While the GOP is normally a hierarchical party that ignores dark horses, Rick Santorum is prepared to run as the socially conservative candidate in the race.
This label is partially misleading and perhaps unfair. Most of the candidates are socially conservative. Senator Santorum has views on economic policy and foreign policy that fit well within the mainstream of the Republican Party.
Yet while on the surface there is very to differentiate Mr. Santorum from most of the candidates, he is the only one making social issues the heart of his campaign. His attitude is that other candidates pay lip service to social issues but do not do any of them.
The 2008 election was about the economy, and the 2004 election was clearly about foreign policy and the War on Terror. Social issues inspire a burning passion among people on both sides, but many people who decide the elections do not have such litmus tests.
While gun control, gay rights, and even illegal immigration can be considered social or “cultural” issues, an honest conversation about social issues means abortion.
I am not a culture warrior. I have voted for pro-life and pro-choice candidates. I have never publicly revealed my position on abortion.
Mr. Santorum has. He is ardently pro-life. Whether one agrees or disagrees with his stand, he has taken a clear unambiguous position. Like many Pennsylvania Catholics, his faith teaches him that abortion is murder and life begins at conception.
Again, most of the candidates agree with Mr. Santorum. Yet none of them will make this the heart of their campaign. One reason Mr. Santorum has to do this is because without such a focus, his rationale for even being in the race becomes very limited.
To his credit, he is a true believer. This is not to imply that he would be lost on foreign policy issues or economic matters. He has spoken intelligently on everything from fiscal sanity to world conflicts ranging from Israel to Iran.
Yet his niche the provides him a foothold in the race is the socially conservative constituency. For Americans who pay more attention to Phyllis Schlafly and the Eagle Forum than the Wall Street Journal editorial pages or Foreign Policy Magazine, Santorum is the one to watch.
The strike against Santorum is that there is a large plurality of Americans who simply have a hostile bigotry toward anybody deemed “religious.” The left hates all conservatives, but they despise social conservatives with an extra dose of venom. Social conservatives are made out to be intolerant zealots when the truth is most of them just want to love their neighbor.
Santorum would benefit if he were the only candidate in the race focusing on social issues. In 2008 Sam Brownback was hurt by Mike Huckabee. Brownback was serious, but was made out to be dour. Huckabee was folksy and funny. Brownback was much better suited for the job he easily won, Governor of Kansas.
Social conservatives have to prove they are non-threatening. Huckabee did not scare people. If Huckabee gets in this race, Santorum may have too big an obstacle to overcome. Yet while Santorum does not have Huckabee’s humor, he is less dry than Brownback. He also does not come across as the stereotypical angry social conservative as depicted by enraged televangelists.
Santorum is not bombastic. He does not use words like “infanticide.” He treats political opponents with dignity and respect. He is kind and thoughtful. He does not demonize people the way the left would do to him. He is also not a hypocrite. He practices what he preaches, and is a good family man with no known scandals.
He is definitely a legitimate candidate for Vice President. Pensylvania is a key state, and the constant mention of former Governor Tom Ridge seems to have faded. Ridge is pro-choice.
With Rick Santorum, what you see is what you get. Given his emphasis on social issues, some people will not vote for him. Yet if he can show people the intelligent, decent, and honorable family man he is, he could make some gains early on. Iowa rarely predicts the rest of the race, but Iowa voters focus on social issues. An early win never hurts.
Santorum’s dark horse status gives him the freedom to run an honest campaign free from hemming, hawing, and triangulating early on. If he becomes a serious contender, it will be interesting to see if this strong approach still holds up.
It would be good for the country if Rick Santorum is allowed to discuss social issues without being personally attacked. I personally focus more on taxes and terrorism, but I absolutely respect Mr. Santorum’s desire to want Americans to have a serious and principled conversation about social issues.
It was former New York Post columnist Ben Wattenberg who wrote the book “Values Matter Most.” If he is right, Rick Santorum will be the one to passionately and successfully carry that mantle to the values voters in the Republican Party.
eric
It’s all well and fine if Santorum is personally a nice guy (his reputation as combative and intolerant do not support this), but he is not just a “social conservative” – he is a far, fringe, Religious Right, radical conservative. On every social issue, Santorum takes only the most far-right positions. He would be a disaster for the GOP on the national ticket, as his positions seriously irritate and disconcert most voters.
JMJ