Is Santorum deliberately trying to lose this race?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

Here is Michigan being offered to him on a platter. All he has to do is to stay on message, stay conservative on a few social issues, make no waves, and through a few left jabs and maybe an uppercut aimed at that glass jaw of Willard Romney.

Instead, he has stepped into doggie piles with both feet, with a splat heard around the world. For years I suspected that Rickie was:

a. dumber than a box of small, sharp edged, hand sized, igneous formations

b. Opus Dei (which is simple way of restating a.)

c. truly blinded by his faith, to the extent that his sanity might seriously be questioned.

But the latest display of santorum spew has shocked and surprised even someone as jaded and sarcastic as me. If I didn't know (or think I knew) better, It would seem to me that at the same time that Rickie is doing his best to cut Romney's legs from underneath him, he is trying just as hard to come in second for the convention.

I really don't get it. He might even snatch defeat from the maws of victory. It was his to lose, and he may just succeed.

[Siwsan]

1. Truly blinded by his faith

Although I strongly suspect that, just below the surface, there is something more than impaired sanity. Someone that self-righteous is usuallly trying to hide something.

[asjr]

2. Actually, I believe St. Rick is running for

Pope of the USA. When we see the white smoke we will realize his lackeys have voted him in.

[wandy]

6. Definitly agree with you about his desire to be the first POPEUS. Don't agree on St.Rick...

I more or less prefer St. Santorum. Old line but, just Google it.

[Old and In the Way]

14. Or, Cleric-in-Chief

[RZM]

34. That's a very good photoshop job

[Old and In the Way]

36. All praise and alms goes to stockholmer

here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=329976

meant to add the h/t on my original post...but I forgot.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. He's a narcissist

as bad or worst than even Gingrich. And the media is carefully stroking his outsized ego to let him go full bore.

With the media having caught onto this zealous freak, they will continue promoting him endlessly to gain the eyeballs for their coverage of the elections. But this is only guaranteeing his eventual downfall.

[LisaL]

4. I am pretty sure its C

[2ndAmForComputers]

29. Me too. He really thinks America Will See The Light.

[Ganja Ninja]

5. He's so religious he putting Catholics off.

90% of Catholics don't go for this shit. This guy is more religious than the Pope.

[rhett o rick]

7. Sanitorium doesnt know up from down. He doesnt no how to lose on purpose.

Third, it wont be up to him. IMO if he really becomes a threat, Rove will take him down and he will drop faster than The Newt.

The oligarchs want Rmoney or possibly Jeb. Sanitorium is just drifting in the wind.

This is my opinion that I offer free of charge, no money back guarantees.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

10. I still smirk when I see Rmoney.

Could it be that Rove knows the whole clown car is doomed this year, and they should be planning for 2016?

[rhett o rick]

19. Hard to tell if the oligarchs are trying this year or not.

If not, they will go with Mit-Schmit, if so, Jeb will emerge as the savior.

I dont think the oligarchs are afraid of a constitutional amendment to fix Citizens United. I am sure they feel they can easily derail it with their unlimited funds.

[DearAbby]

31. Jeb isn't stupid enough

to believe he can come in and in two months build a campaign that could beat the Obama machine. All serious candidates are keeping their powder dry.

And what about the base? GOP writes them off once and for all?

[rhett o rick]

37. You may be right, but something about this current chaos doesnt smell right to me.

And what about the GOP base? They will follow along with whatever their authoritarian leaders tell them.

As far as two months to "build a campaign", other than Rmoney, none of the other candidates have a campaign built. And the Rmoney campaign could easily be switched to Jeb Bush, the smart son.

R-con voters will vote for literally anyone but Obama.

The R-con candidate will have billions behind HIM.

They only have to keep it close enough to steal.

For those reasons, the oligarchs may decide to go for it.

[DearAbby]

39. That is the interesting part...

Will the base follow the moderates at the convention....my guess is no, and that is where the possibility of a third party comes in. We get to watch a party in a middle of a civil war for power. This may get real interesting after Michigan

[rhett o rick]

41. I think it is totally in the hands of the oligarchy.

If they decide to wait until 2016 to make their solid bid, then they will sow hate and destruction and Sanitorium will be the candidate. If they decide to go for it, they will bring in a moderate at the convention and the authoritarians will fall in place.

But it's early in the day. By this afternoon, I will have a different outlook.

Have a good day.

[Ship of Fools]

40. I think I get what you're saying.

I don't understand this talk about how Jeb or Christie, etc., would not have enough time to get
out there, get organized, blah blah blah. Maybe TPTB have decided to let them kill each other off, and then march
someone out as the more moderate/old-school R's and non-Obama indies swooned with relief.
Wouldn't the level of excitement be off the charts?

[MoonRiver]

35. Romney was VERY sure he would win Michigan

when questioned by a pundit a few days ago. Made me wonder.

[rhett o rick]

38. Rmoney hasnt a clue. But I think the oligarchs have choosen him to be their "boy".

I hope they put him in a pet carrier on the roof of their bus.

[ecstatic]

8. Sure seems like it, doesn't it? Romney is closing in fast

due to Santorum & Co.'s crazy statements over the past few days. Is it really that hard to STFU for just a week?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

12. Seems to be working for Rmoney.

He's avoiding the press (still), sunday talk shows, and debates. Hiding out in the open, as it were. It does seem to be a good plan when your main opposition is Santorum.

[LisaL]

23. Sure does. Just let Santorum talk.

The more he talks, the more he says.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

25. yet he sounds to earnest saying it.

That, more than anything else, gives me the creeps. (the content doesn't hurt any, either)

[KansDem]

9. Santorum is the "Bob Dole" of 2012

He's just a sacrifice. No self-respecting Republican will take on a popular Obama in the wake of W's colosial fuck-ups.

They're looking to 2016...

[taught_me_patience]

11. His shtick is helping him the the primary

because it draws contrast between him (a man of conviction) and Mitt the flipper.

[Arugula Latte]

15. I first read that as "Mitt the fapper"

[libtodeath]

13. He is a fanatic

theocrat that no doubt thinks he is doing the work of jeebus.

[2banon]

16. That's what I thought about Dubbya before he stole the election 2000

don't ever underestimate the power of ignorance and religious fanaticism..

I figured it was impossible for that clown to "elected" ...

Of course I wasn't aware at the time of the ability to manipulate voting machines and engineer election results on a national scale.

Santorum should be in a Sanitarium.. but he could be TPTB's next figure head.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. "but he could be TPTB's next figure head."

He's WAY too unstable like Gingrich, and too much of a wild card to be a sock puppet. Rmoney on the other hand, is the perfect ventriloquist for them, assuming they can cheat him through the primaries.

With nearly every repuke primary to date having been contested due to massive election fraud, they seem to have been trying out different methods of stealing an election without being caught, but haven't quite found the right formula... at least yet.

[Kurmudgeon]

26. 2banon is absolutely correct. It only needs to be close for them to steal the election.

I'm much more concerned about 2016 than I am 2012.
Though go vote anyway, don't leave anything to chance.
Don't forget, Congress, especially the House of Representatives, needs a good cleaning out of right wing stank.

[dickthegrouch]

17. Stop complaining!

If they eat themselves alive it's all the better for us.

I still wonder why no-one's been arrested after all the accusations of wrong-doing. That should eliminate a few more from the race.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

20. I am trying not to, but, damn, this is fun.

What's that line from Being There?

[Dirty Socialist]

28. NT

"I like to watch."

[Douglas Carpenter]

21. no, he is just a sincere true believer who is just speaking from his heart - He really is

All things considered that formula has served him quite well. It gave him a very successful law career, four years in the U.S. House of Representatives and then twelve years in the U.S. Senate and then a VERY successful lobbying career. And now he leads the polls for the Republican Party nomination. That's pretty impressive. However - I honestly don't think he has any idea just how marginal his views are. Most right-wing social conservatives don't. They truly believe that they represent the great silent majority of ordinary decent Americans. And except for his one loss in 2008 - he has not had any real reason to question that assumption. I wish him well in his efforts to win the Republican nomination. Let reality crash down upon his head in November.

[killbotfactory]

22. The better he does, the more emboldened he becomes to say stupid shit

He's a real piece of work.

[Old and In the Way]

24. I find that strange, too.

All he had to do was repeat, over and over, "I'm the true conservative in this race." Mention his gramps in the coal mines and spread the Santorum that he's a blue collar working Republican stiff, just like them. Stay away from the extremist language and theocratic messaging. But, no, Rick's inclination is to focus on the religious message. I really don't know why...his pollsters/handlers have to know that this message certainly will hurt him in the GE...and is even starting to hurt him in the primary. I really don't think Rick got into this race to win...I think he was angling to raise is name recognition, either for a VP slot or maybe to sell books or get some cushy sinecure in one of the endless rightwing bullshit manufacturing plants.

[cbdo2007]

27. Of course....he is setting himself up for the next real race in 2016

all the repubes know this is a throw-away election year. President Obama has it in the bag by a long shot. They also know whoever runs as a Repube in 2016 has a good chance to win due to the Repube-Democrat-Repube-Democrat pendulum.

Whoever runs against President Obama this year has about a 5% chance of winning, while a Repube in 2016 realistically has probably a 60% chance of winning.

[Evasporque]

30. Imagine the Christian Extremism after a huge Santorum Presidential defeat....

If Santorum wins the nomination, this pretty much means that the GOP is now 100% a right wing Christian extremist political movement. With his no doubt massive loss in the Presidential contest, this will drive RW Christians mad with rage and they will turn to violence.

What is clear....Christian Extremists are real and they are armed....and when their candidate and party are resoundingly squashed buy the voting public they will react in the only way their narrow stupid minds will allow....

[rug]

32. It would be worse after a huge Santorum Presidential victory.

[MoonRiver]

33. He's so arrogant he really thinks the majority of people support his extreme views.

A lot of Thugs are similarly deluded.