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The Spectacle Blog
I appreciate Quin for his reply to my query as to why he believes Rick Santorum’s endorsement of Arlen Specter in 2004 is less objectionable than Newt Gingrich’s endorsement of Dede Scozzafava in 2009.
He makes the case that Santorum was motivated to support Specter’s re-election so vigorously because he believed that Specter was the only one who could stop Democrats from fillibustering Samuel Alito and Bill Pryor in his capacity as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Fair enough.
But then Quin criticizes Bush for also campaigning on behalf on Specter during the GOP primary calling it “beneath a president’s station to get involved in that way in an ordinary primary battle.” But wait a minute! What about the conservative judicial nominees? Why is Santorum sticking up for Specter a profile a courage but Bush doing the same is undignified? After all, it was Bush who appointed Alito and Pryor to the bench in the first place. If keeping Specter in the Senate was the only thing standing between Alito, Pryor and a plague of locusts didn’t Bush also have a vested interest in campaigning on behalf of Specter?
Despite the fact Alito sits on the Supreme Court and Pryor sits on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, Santorum would come to regret his support for Specter. At the 2010 CPAC, Santorum said, “In 2004 I endorsed, against the advice of my wife, I campaigned for Arlen Specter in the Republican primary.” Maybe Santorum should have listened to his wife.
Quin characterizes Santorum’s endorsement of Specter as the exception that proves the rule with the rule being that Santorum, unlike Newt, is “a reliable and effective conservative.” But how can a conservative be reliable and effective if he loses his Senate seat by nearly 20 points?
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More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/12/13/the-specter-of-santorum
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Dai Alanye | 12.14.11 @ 1:31AM
Elections are about the future not the past. It's ridiculous to hold one seven-year-old mistake against the truest conservative in the field. And Dubya isn't running, so any mention of him extraneous.
albert constantine jr.| 12.14.11 @ 9:36AM
Not that I do't find the various permutations of positions on this fascinating, but I think it could be accurately summarized that Santorum's endorsement of Specter was more of an aberration, Gingrich's endorsement of Scozzafazza was more of a pattern. Likewise, Santorum's big 2006 loss in a blue state in a very bad year for Republicans (and all Americans, as I believe it has turned out) is the aberration from his previous pattern of slim Senatorial race victories in 2000 and 1994.
Quin| 12.14.11 @ 10:53AM
Thank you, Albert. Aaron gets tiresome. For the record, I never said Santorum's endorsement of Specter was a profile in courage; I merely explained why it wasn't a betrayal and wasn't disqualifying. I did so at some length. As for Bush, it should be obvious: The role of a senator of the same party in the same state is far different from the role of the President of the United States. I specifically said it was "beneath" a president to so involve himself in a party primary (exceptions allowed for challengers who are outrageous haters, as when the recently retired Reagan and the newly elected elderBush both endorsed David Duke's opponent in the Louisiana special election for a state legislative seat -- as it turned out, the first and only time Duke ever won an election, which tends to show just how little effect endorsements usually have). If Aaron can't understand the point I made about senators of the same state and party by unwritten rule endorsing each other, I can't help him understand anything.
martin j smith| 12.14.11 @ 10:47AM
Like all candidates Santorum will need to explain himself. Honestly I have not seen him be active enough yet to have a sense of him. I think the MSM and the Establishment Republicans do not yet see him as a threat-so far. Stay tuned.
Simon Templar| 12.14.11 @ 10:50AM
Quin is confused or he is making it up as he goes. Pick one.
Aaron, that is what I like about you. You are logical and notice inconsistency.
NotALibertarian| 12.14.11 @ 12:35PM
By "logic" do you mean his way of pretending that "reliable and effective" means "wins every election"? How does Gingrich's effectiveness stack up considering he was booted out of the House leadership *by his own party*?
PattyMor| 12.14.11 @ 2:15PM
The Dede Scuzzy endorsement came in an election with an open seat. Spector was the sitting Senator and apparently Santorum got guarantees from Spector about the court confirmations. They aren't at the same. Ginrich is erratic and unreliable. Do you think after $1.6 million from Freddie he's going to recommend to dismantle Fannie & Freddie? Get real, folks.
MikeN| 12.14.11 @ 3:28PM
Santorum wouldn't have lost by 20 points if he weren't so neocon. Pat Toomey had Specter beat in 2004 then at the last minute he runs a ad supporting George Bush in Iraq. Loses a squeaker. Santorum was going to lose either way, but he was still close, then he ran ads about the Gathering Storm in Iran, and the blowout was on.