During Rick Santorum’s ascendency to the top tier of candidates
(a new CBS News
poll shows him leading the GOP nomination battle by a slight
margin), my libertarian brethren
began to narrow in on the former Pennsylvania senator’s fiscal
sins.
Yes, Santorum supported the policy malfeasance of the Bush years
— the prescription drug expansion, No Child Left Behind, and
profligate earmarks, to name just three. Yes, Santorum supported
Arlen Specter for re-election, to the chagrin of conservatives
everywhere. I’m sympathetic to Ron Paul’s position on the
Patriot Act, so I disagree with Santorum’s support for that law. I
would rather be free than safe, and such intrusion by the federal
government is anything but conservative in principle.
No doubt, Santorum’s affinity (at least by conservative
standards) for big labor is a problem. He isn’t a pure free
marketeer. He doesn’t have a spotless record, and his grasp of
economics isn’t awe-inspiring.
That said, who is Santorum’s chief opponent? Mitt Romney. I
could better understand the logic of railing against Santorum if
his rival were, say, Paul Ryan. But as it stands, the harsh
criticism is unreasonable, especially given Romney’s own dicey
record. One libertarian Cato Institute scholar goes so far as to
urge
a Santorum nomination on the thesis that he will suffer a 10-point
loss and, as a result of the embarrassment, purge the Republican
Party of social and foreign-policy conservatives.
So much for the GOP’s three-legged stool.
Santorum supported big-government conservative causes along with
most Republicans during the Bush years. That’s bad. But Romney has
flipped on most major policy issues that Republicans — and
libertarians — care deeply about. It’s relatively easy to argue
the former Massachusetts governor has been a statist most of his
political life, but harder to make the same case for Santorum.
More to the point, Romney was the architect of the prototype for
Obamacare. Aside from jobs, that invasive law will be the number
one issue in the campaign this summer and fall. Not the
prescription drug benefit. Not No Child Left Behind. Not earmarks.
Not labor unions. Underestimating the value of having a candidate
with a clear record on Obamacare can’t be overstated. Romney
doesn’t have it. Santorum does.
To be fair, libertarian commentators have harshly criticized
Romney, and rightly so. But in a face-off between Santorum and
Romney, I frequently get the picture that they would much prefer
the latter — even though Romney’s policy sins are far more
grievous and substantial.
My sense is that libertarian-inclined Republicans detest
Santorum’s “God talk,” and that’s driving much of their reproach.
Chiefly, they don’t like that he has genuine convictions on the
sanctity of unborn human life and the importance of traditional
marriage. That’s their right. But the real question is this: From a
strict libertarian perspective, which is the greater threat to
freedom in America — laws restricting abortion and reserving
marriage for one man and one woman, or Obamacare and it’s
“mini-me,” Romneycare?
Besides, Santorum’s position on abortion and marriage is more
mainstream-Republican than the stance espoused by many
libertarians. And the general population is quickly coming in line
with Santorum’s view, more so than with Obama’s approach of
abortion anywhere and everywhere, financed through coercion by the
taxpayer.
Santorum isn’t a perfect candidate. Would that he were more
Reaganesque in his delivery. The testy approach won’t win him
points in a debate with Obama. And the fact that he lost in
Pennsylvania in 2006 by a double-digit margin is one of his most
significant deficits. (To his credit, at least
Santorum won consistently in a blue state, without sacrificing
his principles, and stood for re-election in a tough year for
Republicans, unlike Romney.)
But in a comparison between Santorum and Romney, the more
conservative choice is clear. If so-called “bedroom issues” and an
aggressive foreign policy are that odious to Republican voters,
they have an alternative: Ron Paul. But for conservatives who care
about both the fiscal and social health of this country, Santorum
— warts and all — is the best last man standing.
