Why Rick Santorum should be president
By Will Munsil February 22, 2012 at 9:33 pm 
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Republicans, if they are wise, should be looking for several characteristics in their nominee.
They should first look for a candidate who exemplifies the moral and political virtues Americans expect in their president. While the presidency is partly about policy and programs, it is also partly a symbolic position. In his family life and in his political career, Rick Santorum has exemplified character. He has raised seven children with one wife and has lost an election rather than betray his convictions — a sign of political virtue.
Then, Republicans should look for a candidate who can wholeheartedly and convincingly attack President Barack Obama on the signature issue of his first term — health care. For their own reasons, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich fail on these terms. Romney’s health care initiative in Massachusetts served as inspiration and beau ideal for Obamacare, making his frequent attacks on Obama’s health care positions ring false.
Finally, they should look for a candidate who can win. Santorum’s working-class, blue-collar background may give him an opportunity to win critical swing state voters for whom Romney’s wealth and inability to connect on a gut level could prove problematic. Obama’s weakness with working class voters was well documented in 2008, and won’t be a strength in this time of economic turmoil. To nominate Romney would be to weaken the Republican argument that Obama is out of touch with the average American. Santorum faces no such problem.
Santorum is a man for the political moment in a way that no other candidate — including Obama — is.
He understands the connection between the breakdown of the family and the breakdown of the economy, make no mistake, they are connected, in a way that no other candidate does. To clear up an obnoxious misconception: Santorum won’t take away the right to contraception. But, as he explained in last night’s debate, there are real consequences to a mindset where sex is disconnected from marriage and child rearing happens outside of the family.
He also understands the connection between conscience in religion and self-determination in economic life. As its recent assault on religious conscience for employers demonstrates, this is an administration that is willing, over and over, to say: “We know better.” Santorum can convincingly connect economic and religious liberty in one devastating and central critique of Obama.
Finally, he believes in the intimate connection between liberty and virtue in a free society. In many ways, conservatives have strayed from a true understanding of liberty in recent days.
Too often, we’ve accepted that liberty means license, and that freedom means removing all restraint. This leads to runaway spending, because spending restraint is antithetical to this idea of freedom. It leads to the breakdown of the family, because living within the sexual and emotional constraints of marriage is difficult and requires us to deny strong desires, and it leads to the kind of unfettered capitalism that prioritizes profits over people, and believes that anything goes as long as it improves the bottom line. We’ve seen where this vision of liberty leads.
Santorum understands these things instinctively, and can articulate them clearly and convincingly, which is why he is beginning to run closer in general election polls, and why he is threatening to become the GOP frontrunner.
President Obama doesn’t deserve re-election. Republicans have been searching for someone who deserves to beat him. In Santorum, they’ve found the right man.
Reach the columnist at wmunsil@asu.edu.
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Mr. Santorum is merely appealing to the far-right. I am hoping that most USA citizens disagree with most of what Santorum has been saying thus far. Also, the USA government is not a theocracy. Mr. Santorum and Mr. Munsil may wish that the USA is a theocracy based on the Holy Bible, but the USA is not a theocracy and never will be so long as the First Amendment continues to be enforced. Chances are, if Santorum becomes President we will continue to have liberty and justice for some rather than all.
Santorum even mentioned his intention of giving both Iran and China a headache. These actions will cost money among others. It’s strange how so many conservatives seem to be fine with decreasing spending except if it is for both foreign aid to nations that are already in the black and funding the Pentagon. Pentagon funding has increased each year that President Obama has been President. I have not heard a single thank you from any conservative.
The typical conservative would rather have tax dollars spent on giving the third world a headache than for domestic purposes. Somehow, they have the idea that decreasing taxes on billionaires will help pay back the national debt. Finally, a fair amount of conservatives believe that faith trumps reason. I am fine with conservatives believing what they want. However, I do not believe that conservative ideas should be made public policy.
Couldn’t have said it better than Jason did. The idea that forcing a Christian ‘phony’ theology on ALL of Americans is shocking. This country was founded on freedom for all, if its a ‘freedom’ you don’t want to take advantage of, that’s your right. But limiting those who don’t get in line with the conservative mantra defies everything this country was founded on. What’s really sad, is the state of conservatives in this country. There is a middle-ground, but the selfish and self-entitled in this country believe ‘their’ way, their ‘gods’ way is the only answer. As for ‘family values’ and his ‘moral character,’ the man is a tyrant. As much as he ‘hates’ radicals, he is one – he just carries a cross and a bible.
“Santorum is a man for the political moment in a way that no other candidate — including Obama — is.” – agreed – in that he is amazing to watch and listen to, if only to see what line he will cross, or to what base he will pander too while simultaneously sounding like a bigot.
We do need change in this country, and we do need a revival of ‘the family,’ but I would hate to have to live under ‘his’ roof, or his beliefs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWMDuZbq_go
http://www.slate.com/slideshows/news_and_politics/why-arizona-republicans-have-fallen-for-santorum.html#slide_3
“They should first look for a candidate who exemplifies the moral and political virtues Americans expect in their president.”
https://twitter.com/huffingtonpost/status/173804276978683904
Really?
The only people I’ve ever seen confuse liberty with license are conservatives. License is freedom without responsibility towards others and I really don’t think that accurately describes life in the United States. In the libertarian sense, liberty means being free from external constraint – not internal restraint.
On another note, a Santorum Republican nominee means another Obama term. There is no way such a hawkish candidate on the extreme right will garner enough public support to win a general election.