Santorum

Last week, one of the posts noted that conservatives who ran as conservatives and had a track record as such always win.

One of the readers had the interesting comment.

"Santorum stayed consistent and had his lunch handed to him."

After reading numerous post election articles, I noticed how many analysts mentioned the Terri Schiavo case as a big turn off for economic conservative/ social liberals.

When the Schiavo case was in the headlines I really didn't pay that much attention to the whole spectacle. My only comment at the time was that anyone who thinks her "quality" of life was so bad that withholding her feeding tube was an appropriate course of action then those same people should be willing to hold a pillow to her face to end her life. How many people would be willing to do that?

With that said, one of the things about the whole spectacle was how many national Republicans were willing to get involved in this traditionally states' rights issue.

I think that's where I've underestimated the Schiavo issue and how it impacted candidates like Santorum.

A large majority of the electorate are hell-bent traditional; low taxes, small gov't, law and order, gun rights, strong defense & states' rights, conservatives. A lesser majority are social conservatives... anti- abortion, gay marriage, etc. While states are overwhelmingly passing gay marriage legislation, the South Dakota complete abortion ban (which lost about 55-45) shows even the most conservative of states are not willing to out right ban abortion.

With all this background info, here's how it applies to Santorum. First, Casey ran as a conservative democrat. His father was a well known anti abortion Democrat in the 80's. Democrats, accurately or inaccurately, painted Santorum as a way right religious zealot. Given a congress that could find the time for a 11th hour Terri Schiavo intervention but somehow couldn't manage to draft decent immigration legislation or reduce the government "bloatacracy", it appeared that gays and right to life issues were more of a manipulation of the base than a true priority of the party leadership. Candidates like Santorum suffered the consequences.

Even in Ohio - 2, Jean Schmidt never endeared herself to fiscal conservatives after voting for tax increases in the state house. Her last TV ads beating on Wulsin and gay marriage seemed to be milking a cow that was full of chalk dust; hence her very slim victory.

The lesson is prove you're a conservative on government spending and religious people won't believe that your gay marriage stance isn't a manipulation.