Yeah, tonite seems to be Prez Wannabee night here on the ‘Grok with news on the front runners and the “fall overs” as well. We can now add Rick Santorum to the latter group. As he said, this is just not his year – he never got out of single digits and did rather poorly pretty much this entire season. What worked for him last cycle, an emphasis on social conservatism, didn’t this time. The electorate moved on based on this “new time” but Rick didn’t. Sure, his ideas were based on traditional Americana, but those just were not grabbing any voter’s attention right now. Yes, what is driving the Red Staters is a feeling that we are losing our country, but this time, IHMO, is a concern not on the “social / fiscal issues being lost” but an anger against those the electorate believes that have let them down (or worse, don’t care about them). Rick failed to do that refocus in addition to being seen as part of the older generation of politicians.
Don’t get me wrong – while we haven’t talked to him this cycle, he thoroughly impressed me last cycle as a good, decent guy who deeply walked his talk. It just wasn’t his time this time – it is unclear whether it will come around again.
