Santorum’s plan to derail Romney
But in candid conversations with POLITICO, a half-dozen Santorum strategists and allies indicated that the former Pennsylvania senator is weighing whether to seek a more dramatic shift in a primary season that has seen plenty of them.
A potential path to breaking open the race against Romney, they say, could run through Michigan’s Feb. 28 election and Ohio’s Super Tuesday vote on March 6 — two Rust Belt primaries in which they believe Santorum’s working-class background and manufacturing-heavy message will resonate. (Arizona’s winner-take-all primary, also on Feb. 28, looks less inviting.)
The privately held hope in the Santorum camp is that beating Romney in his native state of Michigan or in the ultimate general election battleground of Ohio would discredit, on a grand scale, the on-and-off Republican front-runner and make the other candidates in the race irrelevant in the remaining contests.
“If we can get it to a two-person race, I feel very confident that we will be the nominee,” said Santorum strategist John Brabender, who explained that the campaign is assessing where to play based on the number of delegates at stake and the cost of competing in each state.
Blowback
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You mean he’s planning on getting tough? ‘Bout time.
Don’t forget MackDaddy.
davidk on February 13, 2012 at 2:07 PM
It’s fun to watch the Romney camp, with cannons loaded, and not quite able to fire after the Santorum camp.
They can destroy Santorum, but in turn will self-destruct even further.
Couldn’t happen to a ‘nicer’ bunch.
Schadenfreude on February 13, 2012 at 2:07 PM
Ricky Bobby 2012!
Logus on February 13, 2012 at 2:07 PM
The downside of Santorum’s “manufacturing” strategy is that it will not deliver what he promises it will should he ever get elected. It’s populist drivel… better than current policy, but he is painting a very rosy picture.
mankai on February 13, 2012 at 2:12 PM
Thats what the voters want though. They want to be lied to repeatedly.
thphilli on February 13, 2012 at 2:14 PM
Santorum’s plan to derail Romney should include this.
http://ricochet.com/main-feed/A-Sentence-I-Wish-I-Hadn-t-Read
So much for Romney’s various versions of his pro-life conversion story.
Mitch Rapp on February 13, 2012 at 2:14 PM
Remember, Mitt has no control over what his Super Pac does. It’s in the rules somwhere. His hands are completely clean.
a capella on February 13, 2012 at 2:15 PM
I think they’re going to go for it and hope they can fix the damage later. Santorum had better be ready.
Doomberg on February 13, 2012 at 2:17 PM
Ricko would do better going after Obowma with his limited resources…
… Just sayin’.
Seven Percent Solution on February 13, 2012 at 2:18 PM
a capella on February 13, 2012 at 2:15 PM
Great one, you’ve gone delusional, sadly.
Troubled waters
Sure they will, along with the establishment, Fox, Drudge/Coulter, with the same results.
Romney is all about himself, with no reason why to follow him. He exposed Newt’s lard and flesh, and look what it’s gotten him. He’ll attempt the same with Rick, and it will get him to be even more despised, by more people.
The entire field stinks but it’s fun to watch the perfumed prince be evitable and the coronation in doubt.
Schadenfreude on February 13, 2012 at 2:21 PM
Most importantly. Anyone who doesn’t fight, and fight hard, for the First Amendment, doesn’t deserve to win the nomination, nor the presidency.
Romney is a weasel in many regards, more so on this very significant topic.
Schadenfreude on February 13, 2012 at 2:22 PM
Shake and bake!
joe_doufu on February 13, 2012 at 2:22 PM
West/Breitbart
Schadenfreude on February 13, 2012 at 2:22 PM
conservatives plan to derail Romney
social-justice on February 13, 2012 at 2:24 PM
No we don’t.
rich801 on February 13, 2012 at 2:28 PM
I freely admit that I “stole” the idea from a poster on this site. I think maybe it was Doomberg?
I had postulated/thrown out the idea of Santorum teaming with Jindal if he gets the nomination and the person’s pithy response to my Santorum/Jindal was Ricky Bobby!
The rest is “history”. I even went so far as to drop a note to Santorum’s campaign.
So, if Santorum does get the nomination, asks Jindal to run with him and Bobby accepts, I want a piece of the pie!
Logus on February 13, 2012 at 2:29 PM
Just remember, if you make millions off of merchandising that slogan, I get my cut.
Doughboy on February 13, 2012 at 2:30 PM
I have a new laptop, so I don’t have a whole lot of “favorites” listed yet.
I just created a new folder “blogs” and put your blog in it.
davidk on February 13, 2012 at 2:30 PM
Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for that one, much as I’d like to.
Doomberg on February 13, 2012 at 2:32 PM
Doughboy – I’ll gladly share my Stan Lee “No Prize” with you.
davidk – I thank ye very much. Hold my feet to the fire sir.
Logus on February 13, 2012 at 2:33 PM
Romney derailed as soon as he left the station (in my opnion).
Go Anybody but Romney, the Democrat!
Pragmatic on February 13, 2012 at 2:36 PM
Much obliged. Hopefully this works out better than the OptiGrab device I marketed with that Navin Johnson fella.
I can tell you right now what would happen though. Sony Pictures along with Will Ferrell will scream bloody murder and demand Santorum quit using it. You’ll see the homemade signs at rallies, but his campaign will never be allowed to officially send out any T-shirts or banners with that name. If only the movie starred a more right-leaning comedic actor like Adam Sandler or Vince Vaughn.
Doughboy on February 13, 2012 at 2:38 PM
Apparently, it’s also part of Santorum’s plan to explain his very un-conservative voting record by saying that he lived in PA so he had to vote that way…
and to blame any controversial statements from the book that he himself authored on his wife.
At least, that’s what he did yesterday on the Sunday news shows.
Oh, and one more crucial component of the plan – whine like a crybaby about every single thing that doesn’t go entirely your way.
JA on February 13, 2012 at 2:41 PM
Doughboy, I don’t doubt it. I’ve since updated my post and given you credit and I crossposted it on Red State.
What can I say, I’m a blogger whore.
Logus on February 13, 2012 at 2:54 PM
Not directly on topic, but when did this thing of candidates and their campaigns using “we” start? I never hear any candidate refer to themselves as “I”.
Shump on February 13, 2012 at 3:01 PM
Just a question.
Why in the world would these Santorum “strategists” have “candid conversations” with Politico?
Wouldn’t they know that would be a bad strategy?
Mimzey on February 13, 2012 at 3:05 PM
And if it was Santorum/Rubio, you could have Ricky/Little Ricky.
Emperor Norton on February 13, 2012 at 3:09 PM
And if it was Palin/West or West/Palin, you would have lib heads exploding all over the place.
davidk on February 13, 2012 at 3:13 PM
JA on February 13, 2012 at 2:41 PM
Santorum did not blame his wife on what he wrote in his book, he said she agreed with it. And what he wrote was accurate. Women who choose to stay home with their children are ridiculed by feminists. Feminists think that women should work and have others raise their kids even when a woman does not need the income. Carreers are more important than families to feminists.
Any stay at home Mom can attest to this.
fight like a girl on February 13, 2012 at 3:28 PM
♫ That’s Entertainment ♫
Flora Duh on February 13, 2012 at 3:28 PM
We’d also have a treaty if it was West-Palin. **rimshot** But Sarah would never go for a veep nod again. That’d be redundant and wheel-spinning.
Logus on February 13, 2012 at 3:32 PM
I can attest to it.
I chose to be a stay at home mom when the feminists were at the height of their ridicule and loathing of stay at home moms. The pressure to get a job was tremendous. Those of us who chose to raise our children and care for our families were considered to be the lowest of the low, and just plain useless. I had a friend who opened her own business just so she could say she worked.
kakypat on February 13, 2012 at 3:39 PM
Romney is derailing himself (no help required from anyone). As a matter of fact, Romney is a self-contained derailment!
Pragmatic on February 13, 2012 at 3:47 PM
Why do you keep making that charge?
Buy Danish on February 13, 2012 at 4:22 PM
In other words, he’s adopting Romney’s strategy.
Just Sayin on February 13, 2012 at 4:23 PM