Can Rick Santorum Win the GOP Nomination?

[BrentWil]

The establishment HATES Newt and wants to take him down. Plus he is an has no discipline. Mitt has the money and organization to help, but no one wants to vote for him. Newt could very well win FL. If he does, the next few contests are caucuses (Nevada, Maine, Colorado, Minnesota) and a primary (Missouri). Santorum has a core of social conservatives and some social conservative leadership has lined up behind him. He could carry some caucuses and get momentum before Super Tuesday. If he times it right, and becomes the flavor of the month on Super Tuesday, could he be the ultimate dark horse and win this thing?

Thoughts?

[RZM]

1. No way. He just doesn't have what it takes

He's strong second tier, but still second tier. He's not on the same plane as Newt and Romney. He's more like Huckabee or Edwards. He can get in the teens, but not really much beyond that.

He's toast.

[BrentWil]

3. I mean, win the GOP Nom... he gets killed in the general

[RZM]

5. I mean he can't get the nomination

He's just not nominee material. I'm sure he thinks he is, but he isn't. The only reason he won Iowa was because he spent a lot of time there. He can't repeat that in other states. In the end it's not about having the drive to be president (which they all have), it's about having what it takes to get over the top. And he just doesn't have that. His time has passed.

[babylonsister]

2. We're doomed if he can. Really.

[MissB]

4. He can't.

He has that look about him. The one that says he is either hiding something or he lacks confidence.

[samplegirl]

6. No

and thank god.

[Major Hogwash]

7. February will be a drought month for Santorum.

But, he has a good chance on Super Tuesday to take Virginia by storm.

No, wait no, check that, I guess he doesn't.

Well, then, I guess it's all over then.
Time to wash out the kitchen sink and throw it at Mitt's ginormous head and declare him a heretic.
Bombs away!!

With little to no money, no real organization to speak of, no rich billionaire friends from Las Vegas that like him, and no actual plans to solve anything, what else does he need to stay in the race?
No idea.

Well, he's got that covered, too.

What can he say to Gingrich that hasn't already been said?
"See ya in Saint Looey, Screwy!"

Maybe Santorum should start carrying a bible with him up on to the stage and then lay it on the podium and open it up, and then threaten to start reading out of it.
That might do the trick.
Pat Robertson might even like that.
But, then Pat ain't telling anyone who will win this year's presidential race, so maybe he doesn't want to tip his cards to anyone just yet.

Watching these debates can be a nailbiter, I know.
Heck, they even had an old man standing at one end of the stage who looked like he was selling popcorn, but it appeared that he had lost his monkey.
So he was sad.

[BrentWil]

11. His path would be low turnout Caucus election... which a few are coming up...

Don't take a lot of money and he is good at retail selling.

[BrentWil]

15. February wasn't that much of a drought

[Angry Dragon]

8. Spawn of Satan

[Hugabear]

9. Many rethugs absolutely hated McCain

I know a lot of rethugs who felt McCain was a RINO - their version of our Joe Lieberman. Yet he managed to win the rethug nomination in '08. Despite their misgivings about Newt and Romney, it will be one of the two.

[BrentWil]

10. I agree. The vote was divided between Mitt and Huck and he won...

I just get a feelings something is different this year.

[BrentWil]

12. This seems relevant again....

Just saying.

[loyalsister]

13. I started to worry about him a little when Newt and Mitt started feuding

Santorum had all of the negative ads he needed - just sitting back and letting them rip each other apart. The MO primary may not count in terms of delegates, but it is a pretty stunning symbolic victory. The margin leads me to believe we should not underestimate him. He's actually a pretty good candidate vs. Obama. He's squeaky clean and his appearance is younger and a little less threatening than Mitt and Newt. Then there's that working class persona he's been working pretty successfully.
It's a sad, scary thought, but I think he actually could win the nomination. The real fear is considering the possibility of him going further. It's one we do need to keep in mind.

[BrentWil]

14. Looking at the Polls, he is looking more and more like the an upcoming front-runner. NT

[Initech]

16. None of these clowns are qualified for CLASS president, let alone POTUS.

[Douglas Carpenter]

17. unlikely - but not absolutely impossible

He does seem to excite the teaparty and fundamentalist Christian base. These are people who tend to show up and vote and also drag their friends, neighbors and relative to the polls with them. He is the ultimate true believers - true believers candidate. I would hate to compare a character like Santorum to a great man like George McGovern - one of the most moral, kind and intelligent persons to ever hold major office in the history of the United States. But what they do have in common is that Santorum like McGovern - Santorum is the candidate of the true believers - true believer - the candidate of the died in the whole grassroots activist. McGovern also did well in Iowa which caused him to be taken more seriously - but still considered a long shot. When the bigger players who were taken more seriously gradually faltered - McGovern came on strong and swept primary after primary after primary to the chagrin of the party establishment. If this phenomena were to take place for Santorum and he just kept piling up primary victories - the party establishment might have no choice. Again my apologies for comparing that twit to a great man. But having seen how the unthinkable can happen - I cannot completely rule out the possibility. It is a long shot - but not completely implausible.