| | Rick Santorum's performance in Iowa a reason for hopeJanuary 4, 2012 - Mike ManevalThere are glimmers of hope in former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's practical tie with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the Iowa Republican caucuses Tuesday, where both men secured the same number of delegates to the party's convention in Florida, where a nominee will be selected. First, as a U.S. Senator, Santorum showed exemplary and commendable leadership on one issue, and an important one. Despite his freshman status in the Senate at the time, Santorum was pivotal in navigating welfare reform through the legislature and to the desk of President Bill Clinton. A legislative staffer at the time, Ron Haskins, now at the centrist Brookings Institution, attributed Santorum's success on welfare reform to his intelligence and to his ability to work with Democrats and compromise when needed, in an interview with National Review's Brian Bolduc. Second, and also looking back into Santorum's congressional career in the early '90s, Santorum voted against NAFTA, and has cast somewhat consistent votes for tariffs. Alec MacGillis, writing for The New Republic's website, notes Santorum still addresses - in MacGillis' words, eloquently - the decline of domestic manufacturing. Michael Tanner, another writer for National Review, chides that Santorum favors "tilting the playing field toward manufacturing industries." In the modern conservative movement, these positions may seem contradictory, or incongruent in some way. For another example, Erick Erickson of RedState.com includes Santorum's support of tariffs and trade barriers as policies that led to the Republicans' "downfall," as have other bloggers. But Santorum exhibits, on this tandem, a better grasp of economic and political reality and the relationship between the expectation that free men and women require self-reliance and the economic conditions - more specifically the respect for a diverse economy where producing goods is still valued - necessary for such self-reliance to be a practical possibility. And in that regard, Santorum's performance in Iowa provides glimmers of hope. Article Comments(4)rick424Jan-05-12 3:30 PM I would like to know how he or any of the presidential candidates will get manufacturing back in this county. I am talking the mindless factory jobs that paid a living wage. I don't see this happening. Yea I know, retraining, but there are only so many "high tech" jobs out there and face it not everyone has the capacity to work in these environments. All the republicans are just hot air and except for one change their views to suit the audience. AmericangirlJan-05-12 11:39 AM Rick Santorum, like most Republican candidates, fashions himself the one true conservative running in 2012. If the thought of big, intrusive liberal government offends you, he might just be your man. And if you favor a big, intrusive Republican government, he’s unquestionably your candidate. *******rightwingnews****/column-2/santorum-big-government-conservative/ AmericangirlJan-05-12 11:39 AM Union-Basher Rick Santorum Has A History Of Voting To Protect Unions *******thinkprogress****/economy/2012/01/04/397657/santorum-unions-flashback/ AmericangirlJan-05-12 11:38 AM Rick Santorum is enjoying his surge, ONLY because he has not been vetted yet. Once everyone realizes all of the following, he will plummet like all of the others. The reason Santorum lost his senate seat- Rick Santorum named MOST CORRUPT SENATOR! ***********citizensforethics****/index.php/press/entry/crew-releases-second-annual-most-corrupt-members-of-congress-report And, Rick Santorum does have a long history of supporting gun control. In the 90s, he voted to support the Lautenberg Gun Ban, which stripped law-abiding gun owners of their Second Amendment rights for life, simply because they spanked their children or did nothing more than grab a spouses wrist. He voted for a bill in 1999 disguised as an attempt to increase penalties on drug traffickers with guns… but it also included a provision to require federal background checks at gun shows. ***********nationalgunrights****/rick-santorums-anti-gun-history/ Post a Comment | in: News, Blogs & Events Web  |
