No Really, Rick Santorum Can't Beat Barack Obama

I gave into temptation and checked out the comments page for my piece on the GOP's "Ricksanity" that was published last week. The comments were so overwhelmingly negative toward my criticism of former Sen. Rick Santorum that I actually paused and considered that maybe I was wrong, and Rick Santorum does have the support needed to become the nominee.

Then, Rick Santorum did me a favor and made my case for me.

First, there was the wide coverage of his comments about "Satan" and subsequent refusal to back away from them. Voters want to hear what a candidate is going to do to solve the soaring gas prices, high unemployment, and the deficit. Rick Santorum chooses to talk about Satan engulfing the United States of America because of issues such as Title X allowing the federal government to fund contraception. That is the exact type of useless social rhetoric that hurts the Republican Party's image with the electorate and its chances of being successful in the November elections. 

[See a collection of political cartoons on Rick Santorum]

Then we got to see what front-runner Rick Santorum looks like at the debate on Wednesday night. It is now clear that while former Senator Santorum is able to deliver passionate speeches and portray himself as the unyielding conservative, under scrutiny he is about as consistent as Sen. John Kerry's stance on the Iraq war.

The Title X that former Santorum loathes so much? Turns out he voted for it. His excuse—he proposed a second federal spending program called Title XX to counteract Title X. So much for being a deficit hawk.

The federal takeover of education in No Child Left Behind? Turns out Rick Santorum voted for that as well in order to be a "team player." So much for being a small government conservative.

[See pictures of Rick Santorum.]

Santorum's stance on former Gov. Mitt Romney? He endorsed Romney in 2008 calling him a "true conservative." 

Throughout the debate Rick Santorum appeared angry, dismissive of the other candidates (especially Rep. Ron Paul who was hitting him the hardest), and not ready for the limelight of being the front-runner.

Bottom line: The debate was a nightmare for Rick Santorum. It provided another window into the reasons behind his double digit loss in Pennsylvania in 2006. It was also a useful preview of what an Obama-Santorum debate would be like—not a pretty picture for the GOP. 

[Read the U.S. News debate: Is Rick Santorum More Electable than Mitt Romney?]

I have absolutely no personal ill will against former Senator Santorum; I think he is a good man, husband, and father. However, I am also convinced that he should not be the Republican standard bearer in November.

I am looking forward to reading the comments to this piece.

• Vote: Did Rick Santorum Blow the Arizona Debate?
• Follow the Thomas Jefferson Street blog on Twitter at @TJSBlog.
• Check out U.S. News Weekly: an insider's guide to politics and policy.

Reader Comments Read all comments (24)

Add Your Thoughts

Comment Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Incorrect please try again

Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear:

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.