Via Mike Riggs at Reason:
“Look, the Republican Party isn’t going to change,” former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) tells Politico. “If we do change, we’ll be the Whig Party….We’re not the Libertarian Party, we’re the Republican Party.”
The four page story by Jonathan Martin at Politico is Social Conservatives Fight Back.
CP or a new party. I think CP is social conservative at its core and would throw its other stances overboard for a chance to grab this bloc if they can.
Phillips originally meant for his party to be a vehicle for Pat Buchanan, who is basically a lot like the people in this article in his stances, other than being non-interventionist in the Middle East.
Hmmm. Will be interesting either way they are losing their political home. The Establishment R’s are trying to dump them out. They never really wanted the social conservatives. Wanted the votes not the voters. Social conservatives were once D’s as late as the 1970’s. The D’s pushed them out .D’s are Pro-Choice and for same-sex marriage now. The R’s want to be the R’s prior to Reagan. Before him the R’s were majority Pro-Choice. Reagan brought social conservatives from D’s to R’s. I think the R’s are doing what the D’s did to social conservatives now. Maybe the CP will grab them. I think we should watch Huckabee … if he walks and brings them to CP or other party it will speak volumes. I believe the Establishment R’s are tired of abortion and same-sex marriage and just want to talk taxes, military and business issues.
I don’t think many of them are pro-immigration.
As for wars, they could probably get the CP to change its foreign policy platform.
Good question. CP agrees with them on abortion and gay marriage(opposes both) >However many of these folks are Pro-Immigration and were for Pres Bush’s wars. CP is for closed borders and not really interested in foreign adventures. I could see a party like in Australia or New Zealand say Family First – Pro Life Party (FFPLP)! We shall see.
Where do you think they would go? My guess is Constitution Party.
Sen Mark Kirk just stated he’s for same-sex marriage. Huckabee and the rest will be walking out on the R’s soon. The establishment R’s bailing on man+women marriage.
People talk about getting “back to the roots of the Republican Party,” but it was a warmongering, civil liberties violating, economically royalist party from the first time it got in office. And it hasn’t changed. People who think it will ever become libertarian are fooling themselves.
I Think Santorum is absolutely right!
The Republicans are not Libertarian. There are a couple of libertarian leaning republicans that make it seem like they might have hope–but they are a power hungry corporatist party that has a horrid record on human rights, peace, and individual freedom. They also have a poor record on items they claim to support — such as shrinking government and lowering taxes.
I’m glad Santorum isn’t one of the Republicans who is trying to sell the party as a libertarian party. It isn’t. Let them be who they are–and vote them out of office.
The interesting thing about the article is that many of the social conservatives don’t actually want even a marginally small government direction on economic issues, and only tolerate it as part of a coalition.
Santorum is quite right to distance himself. After all, the Libertarian Party wants to cut government spending.
Anyone else read the whole Politico article?
The Frothy One Farts, er, Speaks!
And once again blows frothy stinky gas with zero substance, repulsing and driving anyone with any sense.
Santorum is a living, breathing fart joke…
@Richard Winger
Thanks a lot, I just spit out fish through my nose from laughing so hard!
🙂
The Whigs have already taken over the GOP, and have done so since the 1870’s.
I think Newt Gingrich wouldn’t mind the R’s dumping the social conservatives. I think he backed a Pro-Choice New York Republican women against a Dem a few years ago. The New York Conservative Party decided to run a candidate against both. The Pro-Choice Dem won but the Conservative Party candidate made the race interesting. He almost won. He stated he was Pro-life.
Bill Clinton was a cheater also but he was the last president to balance the budget. Gingrich was a big part of that. He has remained consistent on what matters: cutting the budget and thus cutting government. Gingrich is the best choice for the LP and was the GOP’s best choice. I understand how you all feel about him and so I am open to alternatives.
Rick Santorum, when my life is dull and I need a good laugh, I go find an article about him.
CC 20
Lol that may be so, but want to tell us how big government Newt, also a wife cheater, is consistent? He’s a raging liberal at heart, he’s flip flopped more than a stack of flapjacks.
Santorum is not consistent. He opposes homosexual rights in America but supports homosexual rights in Iran. He became pro-life only when it was politically expedient.
I think Huckabee said he’ll bail the R’s if they support same-sex marriage.
I think the R’s may be looking to become more a Pro-Choice, Pro-Gay marriage for 2016. This will be interesting with the Huckabees, Santorums, Perkins, Bachmans, Gary Bauers,etc. Will they all bail the R’s? Karl Rove is giving these folks fits. He’s in charge of the establishment R’s. Rob Portman will not be the last to “flip” his position.
He would have probably done better than Romney. At least he was relatively consistent.
I agree with Santorum on very little, but at least he makes it very clear where he stands on the issues. He’d have been a better GOP nominee than Romney, who apparently carried a Magic 8-Ball with him to tell him what to be for and against each day.
@7
I’m Catholic, and I lol’ed at that. haha
@12 CT
There is already such a party. It’s called “America’s Party” and it’s just a bunch of pro-war neocon Alan Keyes supporting fanatics. Rick Santorum would fit in nicely with them.
I’m pro-life, but I can’t stand Santorum.
He came to the Chicago suburbs in March of 2012, I went to see him. Or at least 3 minutes of his speech, that’s all I could muster. I mostly hung out with leftist gay marriage activists who were protesting (although there was one dude with a Ron Paul sign). Keep in mind, that at that stage in my life, I was firmly against gay marriage. That’s how much I dislike that douche bag Frothy.
It scares me that 8% of people at CPAC thought Santy should be the GOP nominee. Fucking Republicans…
Santorum is too interventionist on foreign policy for the CP. He could get with Alan Keyes’s people; maybe they would actually have a functioning party with somebody like Santorum.
Rick Santorum should go to CP. The Republican party is leaning towards Gay Marriage with Rob Portman and Rove starting to abandon social conservatives. Santorum will not have “a home” in that party soon. CP is his only hope. (Not sure if CP will take him though).
Unfortunately very true David. The Democrats should want them. That would allow the Libertarians to have an easier time taking over the Republican Party, along with the radical social liberals who don’t care about the welfare state. Then there could be a two-party system with a primarily statist party and a primarily libertarian party; a fair competition at least, although I’d still prefer changing the electoral system.
The social conservatives can complain all they want, but it’s not like the Democrats want them, nor vice-versa. At this point, all the GOP needs to do is placate them just enough to keep them from staying at home on election day and not a whit more.
Sort of like Democrats and environmentalists, come to think of it.
Richard, some people have the vocation to become a priest or to be single. Therefore they never create lives, and that’s just fine. Now go back to fighting for ballot access and stay away from theology.
Think of all the unborn humans that will never come into existence because the Catholic church requires Catholic clergy to be unmarried and not to engage in sexual intercourse. I don’t think the Catholic Church deserves its “pro-life” reputation.
@5 Frothy goodness!
Krzystof, at least Santorum has done a lot of great work on protection of human life. I know we both disagree with his idiotic position on foreign policy, and I disagree with him about economics, but he’s still a good man.
For those brave souls out there, WARNING EXPLICIT:
http://spreadingsantorum.com/
The fact that Frothy Santorum (don’t Google that nickname, LOL) got 8% at CPAC scares the living Bejesus out of me.
Another good reason to join the LP. No “wacko birds” like Santorum.
Good! frankly Rick Santorum and the Republican Party are proving to be more and more irrelevant. they also have changed. they have changed into the Democrat Party….
With that kind of attitude Rick, the GOP WILL be the WHIG Party in about 10 years. The demographics of the under-35 voter is far more libertarian (or left for that matter). Keep up the great work Rick. Imagine if you were in charge of a marketing program for Ford–let’s keep the Edsel or Model A; for music industry lets’ keep the 8-track tape.