First my fellow conservatives, enjoy a red meat speech made by Rick Santorum at CPAC yesterday.
Before you get carried away, remember that he delivered this speech at CPAC. On the trail so far, Santorum has been a stalwart conservative, not just on his religious issues, but on fiscal and economic issues as well. His assessment of the problems that the conservative movement experienced during the 2006 and 2008 election cycles is absolutely spot on. During those two elections, the political leaders paid for the habit of governing as progressives who sought to be seen as Democrat lite, a brand of politician loathed equally by those on the left and right side of the aisle. Interesting that Rick Santorum would have made this observation, since in 2006, he was one of those very same political leaders fired by the constituents of his State.
Santorum’s case here seems to be very similar to that of Newt Gingrich, which is, “I’ve learned my lesson.” Prior to 2000, Rick Santorum was a conservative stalwart in the Legislative Branch. As George Bush became increasingly unpopular, he pandered to the progressives in a mistaken effort to keep his seat, when he should have doubled down on the message that got him elected in the first place. I have no doubt that Rick Santorum is one of us at heart. More importantly, he is a conservative on a multitude of issues and not just one pet issue.
There are many different stripes of conservatives, and all of them look at the rest of the movement as not conservative enough. I have been to a few rallies, and have had a good laugh or two along the way. We have free marketeers, hawks, religiously based conservatives, constitutionalists, tax reformers, libertarians, and all of them will be happy to tell you that their group is the only true member of the coalition. We should be very careful in how we administer our purity tests, as Ronald Reagan is not available to run again.
Watch for the same types of attacks to be leveled against Rick Santorum that we have seen leveled against Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and Newt Gingrich. I don’t know what baggage Santorum has, but I expect to see a full front page dump running for an entire day on Drudge, the NYT, Time, Newsweek, ABC, NBC, CNN, and CBS. The left would love nothing better than to hold another election between a Marxist and Marxist lite. Mitt Romney represents the latter in that scenario, just like John McCain did 4 years ago. My personal belief is that it is time to stand up for our conservative principles and have this fight for the direction America is going to take already. Both Gingrich and Santorum are espousing, with passion, the conservative principles that our side believes in. Each of these two has shown that this language is natural for them. Neither of them feels the need to apologize for their conservatism. We may get Rick and not Newt, and I am O.K. with that.
Cross Posted at Musings of a Mad Conservative.
Defeating the establishment pick Romney in the primary will be a victory in and of itself.
I’m going to vote for the candidate that still has a puncher’s chance at doing that come April.
Spend less each year till balanced?
Chew on that, Libertarian Rodan
I don’t like all the social conservative stuff. I want fiscal conservatives and politicians that stay out of our lives.
so in Romney and Santorum, I get neither, but I’ll support the guy who will make BHO a 1 term president
@ Bumr50:
Yeah!
Romney does not have a chance against Obama.
Whoever gets the nomination will face the full fury of the media.
They are beating up on everybody else and loving up on Romney now just like they were with McCain four years ago.
The enemies of America want Romney to be our candidate soo bad!
The second the GOP candidate is decided, they will destroy him.
@ Doppelganger:
The social conservative stuff is important. How is obamma’s attack on the Churches staying out of our business? How is repealing don’t ask, don’t tell staying out of our lives? How is telling us what to eat to the point of trying to make sugar a drug staying out of our lives? How is taking God off of everything these progressives get their hands on staying out of our lives? To me obamma is meddling in our lives and dividing America is a hell of a lot more dangerous.
@ Lily:
Just get rid of the TSA.
I seriously don’t want to be fondled by government employees.
Thats the kind of interference I want rid of.
@ Doppelganger:
For most of his career he has been a fiscal conservative and a free marketeer. I am not comfortable with the creation science stuff either, but I take solace in this one fact. Every time any school board anywhere has sought to infuse this into the curricula, they have not survived the next election. As long as we can all agree to leave this issue up to each local district, for the residents of that community to decide, and not to nationalize it in either direction, that’ll be alright with me. I see Santorum welcoming Newt into his administration and actually incorporating some of those ideas that we need, like a balanced budget that pays off debt. In his speech yesterday, he agreed to do away with base line budgeting, which is huge.
@ Flyovercountry:
Federal Government needs to get out of education, people in charge should be local, so the locals can get thier hands on them.
@ Prebanned:
And the EPA which for some reason is in the obama-care bill if I remember correctly.
@ Prebanned:
Forgot about that too.
@ Lily:
I’ve been saying that this new CFPB , headed by Richard Cordray, will be “the EPA for everything else.”
EPA already has earth, water, and air. CFPB will make it easier to govern the products that come from the elements by way of context.
CFPB controls everything bought and sold, by definition.
EPA has all of the supposed freebie essentials in life.
@ Flyovercountry:
Maybe because “creation science” is a non sequiter. There’s no such thing.
I have problems with all of them but I’m not sure they couldn’t ALL beat Obama is the election were held tomorrow
Obama’s ‘accomodation’ is a pack of lies. What else is new? I find it ironic that most of the American Catholic institution supported Obamacare, which violates all our constitutional guarantees vis a vis our relationship to our gov’t. If they didn’t think their religious independence would not soon also be violated, they were lying to themselves.
The first amendment, it should be noted, is an amendment
@ eaglesoars:
Meaning it is as much a part of the constitution as any other part.
@ Flyovercountry:
He’s just throwing Economic Conservatives a bone. He’s a Religious Progressive like Huckabee and Bush. His real agenda is to create some Religious Utopia in America. He’s not a Conservative.
2 years after the great Economic/Fiscal Conservative victory of 2010, I never would have imagined the top 2 contenders in 2012 would be a Rockefeller Progressive Republican (Romney) and the other would be some Crypto-Theocratic Progressive (Santorum).
This is a nightmare for me.
Rodan wrote:
Horse puckey
Doppelganger wrote:
We are in a minority in today’s GOP. Our time has passed. Reagan/Goldwater Conservatism is dead.
@ waldensianspirit:
Santorum has attacked Individualism. That is not Conservative. He envisions a Nanny Government controlling people’s lives.
@ Rodan:
You yammer those words repeatedly yet I heard him directly attack anarchism(e.g. occupiers and anarchists)
eaglesoars wrote:
Hmmm, all of them against Obama, intriguing idea….
Mike C. wrote:
No argument. But it was part of an ‘on second thought’ process
Santorum’s own words.
This is Progressive/Leftwing, not Conservative Rightwing.
And this theocratic shit is bogus
That’s like saying jfk wanted to re-institute the Roman Catholic Church as state authority of the USA
@ waldensianspirit:
See my 22. That is an attack on Conservatism/Individualism. Santorum is a Statist/Nanny Government. Maybe he will pick Mike Bloomberg as his running mate. They think Government knows best.
@ waldensianspirit:
How does Santorum plan to create his Utopian society without Government doing it?
Explain?
BTW- a Utopian Society is a Leftist concept. The Right accepts humans and society is flawed.
I’ll check the answers later. I’m going to head out.
Peace.
You just don’t like Santorum Rodan.
He didn’t attack conservatives. He is one. Nor the individual. Where the ‘right’ and left do wrap around are a bunch of hooligans/anarchists
He called it radical individualism
Santorum has my vote.
No roads.
No military
Rodan wrote:
Rodan, that is a CLASSIC strawman argument, isn’t it? To say we want the gov’t to leave us alone is not equivalent to supporting radical individualism.
Prebanned wrote:
Can’t do that. Can’t run a proper police state without the DHS and their TSA goons.
waldensianspirit wrote:
There, fixed that for ya!
waldensianspirit wrote:
Rodan doesn’t like ANY of ‘em!
@ eaglesoars:
The Bill of Rights had to be promised before the States would ratify the Constitution, though. No Bill of Rights, and there would have been no ratification.
Meanwhile Obama is killing our country through social and his immoral issues. We do nothing? Shame because there are many votes to be had in this atrea
eaglesoars wrote:
No, the “Bill of Rights” was hotly debated in the original sessions and agreed to be added afer the main body was completed. Not a “second thought” at all.
@ Macker:
You must have found one of my drafts!
Iron Fist wrote:
Mike C. wrote:
Both true. A misleadingly poor choice of words on my part
Spend less each year till balanced — Rick Santorum
Sounds like a great starting place to me
@ Rodan:
Santorum was always the second lowest on my totem pole. That being said, it may very well come down to Romney and Santorum in this thing. I like Santorum much better than Mitt. For the most part, his conservative bona fides are there. Yes, he’s strayed, but who hasn’t?
Flyovercountry wrote:
EXACTLY.
heh. How convenient.
Fifth Revolutionary Guard Commander Dies of Heart Attack
Hey Hey Ho Ho.
http://www.ustream.tv/timcast
Watchdog Group Obtains FOIA Documents Revealing DHS Monitoring Political Dissent Online…
Cool!
@ Bunk X:
“Because we are the ones who work for our money”
Bunk X wrote:
Ooo a counterprotest USA! USA!
here come the cops!
@ eaglesoars:
This has the potential to not end well.
/lurk
CynicalConservative wrote:
well, if anything happens it will be between OWS & the cops – CPAC is leaving
@ eaglesoars:
For the protection of occupodders most likely. Self sufficient conservatives vs. protest hippies, no contest.
/lurk
I don’t understand the hysterical fear that many R’s have of social conservatives. Maybe Santorum and Bachmann wear faith on their sleeves, but that does not in any way mean that they intend to turn America into a theocracy. To jump to that conclusion shows some sort of religious bigotry rather than an honest assessment of the facts.
eaglesoars wrote:
Is there an app for that?
tunnelrat wrote:
The AFR went nuts four years ago…every time Huck was on TV, for the exact same reason.
How much work does a world worker work….
If a world worker could work?
“CNN Fires Entire Jewish Staff Of Israel Bureau, Keeps Only Arab Reporters”
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2012/02/cnn-fires-entire-jewish-staff-of-israel-bureau-and-retains-only-arab-reporters.html
A Pgh newspaper on Santorum
For facebook haters (ME! I despise FB) and gun lovers.
Father Shoots laptop as punishment for facebook posting complaining about… what teenagers always complain about.
/lurk
pat wrote:
That’s a stunner isn’t it? I think it was citizen-q who posted it earlier. emailed to Hannity, Rush, Plante and newsbusters. I hope, if confirmed, somebody picks it up
@ eaglesoars:
Both Eric Heyl and Salena Zito are Romnidiots (I’m sure this “unsigned editorial” is their collaboration), so that’s just sour grapes.
Macker wrote:
Yes.
It’s called Mosssad
Bumr50 wrote:
I don’t know these people
??
Bumr50 wrote:
Mitt-Witts is a hell of a lot easier to say…
@ eaglesoars:
They’re Trib editorial staff.
@ Da_Beerfreak:
That is a good term for those who support “Slick Willard”.
@ CynicalConservative:
Heehee, he wants a dollar a piece back for each bullet:-)
@ Bumr50:
Ah, got it. Thank you.
@ eaglesoars:
OK. I just sent to Daily Caller
pat wrote:
Oh, good idea! hadn’t thought of that one…….
@ Macker:
@ tunnelrat:
I shall try to answer this as best as I can, and might possibly get some of it wrong, so bear with me. In the case of Huckabee it was easier to see. His conservatism began and ended with religious issues. He did not believe in the free market system, and stated so often. He sought legislation which would limit executive pay, and enhance minimum wage laws. Often times others in the conservative movement are not comfortable with the bashing of evolutionary theory being taught in schools and the introduction of intelligent design being taught in our schools. Using abortion as the only measuring stick during the GOP debates has been counter productive, which is more the fault of the liberal debate moderators than it is of the candidates.
As for myself, I disagree with teaching intelligent design as science, but I feel that this is a local issue which should be left up to the parents of each individual school district. That is one of the reasons for voting for a school board. It is not an important issue for me as far as Presidential Politics would be concerned, as long as we continue to respect the 10th Amendment. I disagree with tax payer funding for abortions, but I feel that contraception should be available most especially for Democrat voters. I am comfortable with the religious right, and feel that they get much more right than wrong as a general rule. It is just not the top item on my template so to speak. Rick Santorum has always put that near the top of his list of important issues.
@ Flyovercountry:
I disagree with teach Darwinism as a completed science
@ CynicalConservative:
Whaaa! I can’t see it, I’m still at work.
Give me a quick run down please.
waldensianspirit wrote:
Me too. Look what happened to Glenn Beck
@ eaglesoars:
devolution is a much more rapid process
@ Calo:
Girl posts a screed against parents on facebook, gets grounded.
Girl posts another screed against parents with even more vitriol
Father prints and reads said screed on video in addition to shooting girls laptop.
Father posts said video on girls facebook wall.
Entertainment ensues.
/lurk
@ Bunk X:
Looks like it’s hippy bashing time.
/lurk
@ CynicalConservative:
Too funny!
I don’t even look at the Calo Spawn Child’s FB page for that reason. Otherwise, I might have to borrow your gun and do likewise to her laptop.
@ Calo:
We could even make it more challenging (for one shot anyway) and have to shoot at a moving sphere on the screen.
/lurk
Calo wrote:
when you get a chance do watch it – bust a gut funny
@ waldensianspirit:
@ eaglesoars:
hmmmm
Andrew Breitbart Drops BOMB on Team O: “I Got Video From Obama From College
Awesome quote from Allen West today about compassion vs. entitlements.
“Of course we have compassion. We just don’t believe the safety net should be used as a hammock”
/lurk
@ Flyovercountry:
Flyover, I don’t have time to watch the entire film but I skimmed it. The Chromosome 2 argument is devestating. I’ll have to use it.
@ eaglesoars:
Before you use it, it is actually an argument for evolution, so tread carefully. Our Chromosome number 3 has an extra telomere in the middle of the chromosome, and it matches the missing telomere number 13 from our Simian cousins. In other words, the fact that we have 23 pairs and not 24 is the result of a fusing of Simian number 2 and 13 to make our number 2.
Flyovercountry wrote:
I got that part
Flyovercountry wrote:
Ok, I’ll book mark it and watch when I have time – probably in increments
@ eaglesoars:
Uh oh- if they use that video it’s either raaaaacist, faked, or will be taken down by the Secret Service/FBI/CIA and at least a couple of Obama’s czars. Or all of the above.
@ Flyovercountry:
Hey, did you know squirrels have kidneys too?