A group of 150 of the country’s leading social conservative and evangelical leaders met yesterday on a ranch outside Houston and, after three rounds of balloting, decided who they wanted as their official anyone-but-Romney alternative: Rick Santorum. Though the meeting was described by some as ‘too little, too late,’ it was still seen as the last great hope for a real challenge to Mitt Romney who, after his wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, has already begun to give off that “inevitable nominee” glow.
I’m leaning towards the “too little, too late” side of the argument, but hesitate to commit because, well, Nate Silver disagrees with me: “I’m not buying the CW [conventional wisdom] that evangelical endorsement of Santorum is too little, too late. SC still very fluid.”
Of course, it makes sense that this group would pick Santorum. I’ve always wondered why he wasn’t shown the Evangelical love sooner. Which lands me back in the “too little, too late” camp. I can’t help but wonder how this late endorsement changes the field, or even if it can.
I’ll give the group points on ideological consistency, but take away points on political strategy. Santorum is a loser. Everyone knows it, and it explains why the Evangelicals played hard to get. It’s obvious Santorum didn’t have them at hello. Once again, this is about stopping Romney.