Santorum could have gotten the Republican nomination ...

If he'd been disciplined and had a functioning campaign staff. Santorum might have succeeded if he'd stayed on message with Family and Jobs. Instead, he can't help himself and has to say how bad JFK was and how battling pornography would be a priority as president. He couldn't keep a lid on the social issues. But everyone know he's a social conservative! What he should have done was reach out to the social-issues-indifferent but jobs-and-economy-sensitive demographic. He's hardly done that.

Santorum didn't qualify on the Virginia ballot and has failed to fill out the delegate slates in state districts which shows how inept the staff work has been. The campaign has also been terrible at failing to show how Romney has deviated significantly, and not too long ago, from long-held conservative positions. It's as if there is no opposition research being done at Santorum headquarters.

Former Republican campaign official Matthew Dowd said a month ago that he'd love to manage the campaign for a competent Republican populist. Probably for the unique opportunity to beat the establishment in a time of populist fervor - which are historically rare. But the key word is "competent". All the non-Romney's have been incompetent in varying ways. Santorum is perhaps the least incompetent, but that's a far cry from being competent.

As much as a tight Romney/Santorum contest would have been entertaining and beneficial to Democrats, it looks as if Santorum just can't rise to the level of competence to do what it takes to defeat Romney.


posted by Quiddity at 3/18/2012 10:12:00 PM