So How Well Would President Obama Fare Matched Up Against Santorum?

[Vogon_Glory]

I realize that I might be so far out in left field that I've gone past the foul line, but I would not be surprised if the Republican Party's hard-right base balks at the instructions of their party's leaders and the pundit class' predictions and votes for Rick Santorum in numbers sufficient to force the R party to nominate him as their presidential candidate.

My question is: How well would President Obama fare in a match off against Rick Santorum?

I hope the President would win in a romp against the former (and voted-out-of-office) Pennsylvania senator, but I'm from Texas and I've been conditioned to disappointment both within the Lone Star State and without by the cluelessness of all too many voters and non-voters.

[elleng]

1. I'd say 'romp' is a vast understatement,

but my luck in prognostication is NOT very good; I avoid watching sports events where I have real interest, cause my watching seems to jinx 'my' teams!

[pipoman]

2. Rick Santorum..Bob Dole...both cartoon characters

it is Obama's to loose..

[southernyankeebelle]

3. He will not win in the general election. He is to extreme. He will impose a theocratic govt.

[bowens43]

4. Obama would easily defeat him but it's irrelevant. Romney is the nominee

and that will be a much tougher fight

[Vogon_Glory]

8. We've Only Had A Caucus Thus Far

Mitt-sie may be the designated one by the lights of the Republican National Committee, other Republican powers-that-be, and the corporate media, but the Republican Party's hard right base has been known to balk at their marching orders. I suspect that such lights might get bushelled in a little bit. Every time I hear some Democrat or progressive claiming this early that Mitt-sie will be the Republican Party's presidential nominee, I keep hearing the after-echoes of George HW Bush's claim that he's "got the Big MO" after beating Ronnie Raygun in the Iowa caucuses.

New Hampshire aside, South Carolina is a VERY conservative state. Look at which Republicans they chose as their governor (Haley) and senator (DeMint)! And Haley is likely to face a recall because their Radical Righties don't think she's conservative ENOUGH!

SC Republicans might yet confound the Republican establishment, political pundits, progressives looking over the fence at what the Elephant Party is up to, and corporate media types by defying political forecasts and voting for a reactionary more to their liking.

[phleshdef]

5. Independents and more socially liberal Republicans will vote for Obama in droves.

This is just anecdotal on my part, but a long time acquaintance, very libertarian, very pro-Ron Paul guy that I've had many an argument with told me just the other day, after Iowa that if Santorum gets the nomination, he will pull the lever for a Democratic President for the first time in his life. This guy is no fan of President Obama's policies by any stretch of the imagination. He views Obama as a "big government liberal that will continue turning America into even more of a socialist country" (his words, not mine, of course). But he would rather have a big government Democrat for another 4 years than a religious zealot that thinks government has a place up in your bedroom.

This surprised me a lot. I've had some nasty, nasty debates with this person over politics, especially President Obama. I wasn't surprised that he won't vote for Santorum, but I was definately surprised that he hates the notion so much that he would go vote against Santorum, which would mean voting FOR Barack Obama. I think that says something about the kind of candidate Santorum would be for a lot of conservatives that aren't caught up in all the religious stuff.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. The debates would sure be interesting if Santorum was the nominee...

I think the president would outshine any of the Republican candidates in any debate, but Santorum would probably be the most entertaining, unless it was Ron Paul...

[AlinPA]

7. Reminds me of a Sat. Nite Live skit when the Bears guys were asking how Ditka would do in an

imaginary game! Santorum would lose in PA.

[RevStPatrick]

9. I think that might actually end up being...

...the biggest landslide victory in American history.

Once the average voter discovers what many of us here know about Santorum's hypocritical self-righteous corruption, they will be turned off by him. He would be the least electable candidate since Pat Paulson. Who at least had a sense of humor...

[Ter]

10. Not the biggest

The days of 49 state wins are over. Santorum would still easily win Utah and Idaho, and probably 5 more. It'll be a bigger win then 2008, though.

[Rhiannon12866]

11. Did you vote for Pat Paulson?

Just kidding, but I do remember him. I even remember David Frye, who impersonated Nixon when I was a kid. LOL. But through the Bush* years I always felt that there wasn't much of a need for take offs on Bush*. He was so often cringeworthy all by himself...