“Romney v.s. Santorum: What it means for the G.O.P.”
Millions upon millions of voters are dissatisfied with Pres. Obama’s job performance; however, there are still deep divisions among those that oppose him. There was no clean sweep or nothing near a landslide during the 2012 Iowa Caucus. There are still too many Republican Candidates on the ballot, for there to be a clear “front runner.” Romney and Santorum both have many obstacles to overcome for the Republican National Convention this August in Tampa. Romney, by far, has the most liberal and anti-conservative track record of any Republican Candidate this year. Romney struggled consistently with these same issues in 2008; however, it’s a plus for him that all wings of the G.O.P. are much more united than they were in 2008.
Romney is off to a promising start during this primary season; however, he has much more work to do in order to completely, win over the conservative constituency and the “Tea Party” crowd. When Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts he passed new healthcare legislation that was very similar to Pres. Obama’s healthcare program. The idea of “moderate” Romeny being the Republican Nominee has given many political conservatives “ulcers”, for this very same reason. As a plus, Romney has a substantial advantage with “independents” and “moderates” that those running against him clearly don’t have. According to so many polls, the G.O.P. Nominee has little chance of winning a “landslide”, and neither does Pres. Obama.
Rick Santorum clearly will have no problem winning over his “ultra-conservative” constituency; however, he still has a few other “uphill battles” to deal with starting now. Santorum will in no way compromise his “right-wing” platform and agenda; furthermore, the Republican Base will proudly stand behind his candidacy. In 2006, Sen. Bob Casey J.R. defeated then incumbent Santorum in a massive “landslide” in his home state of Pennsylvania; furthermore, this leaves Santorum with a certain “electability” problem. Santorum will most certainly out-perform Romney in the “Deep South.” In the long run, Santorum needs to widely expand his base to include the millions of “undecided and independent” voters that will prove crucial to the election outcome in November.