Rick Santorum is a right wing joke, who as far as to the right the republican party has gotten, may actually be able to win the GOP nomination. However, if the premise is that Santorum hurts Specter with moderate voters… and anyone actually believes this… that would be the best gift the democrats and specter could have for 2010.

Talking about Santorum for President is like talking about Rush Limbaugh for President…laughable at best, and way too much video to torpedo the chances….feed your kids Rick, not your over inflated ego….

Our former Senator, Rick Santorum, a presidential candidate? My husband and I couldn’t help but laugh. Watching him on TV in the senate showed us that his real passion has always been photo opportunities and self promotion. He also greatly offended fellow Catholics with his journalism career (if you can call it that) which followed. Go out to pasture, Rick!

Which state will Rick claim as his home? Pennsylvania or Virginia?

If Rick runs, he will make Rudy Giuliani’s campaign look like a marathon.

Movement conservatives like Rick “man on dog sex” Santorum (yes, he actually said that) are out of touch with reality. I say let him do his thing. He’ll crank up the birthers, deathers and other assorted wingnuts, but to no significant end. All it does is diminish the Republican Party.

One note about all those Chicken Littles who think that the sky is falling for the Dems in 2010 and beyond. Voters are not going to begin a mass exodus to the Rs. The drop in Obama’s popularity has to do with the problems he has inherited and the mindless “just vote no on everything” attitude of the Rs. It’s that very mindless opposition, as opposed to any semblence of participation in the governing process, that will preclude large numbers of voters from thinking that the Rs acould do any better (or just as well as) Obama and the Ds.

If there is a danger in 2010, it comes from the Ds not getting behind significant healthcare insurance reform. Btw, nearly everyone hates insurance companies. Why haven’t the Dems figured out that it should not be called healthcare reform (opening the door to the false charge of socialized health care). It should be called healthcare insurance reform. Thats what it is and it would be more easily understood and better received by the non-activist public.

Santorum could never win. The guy is stuck in the past and has zero vision for the future. If he can’t beat Bob Casey, he definitely can’t beat Barack Obama.

“Is 2012 going to be the year the country swings wildly toward candidates who espouse conservative Christian values as a means of running the U.S. government?”

This journalist’s new nickname must be Liberal Laura. You don’t like a Republican pol, brandish the “Christian values” These biased reporters are either very shallow in their understanding of Christians, conservatives, politics, and the electorate, or they are just on a jihad against right-leaning GOP pols. FYI Laura, many an expert far more astute than YOU think there may just be a wild swing in 2012, just like in 1994, when you’re party got its arse thumped.

Establishment conservatives would be more comfortable with Rick Santorum carrying their flag into WH 2012 than Sarah Palin. But can he beat Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee or Newt Gingrich for the nomination? That remains to be seen.

Yes i would tend to agree w Brian. I think that these Christian conservatives will flock to Rick. Hes a much more formidable bad boy than Palin. Here’s the neocon dream ticket:

Santorum- Palin! or Palin-Santorum. Hahaha… its like a bad Friday the 13th Sequel. I kinda miss Rick though, because he used to get everyone so pissed at him that he couldnt even walk around in public in downtown Pittsburgh. It was hilarious. He really knows how to throw gasoline on the fire.

If Rick Santourm is such a far-right extremist, then why was re-electing him Arlen’s top priority in 2006? I thought Specter was a moderate.

Oh, right, he was pandering to the right to help ensure a victory in 2010 as a Republican…

Please let him tun again as I want to bet him again. Is that all that the Republicans can find, Rush would be just as good. What a joke.

I would welcome it though, as I get older I just can’t do what I once did. Defeating Rick S would be a piece of cake. Plz run Rick so you can lose again

Please be let the republicans be really dumb and give us their worse possible, please . Love to defeat a Santorum Palin ticket, Sounds very easy

“Abandoning the center” — one thing you could never accuse Rick Santorum of doing while he was the junior senator of Pennsylvania. Of course, it is easy to pull off such a feat if you have never backed a centrist position in your life.

I actually enjoy seeing Mr. Santorum in the press because I love re-living the “greatest moments” of his ignominious defeat in 2006. I will never forget the moment I realized that Mr. Casey was going to win in a LANDSLIDE: the day before the election, I saw then Sen.-Santorum campaigning in my native Crawford County (deeply red, rural county south of Erie). If you’re a hard-right Republican and you’re worried about losing CRAWFORD COUNTY at the end of a campaign, you are in BAD shape.

Capt Jack (Sparrow)-
1) Santorum campaigned for Specter in 2004 against Toomey, so he owed him one.

2) How hard did Specter actually campaign for Santorum?

3) Specter desired a GOP majority so he could remain a committee chairman and be a powerful Senator for Pennsylvania.

1. Self-interest over the good of the state, sounds about right. “Owed him one”- you mean Specter needed to pander to win? Again, strange.

3. I thought he could still deliver without that chairmanship?

Capt Jack-

1) There’s plenty of horse-trading like this in politics. Do you think that Clinton campaigned for Sestak without the quid-pro-quo of Sestak busting his hump for Hillary? Now that that’s over, do you think Clinton will support Sestak for Senate in the primary? (hint: not a chance in he11).
Besides, Specter has espoused the belief/policy that when you are in a party you support the party by supporting the candidates.

2) You skipped my point #2

3) Specter has delivered more as non-chairman than many actual chairman. PA, and Philly especially, have been benefiting from the stimulus money Specter has steered here. Specter is a key negotiator and has a deep understanding of exactly how far/deep each of his colleagues is committed to various positions.