Evangelicals Consider Pushing Gingrich, Perry To Drop Out And Back Santorum

[onehandle]

WASHINGTON -- A prominent evangelical Christian said Friday that if Rick Santorum continues to surge in the polls and does well in New Hampshire and South Carolina, Christian leaders are planning to ask Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry to drop out and get behind the former Pennsylvania senator.

"There is real concern that [Mitt] Romney will win without having to face one concentrated effort of a conservative challenger," Richard Land, one of the most well-known Southern Baptist leaders in the nation, told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell.

"What I hear conservatives saying is we need to keep talking about this and we need to let Gingrich and Santorum and Perry continue to make their case, but at some point, earlier rather than later, we need to try to unite all of the social conservative forces around one candidate and have this great debate that so many people want to see between Romney and the non-Romney," said Land, whose official title is president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

"Santorum has to do the convincing. He did a lot of convincing in Iowa," Land said. "He's surging. The question is what's going to happen in New Hampshire and then what's going to happen in South Carolina."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/01/06/rick-santorum-gingrich-perry_n_1190491.html

Lotsa luck. The fix is in.

[tanyev]

1. God really pulled a fast one on them by calling so many to run.

[fascisthunter]

2. evangelical fruit cakes want a serial liar for a president

as long as he lies the way they want him to lie. What a bunch of unholy frauds. They may as well worship the devil and state so proudly, because that is exactly what their ideology embodies... evil.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. Perry's little heart is going to be broken.

He was so sure all his butt kissing to the Evangelicals over the years would pay off for him in this race.

[sarcasmo]

4. Crazy, racist, religious nut, homophobe. The right chants we want Rick, we want Rick.

[Populist_Prole]

5. Ah, I see. Consolidate the nutjob vote.

Fine with me. Let 'em have their long desired descisive battle. All the better to prove to them once and for all they are not the majority ( moral or otherwise ) in this country.

[OmahaBlueDog]

6. If this plays out, it will lead to a Romney/Santorum ticket

The upside, from the GOP/Conservative standpoint, is that Santorum would strengthen lackluster support for Romney among anti-abortion activists and potentially derail Obama's re-election by picking off Pennsylvania. The downside is that putting a Mormon and a Catholic on the same ticket may not play well with Southern, protestant evangelicals. They might opt to stay home, or write in a name like Sarah Palin.

[jmowreader]

9. That won't be the ticket

It will be either Romney or Santorum, plus Herman Cain to attract the black and Evangelical voters.

[OmahaBlueDog]

16. Cain will still have the infidelity baggage

Otherwise, I agree with the logic.

[jmowreader]

22. It doesn't seem to have hurt Gingrich any

I don't think the infidelity is going to be a huge problem if he runs for VP rather than president. The problem the GOP has with Cain is, he probably won't want to be the vice president so if they ask him he'll probably tell them to go screw themselves.

The alternative is to find a CEO who's a Protestant. Even one from a "moderate" faith like Presbyterian or Lutheran would be okay for this. Ken Powell, who is CEO of General Mills, would work here. (I can't find out what his religion is, but so long as it's not Mormon, Catholic or Jewish he'd balance the ticket.) The only reason he WOULDN'T work on the GOP ticket is he seems to be a fairly decent fellow and he probably wouldn't want to be around scum like Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney for a presidential term.

[Cosmocat]

12. Santorum as VP won't ensure Pa.

He got drilled 59 to 41 in 2006 by Bob Casey.

Casey has a great name from his father, but 18 points is a pretty big margin.

Santorum has A LOT of negatives in general, and in Pa in specific.

In a world where the middle has been redefined to being right center, and anything left of that is extreme left, SOMEHOW Santorum is so far right he actually is the RARE R who people see as an extremist.

He also did not live in the state, he had his family in Virginia while Senator, but in true republican fashion had the school district in the Pittsburgh area where he had an abondoned house, foot the bill for his children's education in Virginia. A couple of things like that really did not sit well with people.

[OmahaBlueDog]

17. He won't "ensure" but he could help "tip"

The President has polled badly in PA of late. However, 11 months is a long time in politics.

I'd forgotten about the living-in-VA issue. Thanks for reminding me.

[reACTIONary]

13. Putting Frothy on the ticket might help.....

with the hard-core nuts, but it would be a bit like McCain putting Palin on the ticket, a disqualifying move for a lot of independents.

[OmahaBlueDog]

18. This election cycle, I'm seriously questioning whether the independents will show up to vote.

Right now, I think many independents regret having voted for Obama, but are disgusted with the Republican party. I don't see any Republican candidate who would excite them into coming out to vote, except Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman, neither of whom will get nominated.

[Ecumenist]

7. Good..PLEASE PLEASE do that....

[Joe Bacon]

8. So the Pulpit Pimps are FROTHING at the mouth, eh????????

[Sky Masterson]

10. I hate to say it but if Romney was a Christian instead of a Morman they'd back him without question

.

[Trajan]

21. Why would you hate to say it ?

It is a long standing reality that fundamentalist Christians have declared Mormonism an apostasy long ago .... I am quite sure this is what has limited Mitten's from breaking through the 25% threshold .... Fundies were hoping for a real christian to show up ...

Don't be afraid to tell the truth ....

I am delighted that Santorum supporters are willing to counter Mitt, who has the greater support at this point ..... It is going to increase the vitriol and vindictiveness on the Republican side as they scratch and claw their way to a majority .... an honest to goodness rift ...

I think Democrats have a far better outlook than what the pundit narrative has declared .... We shall see ....

[Douglas Carpenter]

11. I think that's a brilliant idea!!

Say, what you will about Rick Santorum ... But I for one think he would make a GREAT Republican nominee!! Not as great a GOP nominee at Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin - but still a GREAT one!!!

[underpants]

14. Dress them up any way you like but this shows that they still ARE the Party of South

specifically fringe Protestant elements who can not support a Catholic or a Mormon for any reason.

Psst guess what thumpers - the reason Thune and Mitch Daniels and Christie Kreme and Rubio and Paul Ryan aren't running is because everyone knows that Obama is next to impossible to beat in this election. Oh an call the GOP headquarters, running Romney is the only chance you have of taking over the Senate let alone keeping Scott Brown in his current seat. The ONLY chance because (looks around) the party is trying to keep elements like YOU from being exposed to the public and scaring the hell out of everyone.

[madokie]

15. All of the repuke peckerheads are in it for the money

so each of them will hang on as long as they can keep that money coming in. Once that money tree dies out they will go.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

19. Let's be fair. It's only a "consideration."

[sarcasmo]

20. The Christans have found there crazy Charlatan in

Rick Santorum

[justiceischeap]

23. Meanwhile, Santorum is no longer surging in the polls

but falling behind quickly. Seems every time he opens his mouth, he loses 2 points.

[Vidar]

24. Please do that, and why not hitch a ride on the nearest

Space-Ark to the planet Eden while you're at it.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

25. Newt will drop out when it suits him

I don't think Newt will listen to the demands of a bunch of Santorumistas. He's way too arrogant to listen to anyone but himself.