Santorum knows why. He’s now recanted the Kennedy statement. And remember that odd riff with which he began his Michigan concession/victory speech? About three generations of Santorum women — mother, wife, daughter — being professional, strong, independent, i.e., modern? That was an unsubtle attempt to update his gender-relations image by a few decades.
Too late. Among men, Michigan was essentially a dead heat. But Santorum lost women by five percentage points — and, with that, the race.
Social issues are what most deeply animate Santorum, but 2012 is not the year they most animate the electorate. In Michigan, among those for whom abortion was the most important issue, Santorum won by a staggering 64 points. But they made up only 14 percent of the electorate. Seventy-nine percent cared most about the economy or the deficit. Romney won them by 17…
Romney won by default. Santorum had a clear shot and simply missed his mark.
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