Associated Press
A week ago today, Rick Santorum, having lost three primaries, talked tough about the future. "We have now reached the point where it's halftime," he told supporters. "Half the delegates in this process have been selected, and who's ready to charge out of the locker room in Pennsylvania for a strong second half?"
It didn't sound like a guy pondering withdrawal. Seven days later, however, faced with an ailing family member, dwindling support, and enormous odds, Santorum decided to call it a day.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum suspended his campaign on Tuesday, clearing Mitt Romney's path to the Republican presidential nomination.
Citing weekend reflection with his family, prompted in part by a hospital stay for his youngest daughter, Santorum suspended his campaign, effective today.
"Ladies and gentleman, we made the decision to get into this race at our kitchen table against all the odds," Santorum said in remarks to reporters in Gettysburg, Pa. "We made a decision over the weekend that while this presidental race for us is over for me and we will suspend our campaign effective today. We are not done fighting."
Santorum's decision effectively ends the race for the Republican presidential nomination, and allows Mitt Romney to begin its vice-presidential vetting process in earnest, if it hasn't started already.
Stepping back and considering the larger context, it may be tempting to dismiss Santorum's presidential campaign as something of a joke. It was underfunded and disorganized, led by an unfocused candidate pushing a cultural/social message that seemed badly out of step with voters' priorities. Even when Santorum enjoyed the national lead for a brief time, there was always a lingering sense that his frontrunner status could not and would not last.
But in a strange sort of way, I consider the Santorum campaign one of the most impressive things I've seen in presidential politics in quite a while.
Putting aside his ideas, vision, values, policy positions, and agenda, much of which I find abhorrent and offensive, Santorum has done something I honestly didn't think was possible. Just six years ago, he ran for re-election in his home state and lost by 18 points, one of the most humiliating defeats for an incumbent senator in American history. When Santorum launched his presidential bid last year, it was derided as a pointless vanity exercise by, among others, me.
For months, Santorum failed to raise money, failed to hire a campaign staff, failed to create a campaign structure, failed to create a base of supporters, and failed to impress in the endless stream of candidate debates. A couple of weeks before the Iowa caucuses, Santorum was in the low single-digits in national GOP polls -- he was neck and neck with Huntsman -- and was generally considered an afterthought, when he was considered at all.
And yet, despite having very little money, no staff, no organization, few endorsements, an unimpressive legislative record, and a weak message, Rick Santorum managed to beat Mitt Romney 10 times during the Republican nominating race (Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana). The total reaches 11 if you include Missouri's pseudo primary in February.
That's pretty amazing when you think about it. Romney had every possible advantage and looked to have the race wrapped up in January, and yet, Santorum managed to push the race into mid-April. Sure, some of this is the result of Romney being such a weak frontrunner, but Santorum nevertheless saw a lot of booms and busts (Bachmann, Perry, Cain, Gingrich), and managed to somehow hang on and give Romney a run for his money.
Will Santorum ever be president? Almost certainly not. But as he suspends his campaign and leaves the trail, he's nevertheless pulled off an impressive feat.
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You're giving him too much credit, Steve. This absolutely WAS a vanity race for Santorum. If Romney was not such a weak and despised candidate in this race, Santorum would never have won so many primaries. That he did is a loud and clear statement about what a lousy candidate Romney is; it has nothing to do with Santorum's "strengths." How could it? He has none.
Totally agree, Freddie! pRicky did nothing except give other sanctimonious types an avenue to express their dissatisfaction with Romney.
Sanctimonious' withdrawal is clearly to avoid another devastating loss like
He didn't stand a chance in PA and wants to avoid another whupping at all costs so he can annoy us all over again in another 4 years - he thinks!
pRicky Sanctimonious needs to run for Pope or CEO of Opus Dei. He also needs to acknowledge that he is NOT a Resident of PA - I'm embarrassed each time someone says "the former Senator from PA."
How humiliating is it to loose to a Mormon elder that refuses to denounce racism and masoginy that were an integral part of his religion until he was college age?
Republicans are even starting to make fun of Sanitorium.
And where oh where would ol' Ricky have been without his beloved superpac.
No effin where
Wouldn't have gotten out the gate
Thank you Citizens United and Supremes for allowing unqualified lunatics to run for President
I've had enough
Mitt Romney cannot be given the chance to select the next Supreme Court Justices , the very essence of our Constitutional rights and Democratic Core values we cherish as a Nation will be at risk should this Corporate , 1% loving clown become the next president of these United States !..
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012...
What share of the credit for the overly-long Santorum campaign should go to Foster Freiss?
Not as much as Vanderplaats and the tumbling dynamos (Bachmann, Cain and Perry).
Did he really say something that clunky and grammatically incorrect?
King of the pronouns ... meaning "no specific identity beyond also ran."
My guess is, someone was about to OUT Santorum. He was strong enough to defeat Romney. After the primaries, someone would have had to drop out. But dropping out now seems suspicious. I believe he was forced out by someone who had embarrassing blackmail information. Santorum was a hateful person, and he made one too many enemies. IMHO
You can criticize the Santorum campaign for its organizational skills but you cannot find fault with Rick Santorum. He put his family ahead of an uphill and probably futile battle for the nomination. He gave his best and credited his supporters. He didn't fold because of some (haha) leftwing ficticious scandal!
one can critize him for being an unapologetic liar and an incompetent manager of people.
Oh it's always for the family. Hmmm, heard that before with every GOP candidate who got caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing.
XJock - Oh, we can fault Slick Rick plenty, for being a misogynistic theocon who revels in lies and hypocrisy (such as how his wife's abortion was fine, but no one else should be allowed one), and refuses to see how his family is a prime example of the type of situation that Obamacare is supposed to relieve for people who aren't worth millions like he is. We can fault him for coming in second in lies to Romney, and for being completely unapologetic when called on them. He has plenty of faults, and more under the faux-virtuous surface yet to come.
"Giant douchebag get lots of media attention at the expense of massively boring, widely reviled Presidential candidate."
who are you quoting? That's funny!
ClosetedLuddite FTW
*clears throat*
Na na na na... na na na na... hey hey hey... GOODBYE!
Hopefully, with Sweater Vest calling it quits, the Republicans will now drop their obsessions with birth control and sexual purity. Probably not though.
Well … what this really means is we shall now see a (yet another) New! and Improved! Mitt Romney.
"... The totally redesigned for 2012, Mittens!"
It's Etch-A-Sketch time in Romneyville!!!
Why should Republican priorities change? It's not as if their anti-women agenda was being pursued as a favor to Santorum. He's not driving their agenda, but he is more in tune with where the GOP is heading. Santorum is the presumptive Republican nominee next time. Drop their obsessions? Hah!
I don't care for Santorum's social theories, nor most of his GOP plans, but the fact remains, he did hang in there against Romney's millions. I can still respect him as a father, even though I disagree with reproductive theories. I don't see where he exploited his daughter's illness, just verified it and went from there -- not like Sarah Palin, playing every angle, using her family like props.
santorum won states with high percentages of evangelicals and won lower income voters in almost every race....if nothing else, his campaign made clear the split within the gop along class lines
Here is a look at Washington's books for the first half of fiscal 2012:
http://viableopposition.blogspot.ca/2012/04/first-half-of-fiscal-2012-how-is.html
It would appear that President Obama or Mr. Romney has their work cut out for them.
I am very glad we won't have to be hearing much more bizarre ideas from this man.
I sometimes think he was just in there to keep urging our political discourse so far from rational democracy and toward irrational religiosity, making the latter seem like a legitimate player in our politics.
Mainly though what he said about other political figures was so off base it made me wonder if he had some kind of screw loose.
Cant end something that never really started, goodbye sweater vest guy.
He quit to get started on Santorum 2016.
Also, any bets on whether his voice will be among those crying, "We would have won if we had nominated a real conservative!" in November? Never mind that the GOP has very little to do with actual traditional conservatism...
If not for the obcenity that is the SuperPAC era, this extremist, right wing nut case never would have gotten as far as he did. No candidate, no public official can be ever trusted again as long as they can be bought and influenced by basically anonymous special interest groups. The Supreme Court should be forever admonished and tarnished for undermining American Democracy by that horrid decision.
I posted the same thing at the top before seeing this. I guess we could almost call them vanity candidates as the billionaires line up ....
See I done bought me a Prez -E- Dential candidate and iffn' he wins he'll do exactly what I ask.
Now if he takes his irresponsible penis and goes back into oblivion, it will be a great day.
I'm sure that Santorum prayed and was "sure" that God had picked him. I wonder what the excuses are now. what a candidate. He lies and lies badly. he is either too stupid or lazy himself to actually get on ballots or is such a bad manager he gets people too stupid or lazy to do it for him. Good riddance.
Oh good riddance and take your religion with you.
He will monetize public perception of him as a stand up family man during his next book tour which will kick off after the election.
He has likely lost his gig for the gas fracking industry.
I think you give Santorum too much credit. Santorum didn't beat Romney 10 times, The Religions Right beat Romney. Santorum was just their standard bearer.
That should give Romney pause. I know it scares the hell out of me.
I'm going to miss his candidacy majorly!!! He was SO MUCH FUN to make fun of! Now we go back to boring old Mittens....
No matter what we think of him personally--and I despise the man and nearly everything he stands for--I think that we all need to remember that his daughter is in ill health and went into the hospital this past weekend. She isn't expected to live to adulthood and has already outlived all the predictions made for her when she was diagnosed. I wish the little girl well and I hope she gets to enjoy as much time with her daddy and family as possible for however long she has left.
Blessed Be!
What do (you-anyone reading this post) think are the ODDS of him being selected as a VP/running mate??? Hmmm.....after ALL the name calling and attacks?
Too much bad blood between Mitt Romney and Santorun. When you listen to his speech, you do not hear him mentioning Romney not once, so I think the chances are slim Santorum is not the VP choice. Mitt Romney pulled his ultra negative ad in Pennsylvania yesterday so once again no VP for Santorum.
ZERO.
-20% (that means that even if he tried to BUY the VP nod, they'd tell him to take his silly ass back to whatever state he chooses to call "home" - and keep the bribe (8^))
I guess we will not hear anymore wild claims from this man. Thank goodness.
the male version of bachman. All hot air and no substance (Yeahus bruthuh - gimmee a amen!)
I'm convinced his foreign policy would include consulting with a priest.
amen. hahahahah
Well the Vatican IS an independent city-state.
how about CONSORTING with a priest?
Bye bye. Now, on with the show.