Question
Can Santorum be the Not-Romney candidate? Can he seriously become viable?
I honestly don’t know. Here’s what I do know. The GOP base is desperate for anyone but Romney – and I’m beginning to feel they’d rather say President Obama than President Romney. But can Santorum be turned into a viable candidate?
Confession: In the back of my mind, I keep thinking that the Conservative money men are searching for a way to get Perry into the race again. Not sure if that’s even possible, but he’s always been their guy. Sorry, just can’t shake this feeling.
Obama has worked hard to become a viable alternative for Republicans. But he seems to be on the road to recovery now. The test will come in the tax reform debate. It takes a lot of progressive spine to veto tax cuts for the rich and fight for increases instead.
I think the primaries in the South will be a play for military voters and their camp followers. We’ll probably see that theme once those primaries start. I have a gut feeling Perry would do well there if he can hang on. But I haven’t seen any polling breaking it out that way. Of course Santorum would split off the evangelicals, once again clearing the way for Romney.
I think Pandora is right about the shot callers trying to make Perry viable. They wanted him to bleed off teabag steam in a year that they know they can’t win anyway. His performance so far has been unbelievably bad though, so they might not feel like throwing good money after bad.
The establishment has warmed up to Romney enough that he’ll get the nomination this year. But that is problematic from the GOP’s perspective. A Romney defeat against Obama will just nurse the Teabags hurt feelings and make them even more desperate for a “REAL CONSERVATIVE” next time around.
Obama should run in the Republican Primary.
I agree that the GOP conservatives don’t want Romeny. I suspect, however, that their fickle flavor of the month flip-flopping indicates that they are not very enthusiastic about any of the alternative candidates. I suspect Romeny will be the nominee in the end largely as a result of his funding and through attrition. But I don’t expect a large turnout for the GOP in November. Romney lacks the fire. All that’s good for Obama whose voters will be measurably more enthusiastic (read frightened of a GOP presidency) than Romney’s.
My guess is that contraception will hang around Santorum’s neck like masturbation hung around another similar candidate….
Uh…ewwww.
That’s a much better place to keep it than your wallet.