Santorum on the Issues

COMMENTARY | Rick Santorum, scarcely a blip on the radar screen in the Republican race a week ago; surged in the polls to score a virtual tie with Mitt Romney in the Iowa caucus. The reason for his rapid upsurge in ranking can be attributed to two things, his connection with the people, and his conservative values.

In sync with conventional voters, Santorum wants to repeal the national health care bill. He also stands for traditional Christian values, deficit reduction, entitlement reform, and preserving our second amendment rights. His foreign policy stance focuses on preserving and protecting American exceptionalism. Bundle these attributes together and you come up with an electable version of Ron Paul.

The New Hampshire primary is the next jewel on the list. There is reason to believe the Granite State could give Santorum another strong showing. By surging at just the right moment in Iowa, there was little time left for strategic negative advertising from competition. Another positive for Santorum is Newt Gingrich’s resolve to attack Romney in New Hampshire. While his top rivals bombast each other, Santorum will have the opportune time to capitalize by their lack of attention, and gain momentum.

There are a couple things that could work against Santorum in New Hampshire. For one, TV ad time has been for the most part bought up by the opposition. Santorum will have to depend largely on print, personal appearances, and local media to get his message heard. Second, New Hampshire admires Romney. For any challenger to defeat him there is an uphill battle.

In the weeks that follow New Hampshire, allegations from 2006 of possible ethics violations could come back to haunt Santorum. Melanie Sloan, a Democrat and former prosecutor filed the charges against him in concern over a mortgage deal. The subject is sure to put the former Pennsylvania senator on the defensive, but if questions concerning these allegations are answered to the public’s satisfaction, Santorum could survive.

With Obama expected to carry a billion dollar war chest into the national election, the down to earth Santorum, would have the challenge of his life. In debates, Obama, a brilliant orator, would have the upper hand. Whether or not Santorum could carry the majority on the issues could turn out to be the deciding factor.


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