As it is said, Santorum won the beauty contest in Missouri, and perhaps those votes were protest votes with regard to the available alternatives. I am not wholeheartedly behind Rick, and I think he has his issues. In the general election, I think Rick will be castigated as some sort of backward, troglodyte theocrat when it comes to issues of personal choice. This Daily Show, SNL, etc. liberal irony will become an immovable force. Despite its evident slander, its power will be immovable—especially with those persuadable, independent voters that both Republicans and Democrats need to win the election.
Santorum is not the most quick with his speech, and sometimes gets whiny or even surly. As Pete reminds us, his proposed economic and taxation plans may even end up hurting the very same ordinary Americans he claims to espouse.
But as Peter says, at least he is at least fluent in conservative speak—and fluency indicates sincerity if not authenticity.
So I am glad that Santorum has at least raised a question of challenge against Romney—Santorum offers a better question against Romney than Gingrich’s opportunistic, devil take the hindmost sloganeering.
Nonetheless, I see in polls generic candidates beating President Obama, but none of these particular candidates win.
That said I think I will put my support behind Santorum. A brokered convention with Mitch Daniels is not gonna happen.
So I must admit, Romney in 2012.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
