Evangelicals Consider Pushing Gingrich, Perry To Drop Out And Back Santorum
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
(42,610 posts)fascisthunter
(29,381 posts)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
(28,158 posts)He was so sure all his butt kissing to the Evangelicals over the years would pay off for him in this race.
sarcasmo
(23,968 posts)Populist_Prole
(5,364 posts)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
(10,000 posts)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
(50,562 posts)It will be either Romney or Santorum, plus Herman Cain to attract the black and Evangelical voters.
OmahaBlueDog
(10,000 posts)Otherwise, I agree with the logic.
jmowreader
(50,562 posts)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
(14,572 posts)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
(10,000 posts)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
(5,771 posts)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
(10,000 posts)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
(6,086 posts)Joe Bacon
(5,165 posts)Sky Masterson
(5,240 posts).
Trajan
(19,089 posts)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
(20,226 posts)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
(182,877 posts)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
(51,076 posts)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
(30,749 posts)sarcasmo
(23,968 posts)Rick Santorum
justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)but falling behind quickly. Seems every time he opens his mouth, he loses 2 points.
Vidar
(18,335 posts)Space-Ark to the planet Eden while you're at it.
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,364 posts)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.