departure from the 2012 presidential sweepstakes, the Republican establishment — aided and abetted by self-identified "conservative" voters — has just ensured the re-election of Barack Obama.

That's a view widely held by real conservatives, not just my own view.

The GOP now fields one of the most disliked, ruthlessly ambitious, untruthful, problematic candidates for president in recent memory. Never before in modern history has a Republican presidential candidate been so overtly manipulative of the political process, or of the public mind, than Mitt Romney. (You'd have to revisit Obama's media-driven, illusion-based 2008 Democratic candidacy to see something comparable). As a result, rarely has the Republican base been left with so unpopular a choice.

Of course all along, the Romney camp's presumption has been that in the end, conservatives will vote for Mitt in large numbers precisely because they have no other choice.

That's not likely to happen, though — given human nature, and given the principled nature of some voters — despite the country's intense disaffection for Dictator-in-Charge Obama.

Santorum Admits to Pondering Run for President - Asks for Prayers

From LifeSiteNews
By John-Henry Westen

Speaking to a room full of prominent US Catholic leaders Friday night, Senator Rick Santorum was challenged to run for President. Responding to a room already thick with applause, Santorum revealed that he was indeed "thinking about it" but asked for prayers and detailed his thinking on the matter.

His remarks came after his address to the closing dinner of the 12th annual Catholic Leadership Conference - an invite-only gathering of Catholic leaders from academia, law, media, medicine, and politics, as well as leaders of movements within the Church such as pro-life, pro-family and evangelization. Posing the challenge was long-time legal, political, and media activist Keith Fournier.

Santorum is not only a Catholic in name but a faithful one who is noted for his strong pro-life activism and work to bring decency back to America. He revealed that he has seven children, with one in college and five on the way. The reason why the sixth is not college-bound is the fact that his 16-month-old 'Bella' was born with Trisomy 18, a genetic disorder which is fatal before birth in 90 per cent of cases.

Santorum referred to Bella as "our angel" marveling at how she changed his life, and that of his family for the better. Speaking of children like Bella, he said, "They teach you things you can't even imagine."

Here Santorum turned to abortion describing his reason for fighting against it politically saying, "I think of we treat these people in society and how we destroy them. 86% of Down syndrome children are aborted - killed. And Down syndrome is 5 times better than what Bella has."

Considering how his children may themselves be the targets of nasty politics, as has happened in the recent past, gives Santorum pause. "That weighs on me," he said. "When you stand up for the things I do and say the things I say, they brutalize you and they won't stop at you."

Those are the things, he explained that "as a father I've got to think about."

"On the other side," he added, "as a father, I've got to think about whether they are going to have a country to live in … Are they going to be able to practice their faith in a way that's consistent with what the Church teaches."

The last consideration in favor of his run was on the practical level. He said: "Six months ago I would not have spent ten seconds on your question, but it's not six months ago. I see that, I hate to be calculating, but I see that 2012 is not just throwing somebody out to be eaten, but it's a real opportunity for success."

In closing he said that while he was "thinking about it", it is the first time his ambition which is, as he said, "in his DNA" was checked by a resistance saying, "no, I'm not sure."

Santorum Sweeps Greenville County GOP Convention Straw Poll; New Party Officers Elected

Former Senator Rick Santorum

South Carolina's largest and most conservative Republican organization set off national shock waves today by expressing their overwhelming support for former Senator Rick Santorum, among more than a dozen candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2012.  Greenville County GOP convention delegates were addressed by Santorum, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour.  

Santorum received 31% of votes cast.  Gingrich followed with 14%, and real estate mogul Donald Trump and Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann were tied for third with 7% each.

The 447 delegates also elected long-time party activist Betty Poe as their County Chairman.  Poe, President of the South Carolina Federation of Republican Women, faced minor opposition. RINO Hunt leader and conservative activist Harry Kibler was elected Vice Chairman without opposition. 

But the big news of the day, nationally, will be Santorum's stunning victory.  South Carolina's "first in the South" primary will be key in 2012, as it has been in the past.  Santorum received a big boost today on the road to the White House.

Santorum Picks Up Powerful Former Bachmann Supporter in N.H.

From The Hill

By Cameron Joseph

A former top advisor for Michele Bachmann's New Hampshire campaign has endorsed Rick Santorum for president.

Karen Testerman, a social conservative leader in the state, is the founder of Cornerstone Policy Research. She was also a top Bachmann advisor in the state, but quit along with four others in late October, saying the national campaign was ignoring their state. On Wednesday, she sang Santorum's praises.

Santorum: NH (and SC) Has To Make The Right Choice

Former Senator takes questions from Concord Christian Academy students; voters.

From BedfordPatch

By Tony Schinella

In front of about 60 people, including students from Concord Christian Academy, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum was peppered with a number of questions about his presidential campaign on Oct. 10.

For nearly two hours, Santorum spoke about his plans to revitalize manufacturing and grow the economy, his plan to keep taxes low, to repeal “Obamacare,” a pledge of support for Israel, and keep the government out of people’s lives while at the same time, preserving life and defunding Planned Parenthood.