Santorum Rising

I have a few political points to make this morning.

The first, as I cannot resist, is another Rick Perry quote of the day. Yesterday he said, “Every barrel of oil that comes out of those sands in Canada is a barrel of oil that we don’t have to buy from a foreign source.” Nice job Rick. I did not know that we had annexed Canada. The funny thing is, Sarah Palin can probably see every barrel of Canadian oil 'from her house'...when she is not busy keeping an eye on those pesky Russians across the way.

Then, Rick Perry strikes again, although in the court of law instead of the court of public speaking. As you may have read, he, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich did not make in on the ballot for the Virginia primary as they did not amass enough petition signatures. Rick Perry is a huge advocate of 'state's rights' who has been trying to run as an 'outsider'. Yet that did not stop him from filing suit yesterday in federal court arguing that the Virginia election ballot-qualification law is 'onerous' and asking the federal court to overturn the Virginia ruling and allow him to be on the ballot. So states have the right to decide things for themselves, except when residents of other states disagree? Only then should the federal government and those 'left-leaning advocate justices who try to legislate from the bench' step in and overrule them? You cannot have it both ways Mr. Perry, and you will be long out of the race anyway by the time the Virginia primary occurs on Super Tuesday, March 6th.  

While we wait for more doubletalk from Rick Perry, I will move on to a more serious point. I feel I really need to say something about Rick Santorum. Most people who read my posts regularly know how I feel about Rick Santorum. He and I differ on so many political points, especially his tendency to allow his religion to influence every decision he makes, and I would never vote for him for president.

That being said, I think we all need to take a hard look at a politician who does exactly what we say we want in our candidates. Rick Santorum has never once wavered on his positions. He goes out and gives the same stump speech every time regardless of the political views of the group he is speaking to. He does not change his position, he tries to convert you. When he last ran in Pennsylvania, everyone knew the battle he had ahead against Bob Casey, Jr. Everyone knew that Pennsylvania was trending more moderate, more Democratic, while still not losing some of the social/religious beliefs espoused by those in-between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Everyone knew that a pro-life Democrat with statewide name recognition like Bob Casey Jr. would be hard to beat. Yet Rick Santorum never once wavered. Through the Terry Schiavo fiasco, his support of the Iraq war, and many other politically damaging issues, Rick Santorum stood his ground...and got pounded by 16 points in the election.

It seemed like the end of his political career, and when he announced for president, it seemed like another marginal, one-issue politician trying to steer the party right or left before dropping out. But he stayed the course, stayed true to his positions, and is up to third in the most recent Iowa polling. His message is resonating. He is, quite honestly, the only 100% true social and political conservative in the race. When you look at those ahead of him in the polls, he can make some serious arguments against the other candidates in the race.

Ron Paul is a crazy man. Many of his smaller government/lower taxes/state’s rights positions resonate with Republicans, Libertarians, and even moderate Democrats. But to pull all American troops worldwide home all at once? To basically dismantle every federal program (social, educational, environmental) all at once and say to the states 'you figure it out'? It is not just isolationism, but ignorance of the reality of our world. Yes, we should be less 'the world's policeman' and more a 'role model'. But we live in a dangerous world and it gets more dangerous every day as more radical nations get nuclear capability and many of the old methods of political and social discourse break down. A 'cold war' with the Soviet Union, when we were both in positions of 'mutually assured destruction' is one thing. But to not have troops in the Middle-East watching Iran, and Syria, and even our 'allies' in Pakistan, would be a huge mistake. Ron Paul has a loyal base, and they will make some noise, just as the 'Tea Party' has for other candidates. But he will never come close to the nomination.  

Rick Santorum can also make an argument against Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney is a Mormon. No problem there for me. I have actually had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful young men here in Arkansas who are doing their 'work' to try to get the word out and encourage conversion. I work at a university, and they visit our office here almost daily to socialize and drop off literature. But I am not a fair representative of the 'Christian Wing' of the Republican Party, so my view on Mormons may be a little different. Will the base really come out for Mitt Romney? Would they not rather support a 'true believer', someone who has been a staunch advocate for their positions, a solid Christian? Is there any candidate as Pro Life as Rick Santorum?

To me, the biggest issue Mitt Romney faces is the same one John Kerry faced: Who exactly are you? What do you stand for, anything? When have you ever taken a position and put it all on the line for your convictions, win or lose, go down fighting? Rick Santorum has espoused the exact same positions his entire career, without ever wavering even once. His positions do not change, he does not adapt, he does not 'reflect and have a ‘change of heart' as Mitt did on abortion. Head to head, Rick Santorum can really call Mitt Romney out better than anyone else in the race. And come November, I do not know if Rick Santorum would win, but he would absolutely make the best argument against (and best contrast with) President Obama.

I do not know how all the aspects of a Rick Santorum presidency would go. Certainly he would appoint vastly different judges to the appeals courts and Supreme Court than Barack Obama would. There would, no doubt, be a reinstatement of 'don't ask, don't tell' or maybe even an outright ban on gays in the military. There would be the largest push ever to find ways to ban abortions at the state levels, or impose strict constraints, and to overturn Roe vs. Wade at the federal level. Religion, which has been waning in America and in American politics, would likely experience a rebirth.

Would he be another Ronald Reagan, or would he be Greg Stillson? For those who are not familiar with 'Dead Zone' by Stephen King, you can Google that one. I truly cannot say. But what I can say is that Rick Santorum as president would be the same Rick Santorum who is a candidate, and the same Rick Santorum who was our Senator in Pennsylvania. Whether I agree or disagree, like it or dislike it, I can absolutely say that I know 100% what I will get from President Santorum. Can we say that about President Obama? What would a President Romney really stand for?

So that covers it. I do not like Rick Santorum's positions, but I admire Rick Santorum the man. He has steadily made up ground in the polls, and has run an honorable campaign, sticking to his positions and his principles. I will not vote for him when it comes to my state, but whether we vote for someone or not, as participants in this democracy we all need to step up and acknowledge when someone does things the right way, and sets an example for others to follow.