Is Rick Santorum More Electable than Mitt Romney? >
Rick Santorum Appeals to Only a Minority of Voters
Rick Santorum's ideology is far too right and his campaign organization far too weak to win the presidency
February 22, 2012
About Jamie Chandler:
Jamie P. Chandler is a political scientist at Hunter College in New York City, where he teaches courses on American politics, political parties and elections, public opinion, and political analysis. He was also a visiting scholar at the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy at Columbia University.
Rick Santorum may have Romney's campaign team scrambling to run a zone blitz in Michigan and Arizona, but he is not electable. Santorum wins points for capitalizing on President Obama's contraception enchufla, but he can't compete in the long term. His ideology is far too right and his campaign organization far too weak to win the presidency.
[See a collection of political cartoons on Rick Santorum]
Electability has taken on a nebulous meaning in this year's race. Conventional wisdom continues to hinge success on which candidate is ahead in the horse race: Santorum's current 10-point national lead over Romney has fueled the perception that Romney's campaign has imploded to a near surety of a brokered GOP convention this summer. But vote choice goes much deeper than poll-based front-runner status. It's about substance. Voters will make a strategic decision based on what differentiates Santorum from Obama.
[See pictures of Rick Santorum.]
Substance is Santorum's Achilles' heal. His history of controversial statements comparing homosexuality to "man-on-dog sex," radical feminism "undermining families," and prenatal care "leading to abortion" only serve to lock him into an immoveable electoral position. He will not be able to moderate his views in the general election because he will alienate a broad swath of swing voters more interested in job growth than, as William McGurn put it in a recent Wall Street Journal article, "the weeds of a theological debate."
The volatility of this year's campaign is the result of a fractured Republican coalition with social conservatives fighting the establishment for the heart of the party's agenda. Ideology purity may trump pragmatism, but it will ruin any chances the GOP will have to beat President Obama. If Santorum wins the nomination, Republicans may find themselves in the same deleterious position the Democrats where in 1972 with their nomination of George McGovern. Losing the presidency because their nominee appeals to only a minority of voters.
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- Other Arguments
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No — Support of evangelists will not make up for independents, moderates, and women Santorum turns away
LARA BROWN, Professor at Villanova
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No — Romney would fare slightly better than Santorum vs. Obama, but both primary campaigns need work
FORD O'CONNELL, Republican Strategist, Conservative Activist, and Political Analyst
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#46541
Yes — Mitt Romney's record is weighing him down
TONY PERKINS, President of the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council Action
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Yes — Voters can trust Rick Santorum; they can't trust Mitt Romney
BOB VANDER PLAATS, President and CEO of The Family Leader
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Yes — Rick Santorum connects on social issues in a way Mitt Romney has not
GARY BAUER, Former Presidential Candidate
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No — Santorum makes for easy fodder for Obama, but neither addresses concerns of fiscal conservatives
JUDSON PHILLIPS, Founder of Tea Party Nation
Reader Comments Read all comments (9)
sandy jaquez of NJ 1:42PM March 03, 2012
Doris Lederman of NY 1:20PM February 26, 2012
J K of NY 2:30AM February 25, 2012