Many in Washington remain befuddled by Rick Santorum's embrace of radical social reactionaryism in an electorate primarily concerned with the economy. What they miss is that was only through bringing such issues to the front and center that Santorum could break through the frothy oblivion to which Dan Savage had tried to send him. He realized that this was what positively motivates those who were not yet sold on Romney.
But this only reinforces my point about the politics of sex. It's a wedge issue now for the left. Since contraception emerged as an issue, thanks to the posturing of Benedict XVI's amen-chorus, Obama has seen his ratings slowly climb, while the GOP candidates' unfavorable numbers keep growing. And Santorum's canny use of the issues has helped him sustain a primary campaign that will now only serve to weaken, demoralize and drain money from Romney.
So this election could prolong the Republican agony for another electoral cycle at least. It could lead to a general election candidate dubbed both rich and out of touch and only lip-syncing the theological truths that evangelicals hold dear. If he loses, it could well mean another spasm of even more Christianist extremism the next time round, since Christianists will argue that running another faux-culture-warrior was the reason they lost.
I say: nominate Santorum and get this over with. Then find a Romney in 2016 who actually is more moderate and doesn't feel the need to apologize for it. But this won't happen. The one outlier that might just happen? A brokered convention where a Palin-like figure emerges. Or a mess, where Romney feels obliged to lie even more, smear even more, and war-monger even more to force himself into a stronger position in the fall.
I fear a weak GOP candidate held afloat by a tsunami of smear ads against Obama, using the race card, the Israel card, the religion card, the Birther card, and what have you – thrown in by billionaires who hate the guy or who are obsessed with Greater Israel. It could be one of the ugliest smear campaigns Romney has ever run – and that's saying something.
(Photo: A supporter of former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum wears a button that reads, 'Don't Believe the Liberal Media!' as he speaks during a campaign stop at Chillicothe High School in Chillicothe, Ohio on March 2, 2012. By Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The Dish 