A former conservative US Senator from the blue state of Pennsylvanie, Santorum is a question mark. by Mark Vogl
(conservative)
Friday, December 2, 2011
Out here in East Texas, if you turn off the television and radio, the modern world instantly fades away, and all you hear is the wind moving through the Piney Woods, or the muffled sounds of distant herds of livestock, cattle, horses, and goats, or at night the sounds of coyotes on the prowl. This is definitely not New York City, or even Shreveport! This is part of the vast rural heartland of America which spreads from coast to coast. It traditionally votes conservative, which means red, or Republican now.
The Ranch, Fm 104.1, is one of the favorite local radio stations, coming out of Tyler, Texas. Tom Perryman, their anchor DJ, actually worked with Elvis, before he was Elvis. Perryman set up some early tour dates here in East Texas for the lad from Mississippi, his wife fed Elvis meals at the kitchen table at their small place! The Ranch is known for playing country, before country was cool. You ought to listen to it on the internet if ya want to hear what real country sounds like.
This is the Bible Belt, God in all three persons is welcomed here, and part of everyday life. Wednesday nights are filled with church, and this time of year, Friday nights are filled with high school football and the state playoffs. Early mornings are cold when the sun comes up, and are spent in deer stands, sippin' hot coffee, and waitin'. The state fair in Dallas, the Rose Festival in Tyler, and the Yamboree in Gilmer are over now. Holidays are coming. This is America the way it was, a much better America than exists today in many parts of the country.
This is the home of the used-to-be Blue Dog Democrats, social and fiscal conservatives. But the Democrats' "big tent" ain't that big, so there ain't many of the blue dogs any more. They are a memory. East Texas is conservative. Louie Gohmert, a former Army officer, may be the most well-known, well respected Congressman from this area. Louie voted against all the bail outs, ,instead offering a solution which focused on the widest distribution of wealth, a suspension of federal taxes for all Americans for six months. This solution would have left money in the hands of consumers, investors and businesses all across the nation, probably costing less than the bailout of the banks! Gohmert is a true leader, one who should be considered for the U.S. Senate now.
East Texas is conservative, so conservative that in a Presidential preference poll Texas Governor Rick Perry got only about ten percent of the vote, in this part of Texas! Perry has been a nothing Governor, didn't stand up to defend the border, was absent on Christian faith for 3 terms, has been silent on the issues of illegal immigration, and did nothing to bring attention to the border war where literally thousands of people have been killed. Perry may not even win a primary in his own state, if the contest is still in high gear when it gets here. Like former Governor Bush, Perry feigns conservatism, but he is not the real deal by any stretch.
Rick Santorum is a name seldom heard here. If you listen to Rush or Hannity, or Beck, you hear about him every once in a while. Not much.
To write this article on him I went to the Santorum website, hoping to find a good amount of information about him. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I could not find out much about this dark horse in the Republican Primary who doesn't seem able to break the low single digits in terms of support.
What public relations energy Rick has expended has been towards creating a conservative image. The former Senator talks about his support for the traditional family, and our present struggle with terrorism, which he says is a war on radical Islam. But besides those issues, there really isn't much on his website that truly provides unequivocal evidence for a conservative image. The website is pretty, a lot of color, and an attractive picture of his young family.
Santorum did come out for a balanced budget amendment; “For Mitch McConnell not to stay on the playing field and fight for a balanced budget amendment, fight for responsible spending reductions and punt to the president, is ceding the high ground,” Santorum told reporters after visiting supporters at his campaign office.Shira Schoenberg, Boston Globe Correspondent.
I can't help wondering if Santorum is in the race to build name recognition for the Vice President's spot. Pennsylvania is a key state. A Republican win there could ensure victory in the 2012 campaign. With the economy as weak as it is, this traditionally blue state could be in play, and Santorum on the ballot could be just enough to bring that state in for the red column. One aspect of Pennsylvania which is important politically, is it's strong union connections. Republicans rarely get public support from unions, but few Republicans actually win in blue states without muting or somehow reducing the opposition of the union machine. The unions have alot of political money to spend, and their leadership can drift far from the feelings of the majority of their membership!
Santorum is working the early primary states, possibly in hopes of surprising people by his strength, as Michele Bachmann did in the Iowa straw poll. East Texas and the rest of rural America is fertile ground for the conservative candidates, and they might be able to make headway in these areas, but I suggest more work on the websites is a must. We maybe red necks, but we do have the internet, and the time to read your websites. Imagine the surge in the polls if you lit a fire across the praries of the US!
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