would Santorum be Tougher to beat in a GE than Romney ?

[JI7]

i think Santorum comes off more likable. he isn't seen as stupid like Perry and Bush. he is also consistent in his views.

there is also something about the way Santorum speaks where he can have the most extreme views but he doesn't come off as hateful and crazy like Gingrich and some other republicans.

Santorum would have the religious and other conservative base committed to him.

[DJ13]

1. Froth has no substance

[beyurslf]

2. No. Santorum has a limited appeal, little funding, and no top-rate campaign experience.

I think many elites in the R party would rather see 4 more years of Obama than that mess.

[bowens43]

3. no. santorum is a raving lunatic.

Romney is the only one of the bunch who has real shot at beating obama. Besides Romney already has the nomination. It was determined long ago that he would be next.

[think]

4. mitt is the only real competition. santorum is a side show..

[Gman]

5. We should much prefer Santorum for Romney for the nomination

the record is overflowing with his wingnut positions and quotes. He'd be just as easy to beat as Bachman or Perry.

[Angry Dragon]

6. NO

[rhett o rick]

7. NO. nm

[BeaufortPenguin]

8. The Only Better Choice

would be the quitter from wassiller. Sanitarium is unelectable, so lets all flood the primaries and help him win.

[stevenleser]

9. I think they are equally easy to beat but for different reasons.

A Romney nomination will debilitate various sectors of the GOP base. They really hate him. I suppose he can try to shore that up by asking a conservative darling to run with him as VP, but that didnt really help John McCain and McCain was less objectionable to conservatives than Romney is.

Anything Romney says will be able to be knocked the same way. "Sure, he says that with so much conviction NOW, but he has said all kinds of things that he flip-flopped back and forth on over the years... etc.".

I think we are all underestimating how much that flip-flopping is going to affect Romney. People really do not like that in their Presidential candidates. That label hurt Gore and Kerry and they were not flip floppers at all, certainly nothing on the scale of a Romney.

Santorum would energize the base but would alienate everyone else. For starters, I don't think you can win a nationwide election in 2012 being a virulent homophobic bigot. I really think the country is past that. I think Santorum thoroughly alienates women by being so stridently anti-choice. Santorum is also in favor of sending all illegal aliens home and in favor of Arizona's anti-immigrant laws. That is going to infuriate Latinos. The big question would be, could Santorum appeal to so-called Reagan Democrats in the rust belt, and midwest, ie places like Pennsylvania and Ohio. Obviously, Santorum is from Pennsylvania so that might give him a shot there.

I think President Obama beats either of those guys pretty convincingly.

[SaintPete]

15. As the Romney nomination reaches certainty, watch for ads calling out Obama

as a flip flopper. Romney is already testing that water with his "Obama hasn't kept his promises" tactics

Attack your enemy' strength. In some cases, your enemy's greatest strength happens to be the fact that he isn't you! So in that case, add BLUR.

[johnaries]

10. In most GE's, the battle is for the Middle.

I simply don't see Santorum winning that battle. OTOH, Mitt might win the battle for the Middle, but he will lose the Right. I can see a 3rd Party (Evangelical & Tea Party) suddenly rising if Mitt gets the Nom, which would siphon off the needed "base" votes despite any Middle votes he may get.

[deacon]

11. Lol! NO. So, goooooooo rick!

[lacrew]

12. No...and it won't happen

Santorum may win Iowa, Huckabee style....but he has no chance in NH, and very little organization in many states. Its already a two man race....even if Newt comes in fourth, he is the only real challenger.

[Skittles]

13. Romney is the chosen one

it's all a dog and pony show

[Tuesday Afternoon]

14. no.

the only one that worries me is Huntsman but, he deosn't seem to have any traction with the dumbasses over there.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

16. Why yes!

Ricky just told people that he is a "uniter" and that sponsoring one bill with Barbara Boxer in 2006 and being elected Senator in Pennsylavania means he can be "bipartisan"!


I can't post the link from my phone but check out Talking Points Memo for this *story*

[RobertEmmet]

17. Absolutely not

[JohnnyRingo]

18. Oh my, no

Santorum carries more bad religious baggage than a voodoo gypsy wagon at a Budapest revival.

At least Romney wisely doesn't speak of his wackadoodle beliefs. Santorum can't shut up, and whether the admit it or not, few Christians can agree on everything. I think "offputting" is an approriate term.

Plus Romney looks like some guy who plays the president in a TV series. Santorum looks like a guy who never quite grew up all the way into adulthood. Sadly, that stuff matters.

[maximusveritas]

19. That's not the consensus among the punditry, but we know how right they tend to be

I think he would be similar to Romney in terms of his general election strength. He has some strengths as you noted that Romney would not have. Also, I think Romney is going to really get hurt once the general election starts because he has been able to skate through most of the primary without many attacks directed at him.

[dhill926]

20. Hmmm......

bringing dead kid home, or tying dog to top of car. Tough choice......

[Warren DeMontague]

21. No, because the "values voters" are a fringe minority.

The economic policies of the GOP are way more popular than the wingnut wack-a-doo Dominionist Godbagger shit. Your average meat-n-potatoes American doesn't want to outlaw birth control, doesn't hate gay people, but offer him or her a tax cut that sounds like free money, and they're all over it.

Where the conventional wisdom poo-bahs have gotten it wrong for years, they've overestimated the strength of the authoritarian godbaggers and poo-pooh'ed the socially libertarian majority that wants to do things like end the drug war.

Our party would do better if we would combine a spirited defense and advocacy for sane solid economic safety net and infrastructure issues- a liveable min. wage, a SPHC system, massive domestic investment in repairing and upgrading everything about our nation- combining that with a REAL socially (small l) libertarian agenda of ending the drug war, legalizing and taxing marijuana, demanding full marriage equality for LGBT citizens, unapologetically supporting full reproductive freedom, and shoring up the bill of rights in the areas it has been weakened in the past decades....

But regardless, Santorum would get his ass kicked in the GE. The majority of Americans are pro-choice, and no matter how fucking Howdy Doody friendly he makes himself sound, his Godbagger shit wouldn't go over well at all.

[stevenleser]

22. They are a fringe minority, but are the energy and campaign workers for the campaigns.

If you alienate the Christian right on the GOP side, you cannot win the election. You might have some crossover appeal, but without enthusiastic supporters to man the phones, canvass and get out the vote, you are going nowhere.

[Warren DeMontague]

24. whose positions did I misstate, pray tell?

You've illustrated nicely the conundrum that the GOP has to deal with, but helping them win elections isn't really my area of interest. And while they will have trouble with any nominee that doesn't appeal to the Flat-Earth, Ban Contraception wing, the fact remains that all the phone-mannin', get-out-the-vote-gettin' isn't going to sell that ridiculous godbagger shit in the General Election.

So I repeat: Santorum would get his ass royally waxed as the nominee. But Romney will have problems motivating the GOP base, for the reasons you mention.

[stevenleser]

27. No, you didn't. That is a new sig line I am experimenting with. I probably won't keep it.

I think we agree on things.

[Inuca]

23. No

and I am pretty sure that he will fade quickly. Will not even reach Huckabee levels (H had his own, rather revolting, brand of charisma, which Santorum lacks).

[yurbud]

25. that's a good way to put it: Santorum equals Huckabee minus Gomer Pyle.

[NNN0LHI]

26. There is no doubt in my mind Santorum would be more difficult to beat

Because of the Catholic vote alone.

Don

[truebrit71]

28. Nope....Mittens worries me because he has that plastic used-car salesman smile so many on the right

..seem to think means "Hey, at least he can fake sincerity well!"...

It worked for Raygun, who every thinking man (and woman) knew was an empty-shirt, and looked what happened to him...

[Inuca]

29. I disagree

Reagan was likable as a person, Romney is not. He is worrisome because I think that the conservatives that dislike them are actually right, he is not a true conservative (relatively speaking), no matter how hard he tries to fake it. And I think that once the primaries are over, there will be quite a few middle-of-the-roaders that will see him that way and would not have a problem voting for him. And that's why I am also very relieved that Huntsman campaign is going nowhere, and I hope it stays that way.