Santorum’s comeback
February 8, 2012 5 Comments
It has been a big story in the news that Santorum walked away from the Minnesota and Missouri primaries with a win for both. Santorum has become a real competitor in the Republican race. The article states that though he is making a comeback, “Santorum still needs to prove that he can hold and sustain political momentum on a grand scale.” Is it realistic to think that Santorum now has a shot? Do you think it is a good thing that he is emerging as a strong competitor? Or will it only further divide the Republican party?
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72596.html
I think it is realistic to think that Santorum has a shot because if he won both the Minnesota and Missouri primaries then the people believe that he can do something for this country and he has something that a large group of people like. I do think that it could divide the Republican party but as the article says, there have been many “twists and turns” and at this point any thing can happen and the front runners can change again.
I agree with Taylor, I think that Santorum winning the Missouri and Minnesota primaries shows that he is making a comeback and still has a shot at winning the election. I think that the article does make a good point when it argues that for Santorum to win the election, he needs to sustain a steady “momentum.” Instead of just resurfacing and then going back under, he needs to keep moving forward to keep a following and to win the election in the long run. I think that it should be interesting to see what will happen in the rest of the primaries, because so many different candidates are starting to earn a large following.
I agree with Christian and Taylor, at this point it seems that anything is possible. If he was able to win the Minnesota and Missouri primaries then I believe that he is capable of doing anything. So long as he stays strong and continues to move forward and does not fade away again like he did after his win in Iowa. I feel like surprising things always happen and candidates always rise up out of the blue. I think the Santorum surely did so and it will be interesting to see what happens next.
I think Santorum’s comeback doesn’t really increase his chances in the upcoming election because of his winning in Missouri and Minnesota and I think it will be difficult for him to keep his, “momentum” like Christian said. I think if anything, he may help leading candidates like Romney to present better arguments in debates and clarify ideals from all opposing candidates. Overall, I think this is beneficial for American’s to better understand all candidates viewpoints, but won’t come about anything significant for Santorum in the running for presidency.
It will be interesting to watch. A lot of Republicans like Santorum because he is much more clearly conservative, and many conservatives are suspicious of Romney. On the other hand, Santorum is a pretty polarizing figure because of his strong conservative stances, particularly on social issues like gay marriage, abortion, etc. That plays well with the Republican base (which helps during the primaries), but it may be less likely to attract independents and moderate Democrats, which any Republican candidate will need to do in the general election.
One of the big things Romney really has going for him is that people believe he’s capable of beating Obama in November. With Santorum, they’re not so sure. A lot of people like his policies, but they’re also afraid he’ll lose to Obama. Politics is a funny game, sometimes.