YEARS FROM NOW, political historians will look back at the surprising popularity of 2012 Republican candidate Rick Santorum and try to determine why he had the level of success he has enjoyed.
Regardless of what happened in Tuesday’s primary in Illinois, Santorum has far exceeded anyone’s expectations (including his own I would imagine) in the GOP primary. Santorum has successfully used a mixture of religious extremism with an appeal to the blue-collar worker to help him win several states when many who follow politics had written off his campaign even before the Iowa caucus.
Eventually, Santorum won the Iowa caucus even though Mitt Romney was declared the winner the night it was held (figure that one out of you can.) Santorum, despite doing poorly in New Hampshire where the first primary was held, has carved a path to surprising victory after victory, often by large margins against Romney, who has outspent him by mind-boggling amounts.
Santorum is routinely criticized in some circles for his far-right wing religious views. His decades-in-the-past views on birth control, a woman’s position in society and how much the church should play a role in government is downright frightening to civil libertarians and those who believe in separation of church and state. Santorum, many believe, doesn’t just want the right to believe the way he does, he wants you to believe the way he does and he would use the power of government to make it happen. Oddly, thousands upon thousands apparently agree with Santorum.
The former U.S. Senator has also tapped into an appeal to the average working man, who probably doesn’t relate to multi-millionaire Romney. (Ironically, Santorum himself is a multi-millionaire.) Even though he didn’t win Michigan and Ohio, he pushed Romney to the finish line in these states when many forecast it would not be close. Even after setbacks in Ohio and Michigan, Santorum rebounded with wins in Mississippi and Alabama, places where Newt Gingrich was placing high hopes on victories.
Most times, extremism such as the type Santorum is running on does not win in the long run. The nomination usually goes to the “safer” candidate who primary voters believe will have the best chance to win in November in the general election. That’s why it appears GOP voters are going to go with Romney, regardless of his flip-flopping baggage.
Santorum’s victories, however, remind me of the success former Alabama governor George Wallace had when he took his campaigns national. Wallace was an extremist on race issues, using the guise as states rights. Obviously, a candidate running for national office today on race issues would go nowhere, but religious extremism is still accepted in many circles.
Wallace also used an appeal to the blue-collar worker to have success in Northern primaries, surprising many political experts of the time who wrote him off as nothing more than a Southern bigot without national appeal. In 1972, before he was paralyzed in an assassination attempt, Wallace won several primaries in the Democratic race for president even though the consensus was he was never going to be the nominee.
Santorum, in the year 2012, has gone from almost leaving the race before it began to still being in the game as it enters the fourth quarter. Regardless if you agree with his views, it has been a textbook case of a candidate connecting with the people and fighting a much better financed opponent whom GOP insiders want as their choice. It will be interesting to see how history reads about Santorum in 20 years.
Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
Second, Santorum's victories have come in minor states usually where the turnout was low. Romney has won in larger more electorally important states with a diverse population. There is a difference in winning Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee & Oklahoma -- and in winning Michigan, Ohio and Illinois.
Santorum has no chance of winning the nomination.
He remains in the race primarily to feed the ego of Santorum.
Sam Nunn was loved by GA until he voted against the use of force and liberation of Kuwait. Then GA didn't love him anymore.
Why don't you mention Obama in your article? He went to a church for 20 years that espoused Black Theology. If any white man (or woman) went to a similar church with a white preacher like Jeremiah Wright, they'd be castigated until death. Second, explain his associations with the Weather Underground. Third explain his relationship with Van Jones. Etc. etc. etc.
Santorum is hardly an extremist when compared to obama.
You say he's not an extremist. Huh?
According to pRick Santorum:
Contraception should be banned, repealing Griswold v. CT.
Doctors performing abortions should be jailed, repealing Roe v. Wade.
Pornography should be banned.
Separation of church and state is not a doctrine to which he adheres.
He's a creepy extremist, and he's not going anywhere but back to his Virgina home where, he can reap his lobbyist millions as he has done since the voters in PA kicked him out.
Finally, I don't know where you got your warped view that GA turned on Nunn. He was never defeated. He simply decided not to seek another term.
Since you worship Santorum, it's obvious that you like to indulge in fantasy.
After serving for decades
By the Way Chris, how is that working out for ya? Don't look like he's doing too well to me.