tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5120202207964289878.post9074922760827117774..comments2023-10-18T06:07:01.094-04:00Comments on Mein Blog: 800 Words: Chait vs. Perlstein, One on One for Your Nintendo Part 2Evan Tuckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04552209699238979904noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5120202207964289878.post-70865359793421917592012-03-03T19:51:47.372-05:002012-03-03T19:51:47.372-05:00I think there is a little truth to this argument, ...I think there is a little truth to this argument, but only a little. Santorum is acceptable to many conservatives, but certainly not the entire base - nor would he be unless he repudiated his remark that mainstream Protestants aren't real Christians. But the difference between Obama and Santorum is that Obama on his most progressive day is still a mainstream liberal, whereas Santorum is right wing even for most conservatives. Even if conservatives will never realize that Obama is not a leftist firebrand, moderates always have and will continue to. They will also realize that Santorum will never be that. Liberals cannot win any election alone. Given the choice between Romney and Obama, they will vote Romney and if there is no conservative option, conservatives will vote Romney too. Given the choice between Santorum and Obama, moderates will vote for Obama overwhelmingly.Evan Tuckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04552209699238979904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5120202207964289878.post-3440923807303610342012-03-02T10:56:45.536-05:002012-03-02T10:56:45.536-05:00I can't help but think you misread Romney'...I can't help but think you misread Romney's victory in Michigan. To us East-Coast liberals, Santorum seems like a totally unelectable hack, and Romney seems like a looming threat. That's the premise for Operation Hilarity and its ilk, right? Even though Santorum is freakishly radical, you'd rather have someone try to shoot you from a mile away than try to stab you while standing right next to you.<br /><br />The problem is, over the course of the primary, Santorum has become a frighteningly accepted magnet for the conservative base, and Romney has become less and less electable, simply on the basis of his constant weakness. So now liberals are choosing between a guy shooting a gun from 100 yards away, and a guy with a knife at about half that distance. The imperative to vote for the former over the latter is much less urgent now.<br /><br />Because if Democrats supported Santorum in the Primary, and he somehow ended up winning the general election -- this exact thing happened with some Republicans who supported Obama against Hillary -- then we would desperately wish for a Romney, or even a Gingrich, who was at least willing to play the political game.Jesse Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06628842413174084374noreply@blogger.com