Bill Kristol speculates that Gingrich may not be the Romney alternative after all:
Could we be heading towards a Romney-Santorum contest on February 28 in Michigan and Arizona, and then in March and beyond? Romney would certainly be a strong favorite in such a contest, given his lead in votes, delegates, money and organization. But wouldn’t Santorum ultimately have a better chance than Gingrich to upset Romney, even if it’s still a slim one?
This caught my eye because it really does appear that Speaker Gingrich jumped the shark in Florida. Also, I think Santorum is the strongest pro-life, pro-family candidate remaining in the race. Do I think Santorum could compete with President Obama in the general? Yes. Do I think he will be the nominee? Highly unlikely. But it’s an interesting theory nonetheless. Read the rest here.
30 Comments
yankeegospelgirl
You know I’ve been thinking about it, and even though I’d love to see Santorum win the nomination and give Obama a run for his money, I’m not entirely sure that would be best FOR SANTORUM himself. I think we can see a pattern of Republican politicians who become at least somewhat corrupted when they reach a high point of importance in the political realm. I think becoming President corrupted George W. Bush to some extent, and I think even Sarah Palin was a little corrupted by being McCain’s running mate. I’d hate to see something similar happen in Santorum’s case.
My prayer is that God will bring about whatever is best for Santorum as a man of God, and that may well mean losing.
Paul
he was corrupt as a Senator. How much worse would he be as the president?
On a more personal note, does a man with a dying daughter REALLY want to be president? What happens when she really needs her daddy and he really needs to bomb Iran?
yankeegospelgirl
Oh do so completely shut up.
Paul
Classy.
yankeegospelgirl
So the troll leaves a smart-aleck, juvenile insult of a good man, and when someone tells him to put a sock in it, troll says THAT’S tacky.
Classic.
Paul
I am only a “troll” because I don’t agree with you. And no, it’s not smart alecky in the slightest. It’s not my fault that you’re a wholly intolerant piece of work (right there on your website – you don’t have time for people that aren’t just like you).
Also, you cannot be the most corrupt senator two years in a row AND be a good man. You can, however, be the most corrupt senator two years in a row and blow a lot of smoke.
Paul
also, you clearly do not have children. I have a hard time leaving my kids with the child care staff at the gym. If one of them was in dire straits, you couldn’t get me to drive an hour away, much less run for president or deal with the stresses of the job. It’s these little things that tell us much more about the man than his “testimony.”
Bintang Kejora
Rick Santorum is done.
1. no money
2.very little big name support
the only people I know who support him are You, Dr Land, Gary Bauer.
On the Gingrich side we have huge numbers
Chuck Noriss
Tim Lahaye
Newsmax
Fred Thompson
Herman Cain
Rick Perry
Rick Santorum cannot win and is only helping Romney now. Get out now please Rick
Bobby
Hi Bintang,
It sounds that you may support Santorum if he had more money or endorsements. If this is not true, what qualities/policies of Gingrich do you prefer over Santorum? Thanks.
Bobby
Many have decided that Rick Santorum is their number one choice based on their own beliefs and values but are not ready to support him because they feel he would not have the resources (basically money) to win an election with Barack Obama. Some also believe that he is not electable because he is too conservative to defeat Barack Obama. And others have not heard Rick Santorum through all the attention the other candidates receive. I’m ready for something different than the status quo.
I would also recommend his book, “It Takes a Family”. I have read it and would let anyone borrow it. His belief is that our country needs to strengthen families because families are the foundation of our country. He shares what he has done and what he and the American people can do to accomplish this belief. His values of family and faith are not just words to get a vote but the outpouring of what he considers a “calling” from God. He talks about being stewards of everything that God has entrusted us with.
He needs our help to win the Republican nomination. Even though a primary or caucus may not come to your state until the later stages of the process your support now will help Rick Santorum get his voice heard and keep the momentum moving ahead.
yankeegospelgirl
Yeah, electable shmelectable as far as I concerned. Let’s not play those games. After all, it was that kind of disastrous tactical game-playing on the part of the Republican party that ultimately cost Santorum his Senate seat.
JStanton
Santorum lost his Senate seat because he continued to be an enthusiastic supporter of Bush’s misbeggoten adventure in Iraq at a time when it was a very unpopular issue among his constituents.
I do not think Santorum will be as competitive in the general election compared to Romney.
Paul
and he was the single most corrupt senator in congress in 2005 and 2006. Even Republicans didn’t like him.
Huntsman was a clean candidate, a smart candidate and would have won over the independents. But, wait…he wasn’t insane or a crook. He didn’t stand a chance.
yankeegospelgirl
No, Santorum lost his Senate seat because the voters were mad at him for (under great pressure from his party) supporting the highly liberal Republican incumbent Arlen Specter against his pro-life challenger Toomey in the senatorial primaries—because Specter would be more electable in the general. So we got Specter but lost Santorum. Wonderful trade that. And then, to add insult to injury, Specter ended up crossing the floor anyway.
Bobby
Santorum’s support of Specter was definitely a poor decision. To say he was corrupt is very strong wording. What other policies did Santorum support that would show corruption? Thanks.
In that year, I believe 23 of 33 Republicans lost. It was a tough year for Republicans.
yankeegospelgirl
I didn’t say Santorum was corrupt. That was another commenter. My initial comment was merely a hypothetical speculation on the fact that with great influence and power come more possibilities for corruption, and that even though I have every intention of supporting Santorum as far as he goes, I want to keep in mind that God’s plan for him may be different.
Bobby
My response was not intended for you. I apologize for that π I chose the wrong REPLY button. It was intended for Paul. It is clear you are in support of Santorum. Keep pushing for Santorum.
yankeegospelgirl
Okay, thanks. These threads can get confusing. π
Paul
No Santorum lost his seat because he was labeled by a couple of non-partisan watchdog groups AS THE SINGLE MOST CORRUPT SENATOR IN 2005 and 2006.
Where do you guys find these loonies?
Bintang Kejora
Bobby,
Politics is war
To win a war you must kill more people than the enemy
Right now Mitt Romney is the enemy(both because he is a Mormon and because he is a moderate)
My mother voted for Santorum in Iowa….he is a principled guy and Not the enemy.
Newt is the best warrior to kill Romney.
In Florida alone Newt got the largest number of evangelical votes…..the evangelical votes for Rick Santorum only serve as friendly fire to Newt.
It is a Fact that Rick doesnt have the money to sustain his campaign against Mitt.
BTW —if Mitt gets the nomination I intend to sit out the general election.
Obama or Romney both equally wicked.
yankeegospelgirl
Now that, I would say, is an exaggeration. Obama is wicked, Romney is just uninspiring. I’m not sure he’s a deceiver as some make him out to be. To some extent, his conversion to being pro-life may be genuine. However, the fact that he supports “the three exceptions” and is wobbly on stem cell research shows that he hasn’t fully grasped the implications of that position.
Basically, Romney just seems like the kind of guy who doesn’t feel PASSIONATE about, well, anything really. That’s understandably frustrating for conservatives.
Bintang Kejora
Yankeegospelgirl
Really a man who worships an idol is not wicked?
God always punishes those who choose leaders who worship idols.
Having read you before I assume you believe that the god of Mormonism is an idol.
yankeegospelgirl
Oh, okay. I hadn’t realized that was where you were coming from. No, I don’t believe that Mormons are Christians, but I believe everyone who isn’t a Christian is worshiping an idol of some sort. Yet I’m not opposed to electing non-Christian politicians in general if I agree with their policies. However, it’s certainly more probable that a Christian WILL have policies that line up with me.
Bobby
Bintang,
I understand your frustration with Obama. Does your mom still suppport Santorum?
I just returned from a Santorum rally in Colorado and he spoke with passion about everything from the foundation of the family, Obama/Romney Care, the bailouts, the Constitution, God leading him, etc. He stated clearly what he would do as President and his past voting record would give us confidence that he would follow through. Also, his fundraising support is increasing and polls in Missouri and Ohio show Santorum defeating Romney in a head to head battle. I, too, desire that Obama is defeated but only defeated by a candidate who I trust. I believe the other candidates will be exposed as moderates and lose to Obama. Even if one of them become President, are they drastically different than Obama?
Daryl Little
Ummm…isn’t Santorum Roman Catholic?
So Bintang, since neither man is a believer Romney’s Mormonism is not a huge issue anymore. Look at policy and character, but one non-believer is as good as the next, if that’s all you’re looking at.
yankeegospelgirl
*facepalm*
Bintang Kejora
Umm—-you know the heart of both Santorum, Gingrich
Must one be Protestant to be a believer?
Mormonism is not a Christian religion it is a theological cult
Therefore the god they worship is an idol
God ALWAYS punishes peoples(nations) who choose leaders who worship idols.
Roman Catholicism is a Christian Religion
Religion does not a man Faithful but a man can never be Faithful outside of True Religion(as defined by the Bible not Jefferson Bethke)
BTW —I already stated that was not all I looked at in Romney…He is a RINO and the same if not worse than McCain.
Bintang Kejora
Darryl Little,
It is my belief that these three candidates are believers
Rick Santorum
Newt Gingrich
Ron Paul
Now the theology of several is incorrect but we are not electing a seminary president.
Bobby
Latest Rasmussen Poll: Head to Head results-Obama 46% Santorum 44% and Obama 49% Gingrich 41%
The momentum is shifting to Santorum as he is clearly making the case that his policies and beliefs are drastically different than Obama’s, Romney’s, and Gingrich’s.
yankeegospelgirl
I don’t think that’s unfair. For one thing, Santorum has made it clear that he will go farther than other Republicans on abortion exceptions. However, I think Romney may also be fairly conservative on the homosexual issue. He even opposes civil unions, which is considered more conservative than average. However, I did hear him say in an interview that he doesn’t believe in discrimination (meaning he wouldn’t want employers to have freedom not to hire on the basis of sexuality). There I would HOPE Santorum’s opinion would differ, but I don’t know for sure. Then there’s the issue of embryonic stem cell research, where I think Santorum may be more conservative than both Gingrich and Romney. However, I believe they’re all more conservative on that issue than McCain, who gleefully supported government funding.