Santorum: A Man of Principle
Peter Wehner, writing at Commentary's Contentions, notes (1) that Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry have gone completely over the top in their anti-capitalism attacks on Romney and (2) that Rick Santorum has refused to join in (Santorum instead said, “It is bad enough for Barack Obama to blame folks in business for causing problems in this country. It’s one other thing for Republicans to join him.”)
Wehner's final comments are worth quoting:
"It is quite amazing; Gingrich and Perry are using anti-free market rhetoric that even Barack Obama would not entertain, if only because of concerns it would paint him as too radical and too anti-capitalist. And now we have a couple of self-proclaimed “Reagan conservatives” venturing into territory not even the most liberal president in American history would dare go.
Politics can do strange things to people, including stripping them of their intellectual integrity.
But politics can also highlight the opposite, which bring us to Santorum. Whatever faults he may have, he is not one given to pandering. His conservative beliefs, many of which are rooted in his religious convictions, are deep and true. Unfortunately, that is more than one can say about the former speaker and the current governor of Texas."
Primaries do have a way of sifting the wheat. Katievs, who comments regularly on Ricochet, is a Santorum supporter willing to vote for Romney. I'm now a Romney supporter who is more than willing to support Santorum.
But what does one do with Gingrich and Perry, who either want the presidency or are so mean-spirited that they are bereft of even a sense of shame? Do they have any clue how stupid they look? Rick Santorum, unlike Perry and Gingrich, is a man of integrity.
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Comments :
Jul '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
Agreed here. Gingrich and Perry have dropped so low to look for sunken treasure that the pressure is squeezing out the blood from their thoughtful places( channeling Pooh here ).
Rick Santorum has conducted himself in a far more dignified fashion and will campaign on his merits and discuss legitimate issues he has with Romney.
I am very disappointed with Perry and Gingrich.
Apr '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
I've always thought Santorum had integrity. One his last votes in the Senate was against Sec. Gates because of Gates'; dovish stand toward Iran. It probably cost him a shot at the U.N. ambassadorship.
Jan '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
I was most receptive to both Perry & Gingrich. I overlooked the wives, the mess he made as he was eased out as speaker, was having a hard time getting past him being a lobbyist but this latest stuff was really too much.
Jul '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
tabula rasa:
I'm now a Romney supporter who is more than willing to support Santorum.
That about sums it up for me. As a former ABR, who got off the merry-go-round at Gingrich, I'm very disappointed to see this from Perry (not too surprised about it coming from Gingrich). Romney clearly has his weaknesses, but I think he's been show-casing his strengths well. The same can be said for Santorum. In fact, they do seem to mirror each other a bit. Perhaps a Romney/Santorum ticket?
-E
Apr '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
It is interesting that Romney supporters have been generally supportive of Santorum. I think it was powerline that started talking up the "two horse race". I know I'd love to see Santorum do well. Jen Rubin was an early Santorum backer, months before it looked like he'd be a serious contender. It's also interesting that Santorum is the second most electable candidate (going by polls), and yet this argument for him is very rarely used. I suspect it's that decency, a genuine but not hysterical love for the Constitution, and a genuine love for America (including states that they don't personally come from), are shared appeals.
Dec '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
Let's just ignore Santorum's sweetheart mortgage deal. And his support of Arlen Specter.
Mar '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
Ironically, Perry, and even more so, Gingrich have moved more conservatives to supporting Romney than Romney himself could have achieved. It makes me wonder if these two jokers had not been soaking up so much attention, throw Cain in there as well, if Santorum might not have gotten a better look earlier and we might have a real race for the nomination. Instead we have had a dog and pony show that has left us with Romney.
Jun '10
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
They have only themselves, and their lack of conservative principle, to blame. I don't exclude any candidates from this comment: "You've got to have an ego the size of Alaska to run for president. Big egos don't respond well to rejection or criticism."
Edited on Jan 12 at 7:38pmJun '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
I've been about as critical of Rick Santorum as anybody -- especially the Specter perfidy -- but he seems to have learned something from past transgressions.
Dec '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
Santorrum was on Beck's radio show (if I remember correctly) a while back and fully explained that his backing of Arlen Spector had everything to do with judicial nominees making it through the process and nothing to do with anything else. And I, for one, can live with that.
Dec '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
Santorrum was on Beck's radio show (if I remember correctly) a while back and fully explained that his backing of Arlen Spector had everything to do with judicial nominees making it through the process and nothing to do with anything else. And I, for one, can live with that.
No, no. I was a Pennsylvania voter that year. Santorum supported Specter because George W Bush promised to support him in the next election if he would do so.
Mar '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
tabula rasa
They have only themselves, and their lack of conservative principle, to blame. I don't exclude any candidates from this comment: "You've got to have an ego the size of Alaska to run for president. Big egos don't respond well to rejection or criticism." · Jan 12 at 7:29pm
Edited on Jan 12 at 07:38 pm
Totally agree.
Nobody's Perfect: Santorrum was on Beck's radio show (if I remember correctly) a while back and fully explained that his backing of Arlen Spector had everything to do with judicial nominees making it through the process and nothing to do with anything else. And I, for one, can live with that.
No, no. I was a Pennsylvania voter that year. Santorum supported Specter because George W Bush promised to support him in the next election if he would do so. · Jan 12 at 7:40pm
That support probably didn't count for much by the time he got it, especially in a blue state. Doh!
Mar '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
All the candidates have serious flaws of one kind or another. I can live with Santorum's more than I can live with Romney's fake, glossy shell.
Dec '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
That support probably didn't count for much by the time he got it, especially in a blue state. Doh!
Exactly right. So many Pennsylvania conservatives were sick of George Bush and so disgusted by Santorum's cynical political calculation with regard to Arlen Specter that they stayed home, which explains why he lost in a landslide.
Dec '10
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
Put me in the Santorum supporter, willing to vote for Romney column.
Dec '10
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
Nobody's Perfect: That support probably didn't count for much by the time he got it, especially in a blue state. Doh!
Exactly right. So many Pennsylvania conservatives were sick of George Bush and so disgusted by Santorum's cynical political calculation with regard to Arlen Specter that they stayed home, which explains why he lost in a landslide. · Jan 12 at 7:55pm
Who are you supporting NP?
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
Gingrich and Perry have become unhinged, in my opinion at least. Gingrich has attempted to back track in such a way that I don't know where he stands on the subject. Their attacks on Romney, from the left, defy reason.
But then I read this, from Romney, in 2003: "...The classical Republican approach is to say you know what makes America so great is our great corporations. And if we just clear the decks so that corporations can be more successful and give them more money, and make it easier for them to succeed. Well, then we will do even better on the world stage. I don't happen to subscribe to that traditional Republican caricature." That first sentence represents Romney's understanding of "classical" Republican dogma? I'm honestly starting to wonder if any of these guys, outside of Santorum (at least to this point in time) understands either capitalism or their own party.
Jun '10
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
From what I read, the proof that Santorum wouldn't have qualified for the lower mortgage rate (from Philadelphia Trust) was that he didn't have enough assets to qualify for the lower rate. So, the proof that he's dirty is that he didn't have enough money in his investment portfolio?
Dec '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
Who are you supporting NP?
Gary Johnson
Dec '11
Re: Santorum: A Man of Principle
The two candidates share a common integrity.