My impression of Santorum on MTP, etc

[Ilsa]

Let me say first that I find Santorum's political positions revolting, and I think some of his personal beliefs are kooky, but he is entitled to them.

After seeing the goofballs on the GOP debates not understand some very basic current topics, after seeing the morally ambiguous Newt, Cain, and Romney lie about their personal and professional behavior, Santorum looks sane and intelligent after a cursory look. He looks like a cross between Tom Hanks and Chevy Chase, and is a good speaker. It doesn't surprise me that the Santorum is (gag) surging. He has a charisma that Newt and others lack. We need to watch out for this guy.

[madokie]

1. Man on dog ain't going anywhere

He worries me not one little tiny bit

[sarcasmo]

2. I agree, Santorum has no chance. The money players want Mitt.

[Ilsa]

8. You may be right: the GOP primary

may be bought and sold to Mittens.
God(dess) help us!

[customerserviceguy]

20. The money boys do want Mitt

but that's only because Santorum has been at 2-3 percent in the polls until just this last week. Is there any doubt that they'd get what they want from a President Santorum? He'd unite the tea partiers and especially the fundies to the ticket in a way that Mittens never could.

If Romney gets the nomination, they'll have to spend a LOT of super-PAC money on, "Mormons are normal people just like the rest of us" ads. They'd much rather spend it on ads attacking President Obama. My prediction is that if Santorum can do well in Iowa and New Hampshire, then win South Carolina and Florida, the money players will gladly shift their wagers over to him.

They want to win more than anything else, Shrub proved that they don't care which idiot it is with, they can all be manipulated.

[MoonRiver]

9. Where did that term come from?

I've heard it for years, but can't recall, maybe never knew, what it referred to.

[riderinthestorm]

13. It stems from a quote Santorum made to an AP reporter

Lara Jakes Jordan in response to the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal

"In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing. And when you destroy that you have a dramatic impact on the quality —" (At this point, Jordan commented, "I'm sorry, I didn't think I was going to talk about 'man on dog' with a United States senator, it's sort of freaking me out," coining a phrase widely used in connection with this incident.)[7

[MoonRiver]

22. OMG, what an idiot!

Yep, he makes the clown car audition!

[Mz Pip]

3. He always strikes me

as being a petulant, dogmatic and self-righteous little prick. The evangelicals love him because he's just like them - petulant, dogmatic, self-righteous little pricks.

[Ilsa]

6. That's the thing: he's not acting petulant

In front of the cameras anymore. He's trying to sound patient and reasonable. He all but said, "I'm a uniter, not a divider," on MTP this morning. For example, he explains his votes on some conservative issues as the first step in getting what they want.

He's getting better campaign help from someone.

GOP voters have short memories. They aren't going to remember his crybaby episodes from previous elections.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

14. To be honest, I was impressed by his performance with Ed Schultz at the campaign event. Santorum is

usually brash and arrogant. Not so much so at this event and in interviews.

I hope he wins Iowa, just to spite Mitt Romney. It's anyone but Mitt for me!

[Bandit]

15. The people of his own state voted overwhelmingly to oust him from office.

His own state doesn't like him..

[Marie Marie]

27. Yes, but then that same state (my own PA) voted in Sen Toomey

who is far to the right of even Santorum. I am so ashamed (for ever giving either of these two a position in congress)and my apologies to the Nation.

[deucemagnet]

4. I don't see it,

but Republicans are running out of options. Every time they move the spotlight to another candidate, they react with a shudder. Now it's Santorum's turn. Maybe this will work to his advantage, because he doesn't have to be good, just the least repulsive.

[bahrbearian]

5. Sun light is the best disinfectant

Give it time , he will expose himself.

[Ilsa]

7. We can only hope that the

Spotlight will reveal his weaknesses and goofiness. Let's hope the stress gets to him.

[GoneOffShore]

21. That will require eye bleach.

Yuck.

[etherealtruth]

10. I see what you are saying

With a cursory glance (sadly much of the american populace only gives a cursory glance) ... he doesn't appear to be an imbecile (Palin, Bachman, Perry) .... he doesn't have the well publicized lack of ethics/ decency as Gingrich and Cain.

One doesn't have to dig deep to find his crazy ...but, one has to wonder how lang he can conceal it ... ?

I'm not worried about the guy; I am not sure Republican insiders support him ... but after the Bush presidency I rule nothing out.

[MineralMan]

11. Santorum lacks appeal.

Call it a lack of charisma or a lack of "gravitas" (a word I detest), but the bottom line is that he is boring. He has not a prayer of being a Presidential candidate for the GOP. He's just a distraction.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

12. I don't give a shit about Santorum as long as he does better than expected. I want ANYONE but Mitt

Romney to win Iowa because I believe that if Mitt were to pull this out, the momentum is with him. So I say, go Santorum! Go Ron Paul! Go Newt Gingrich!

I do not want Romney to win. He's an arrogant asshole, piece of shit, already announcing that he is going to win. Asshole!

[coalition_unwilling]

16. To paraphrase my wife's brilliant insight, we need only look at how

Romney treated his dog to know how he would treat us:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1638065,00.html

This message brought to you by the K-99%

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

18. Yes!! See how quickly Americans forget how cruel and offensive this man is...

...and his cocky-ass sons who can't go to Iraq because they have to help their daddy get elected!!

[rustydog]

23. To paraphrase your paraphrase:

Mitt (Willard) Romney strapped company workers jobs to the rooftop of the company truck he bought and drove the jobs to china. (Man he loved hat job.)

[coalition_unwilling]

17. When I saw him at the latest debate, he seemed awfully full of himself, lacking

any sense of humility.

Maybe that's a requirement to become POTUS. But I think that inflated sense of self-worth might be Santorum's Achilles heel and one that a clever Obama team ought to be able to exploit, the way Lloyd Bentsen famously served Dan Quayle so many years ago.

[customerserviceguy]

19. I agree

He managed to handle himself quite well today. I really expected a stumble or gaffe of some kind, and he didn't do it. He managed to steer the conversation over to his 'successes', in other words, make it all about him.

I think a lot of fundies are going to go home after church today, they've heard the buzz at the coffee hour after the service, and will actually watch that videotape of MTP, and be impressed. If any of them do Google up his name, they will be shocked, and will rally to him even more. Did calling tea partiers 'teabaggers' shame any of them out of those beliefs?

[starroute]

25. The tea partiers called themselves "teabaggers" -- it wasn't our idea

Once everyone found out what it meant, they were mocked for it. But until then they'd been wearing teabags on their hats, selling miniature silver teabags at their rallies, and everything else imaginable.

And Santorum's weaknesses aren't a matter of people making fun of his name. They have to do with things like the way he was cheating the state of Pennsylvania out of expensive online tuition for his children while having no official residence in the state except a small cottage that he was renting out to someone else.

[customerserviceguy]

26. Yes, that's how the name started

but we really ran with it. I don't think it did anything other than cause them to distance themselves from progressives who might have made common cause with them on issues like prosecuting banksters.

It remains to be seen if the tea partiers will sour on Santorum for the cyberschooling his kids got, my guess is that it pales in comparison to the millions Newt's taken from Freddie Mac. All Santorum needs to do is reimburse the school district, and he'll probably get a pass. Newt's Stepford wife was never going to let him pay back the Freddie Mac money, it buys way too much Tiffany for that.

[deacon]

24. He's the perfect choice for the GOP. They should nominate him. n/t