Why isn’t Rick Santorum the GOP 2016 frontrunner? | WashingtonExaminer.com

This week Rick Santorum returns to Iowa for the first time since last year’s presidential campaign. For Santorum, whose victory in the 2012 caucuses started an improbable run at the Republican nomination, the visit will look like a campaign swing: an appearance at a party fundraiser, a visit to the Iowa State Fair, a speech at a gathering of social conservatives. Santorum hasn’t signaled whether he will run again in 2016 and is unlikely to make any sort of formal declaration soon. But the trip will certainly send the message that he’s getting ready to run.

If he does, one thing is already clear: Santorum will again be underestimated. In 2012, he won 11 primaries and caucuses, making him the solid second-place finisher in a party that has a long history of nominating the candidate who finished second the last time around. (See Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole, John McCain, and Mitt Romney.) And yet now, no one — no one — is suggesting Santorum will be the frontrunner in 2016, should he choose to run. As far as the political handicapping goes, Santorum’s 2012 victories don’t seem to count for much.

There are reasons for that. A significant number of people, including moderate Republicans, think of Santorum as a sort of religious politician, obsessed with social issues and motivated largely by his pro-life convictions and Catholic faith. Santorum certainly fed that perception at a few crucial points in the 2012 race with comments on contraception and the role of religion in politics. But anyone who watched his campaign for more than a few minutes saw a candidate with a wide-ranging agenda, one who spoke at far greater length about the economy and national security than about social issues.

And of all the Republican candidates in 2012, Santorum was the one who came closest to a position on the economy that might appeal to middle-income voters alienated by both parties. At nearly every stop, Santorum talked about voters who haven’t been to college, who aren’t the boss, who are out of work or afraid of being out of work. And then, when millions of those very people stayed away from the polls in November — they could have been the margin of victory for Mitt Romney — finding a way to connect with them instantly became a top priority for the Republican party.

Briefly put, Romney lost because he failed to appeal to the millions of Americans who have seen their standard of living decline in recent decades. Of all the GOP’s possible candidates, Santorum has the most cogent analysis of that loss, and a plan to avoid repeating it in 2016. That’s the topic we started with when I sat down with him at a Washington coffee shop last week.

“We have a tendency as Republicans to really identify with achievers,” Santorum began. “We’re big fans of free enterprise. We know the greatness of our free market system that has created wealth beyond any other country in the world. So it’s natural for us to see successful entrepreneurs as heroes, because in many respects they are, because they’ve been part of building something that has greatly benefited everybody in society.”

CONTINUED:  http://washingtonexaminer.com/why-isnt-rick-santorum-the-gop-2016-frontrunner/article/2533959

“Winds of Revolution”-- National Call to Action

Canada Free Press

Yes, America, you are watching the suicide of a great country Mr. Obama and his Progressive Socialists supporters/followers, union and radical thugs, and ardent admirers. They are self-destructing from corruption and ineptitude but are not giving up on fundamentally changing America. We must understand that they have an “Agenda” and are following that “Agenda”. I am finally sensing that Americans are starting to wake up and the winds of a new revolution are swirling to save the country. What does a country and its citizens do as their nation continues to decline in power, financial stability, its culture and the security of its people. At this time, we do not have the leadership to right our ship in time to save the Republic from severe damage it appears.

Mr. Obama, the great reader/orator continues to show his socialist agenda of spending the American peoples’ money first and misleading our country down a path of continual destruction instead of curtailing the cancerous cause of over-spending, rabid regulations, and class warfare. Instead of working to uphold his oath, he chose to set up a straw man in the person of the House of Representatives, specifically, the Republicans and the Tea-Party Caucus. His message is, and has always been, do as I like, or we will crucify you with labels and crass abasement.

Mr. Obama chose to use campaign speeches across the country to kick off his 2012 campaign for re-election in the vein of never letting a serious crisis go to waste. Now he promotes his great “heroism” in taking out Osama Bin Laden from the bowels of the White House. He and others must be replaced by the American People and we need the people to stand up and demand a change.

The economy is severely fragile and the feasting at the government trough is at all-time highs. The main stream media sees the obvious political advantage Obama seeks but appear to be clueless on the realities of the moment. Obama and company choose to make a mockery of our system again and again. He even said he would take his message across the land for the next six months. All the while, Obama places blame on Congress, the private sector and others for his dereliction of duty and lack of leadership seeking re-election and not working to fix America.

Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran and the perverted radical Islamists here and abroad are playing out their moves on the Chessboard very judiciously understand the domino effect of radical Islam, the caliphate, and Jihad. The United States finds itself languishing in the ‘Sea of Ambiguity’ because of a lack of vision, wisdom, common sense, and courage of our elected and appointed leaders, or has a clear agenda to do harm. We have a President in the White House, A National Security Council, and State Department under Hillary Clinton, and the Defense Department that seem to be as “clueless” as ever in forward strategic thinking.

CONTINUED:  http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/46668?utm_source=CFP+Mailout&utm_campaign=6f16c4900b-Call_to_Champions&utm_medium=email

This is Rick Santorum’s Rousing Speech After His Surge in Iowa: ‘Game On’

After stunning many people across the country with a virtual tie with Mitt Romney in the Iowa Caucus (Romney won by eight votes), Rick Santorum gave a rousing speech. It started simply: “Game on.”


After stunning many people across the country with a virtual tie with Mitt Romney in the Iowa Caucus (Romney won by eight votes), Rick Santorum gave a rousing speech. It started simply: “Game on.”

“Thank you so much, Iowa, for standing up and not compromising, by standing up and being bold,” Santorum told cheering backers. “You have taken the first step toward taking back this country.”

Supporters joined Santorum for a noisy victory celebration after tabulation of Tuesday night’s caucuses went into the early hours of Wednesday without a winner.

VIDEO AND MORE:http://www.theblaze.com/stories/this-is-rick-santorums-rousing-speech-after-his-surge-in-iowa-game-on/

Michele Bachmann Officially Suspends Her Presidential Campaign

Republican presidential contender Michele Bachmann announced that she will be suspending her campaign in a much-anticipated speech this morning. Bachmann, who performed poorly in the Iowa caucuses on Tuesday, had earlier canceled her campaign trip to South Carolina.


News of the suspension was widely expected in media following Bachmann’s dismal Iowa performance (she came in sixth place). Prior to the official announcement, CBS News reported:


A senior Republican official familiar with the congresswoman’s plans told CBS News partner National Journal that Bachmann came to the decision to effectively end her run, recognizing that “there was no viable way forward.”

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/michele-bachmann-officially-suspends-her-presidential-campaign/

THE DAILY RANT: It’s about to get very dirty

A full week before before the baseless allegations against Herman came out, I tweeted to be prepared for something like it to happen. Well, let me share with you how I believe the next round of attacks will play out.


First of all, I have been saying since March of 2009, that as unbelievable as it may sound, the Republican hierarchy does not want to win this election. That’s right, they do not. We have seen acts of betrayal, and sabotaging in local races across the country, and that is why they’re going to do everything possible to tear down Herman Cain.

It is no accident that these accusations happened when they did. The argument that you are going to hear, that these things aren’t being said about the other candidates, is bogus and the talking heads know it. There is dirt on Newt that is wheeled out everytime he even approaches a political position and it will be brought up again. Perry has already been damaged and there is no chance under the sun that they would let him beat Romney, and Obama will slice, dice, and fillet Romney. The very same reasons that make Romney unacceptable to true conservatives and Tea Party people are what makes him dead meat against Obama. And you can bet if Ron Paul and Rick Santorum had even a remotely distant chance of winning the primary, there would be dirt out on them, including allegations of sexual impropriety. Or do people not remember the ugliness about Rick’s one staff member? Funny how that found it’s way into the topic of campaign conversation the year Planned Parenthood, et al, determined he had to loose.

But back to my point. Very soon you are going to see the heads of groups, that people think are conservative, but are in fact nothing more than corrals to keep votes in, under the guise of being conservative, until the GOP needs them. The heads of said groups will give all pretense of being objective, when in fact they are apparatchiks, doing the bidding of Republican hierarchy. The leadership of said groups have for a very long time enjoyed a level of access, that allows them to believe they are part of the inner circle.

They will go on Fox News and select radio programming making statements about Herman that are intended to keep the buzz going, so that the talk of impropriety is constantly swirling around him – when in reality it isn’t the people, it is the talking heads. The same talking heads who predicted he would be gone by now, who said he had no money, and who said he had no organization. They will set themselves as the arbiters of justice, determined to bring him down, while making it look like they have nothing to do with it.

CONTINUED:  http://mychal-massie.com/premium/its-about-to-get-very-dirty/