COMMENTARY | Rick Santorum on Feb. 19 challenged Barack Obama based on his Christian beliefs. This was reported by Reuters. A careful look at where the quotation marks lie though shows you exactly what the story is. Later on in that article you will see that Santorum is not debating Obama’s affiliation. He is attacking the president’s actions and policies which he claims are not emanating from true Christian core values.
What is astonishing and surprising is the response of the administrations to this statements. Despite the media’s general dislike for candidates and celebrities espousing their faith in God he has managed to get the people’s attention. Santorum of course first won the caucus in Iowa. Despite that win he was largely written off. His triple victory in the caucuses in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado catapulted him back into contention. This string of victories were considered an upset because of the fact that Mitt Romney was at that point considered the runaway winner and had as far as media perception all kinds of momentum. These wins have made him into a contender and he now merits attention from both the Romney and the Obama campaigns. Now the Romney and Obama campaigns are forced to use their monetary and organizational resources to deal with him. He is now a real threat.
Santorum’s chances hinges mainly on his success in presenting himself as only viable candidate for the conservatives in this GOP primaries. The statements made towards Obama’s Christian values is his way of validating this stance. It also sends a message to conservative factions, especially the evangelical Christians. Biblical precepts teach that actions must reflect the person’s beliefs. This particular action is readily understandable to those who base their beliefs on Biblical standards. People may criticize this stance especially in moderate circles but if he wants to win these caucuses and overtake Romney he needs to distinguish himself in this manner. My analysis is that this was a move that he had to be made. There is no other alternative action. Detractors need not be surprised at this stance, the accompanying actions and any further events like these from Santorum. They should expect more of the same. For him this is the only way to win.