The LuLac Edition #1941, February 12th, 2012

Local GOP activists David and Donna Baloga with Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum. (From the Balogas Facebook page).

THE SANTORUM FACTOR

What has always bothered me about many political pundits in this state and area is the lack of respect Rick Santorum has always gotten. Santorum is for better or worse, now a national figure. He has done what only William Scranton did in 1964 and has become one of the very few politicians to gain national stature. Milton Shapp ran for President in 1976 and his candidacy was regarded as a joke when he finished dead last in the Florida primary. Arlen Specter stuck his toe in the 1996 race for President and promptly retreated. Santorum’s feat is all the more remarkable considering he lost his 3006 re-election bid to Bob Casey Junior with a resounding thud.
Santorum is being helped by a few things:
1. In a year when the front runner (Romney) can’t seem to connect and the other conservative (Gingrich) scares people, Santorum seems to be connecting when he tells his story of being brought up in a first generation immigrant family. Plus his common sense answers to conservative values is refreshing.
2. Santorum is being helped by social issues regarding things like birth control and contraception. It gives Santorum an opportunity to champion his family values credentials and paints a stark contrast to Gingrich’s personal life.
3. Like Ron Paul, Santorum has people behind him who are true believers. His support is solid unlike Romney’s. Out of all of the candidates facing Romney, Santorum has the most staying power. In the next few weeks, look for Santorum to do well in the Midwest. If that happens, Santorum may not have the juice to be the Presidential nominee but he might get the Vice Presidency.
TWO SCENARIOS
1. Romney limps into the nomination, battered and beaten up by Gingrich. In order to shore up the conservative/family values base he reaches out to Santorum. It will be an all eastern ticket but that geographic component will be offset by Romney’s money and Santorum’s conservative bonafides.
2. Romney, Santortum, Gingrich and Paul don’t get enough delegates. Or the power brokers in the GOP conclude Romney cannot win the general election. At a brokered convention, either Jeb Bush or Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels is nominated. Santorum is picked because of his face time in front of the American people in contrast to the newly installed top of the ticket.
Commentators may think this is a wild idea and bloggers might still want to put funny pictures up of Santorum eating a corn dog…..but mark my words, a Santorum on a national ticket this year is a better than even happening.

ROMNEY REBOUNDS

Mitt Romney has won The Washington Times/CPAC Presidential Straw Poll of conservative activists at their annual get together this weekend. The former Massachusetts governor was favored as the Republican presidential nominee by 38 percent of the 3,408 respondents. Second place was significant when Rick Santorum got 31 percent, with Newt Gingrich closing in at 15 percent. Ron Paul finished at 12%. Paul won the poll two years in a row but was not at the event choosing to campaign in Maine.
Speaking of that state, Mitt Romney won the Maine caucuses by a slim margin, giving him a much needed boost following losses in three other contests this past week.
The former Massachusetts governor defeated Ron Paul, the only other candidate competing in the state. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich did not actively participate in the contest. This little bounce enabled Romney to regain a bounce after losing three states to Santorum. Even though the vote totals in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota did not even approach 10% of the active electorate, the words “sweep” and “consecutive victories” buoyed the Santorum effort in fundraising. Romney is still having some trouble connecting with the many facets of the GOP. It’s almost like there is a shot gun wedding mentality regarding Romney. But the reality of the situation is Romney is still seen as the best bet to oppose Barack Obama in the fall. The last poll had them at a dead even heat at 48% each.

BEEP BEEP

A reporter and her photographer for Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV were nearly run over by Jerry Sandusky’s wife, Dottie, while taping a report in front of the Sanduskys’ house on Thursday.Courtney Brennan was reporting from in front of the house for a story about complaints to police that Sandusky was looking at children in a nearby park from the back porch of his home. This is an occupational hazard of reporters doing stand ups. While I don’t endorse Mrs. Sandusky’s behavior, reporters I know in this area would have used more common sense.