Santorum: 'I'm open' to 2016 bid

[Maxwell]

I think Santorum is the favorite at this point, although there's not much point in handicapping the race so early. He was the strongest challenger last time, and the GOP usually goes with that. And the conservatives will demand one of their own.

No he's not. He's like Pat Buchanan, a social conservative reactionary to be the anti-establishment candidate (even though Santorum is VERY establishment in his non-social views). He's in a distant fourth or fifth right now behind Christie, Rubio, Bush, and even Ryan.

[Maxwell]

I think Santorum is the favorite at this point, although there's not much point in handicapping the race so early. He was the strongest challenger last time, and the GOP usually goes with that. And the conservatives will demand one of their own.

No he's not. He's like Pat Buchanan, a social conservative reactionary to be the anti-establishment candidate (even though Santorum is VERY establishment in his non-social views). He's in a distant fourth or fifth right now behind Christie, Rubio, Bush, and even Ryan.

Remember when Pat Buchanan was a US Senator for 12 years?

Remember when McCain or Bush Jr. or Bush Sr. or Reagan got beat for re-election by nearly 17 points?

[Maxwell]

Yes, of course the front runner is open to a run, sillies.

I'd cry during a Santorum-Christie battle. It would really eat away at me. But, if the fight was strictly between those two at the end, I'd be thrilled to know that one of these great men would be the nominee.

Remember when McCain or Bush Jr. or Bush Sr. or Reagan got beat for re-election by nearly 17 points?

Yes, that obviously negates his fourteen years in Congress. He loses all legitimacy because he lost in a landslide during a very bad year. Remember how that was going to keep him from moving past Ames during the last campaign?

He was constantly polling at 1-2% until the last couple of weeks before Iowa because he wasn't considered legitimate because of that landslide loss. He only gained that momentum because there needed to be an Anti-Romney candidate. With Bachmann gone, Perry gone, Cain gone, and Gingrich fading, Santorum was next up.

There won't be a line-up that incompetent so Santorum won't be the front-runner for the 2016 nomination. If there is a bad line-up however, Santorum could take it this year if social conservatives manage to turn-out harder against Christie than they were Romney, which is hard to imagine.

[Maxwell]

I think Santorum is the favorite at this point, although there's not much point in handicapping the race so early. He was the strongest challenger last time, and the GOP usually goes with that. And the conservatives will demand one of their own.

No he's not. He's like Pat Buchanan, a social conservative reactionary to be the anti-establishment candidate (even though Santorum is VERY establishment in his non-social views). He's in a distant fourth or fifth right now behind Christie, Rubio, Bush, and even Ryan.

Remember when Pat Buchanan was a US Senator for 12 years?

Remember when McCain or Bush Jr. or Bush Sr. or Reagan got beat for re-election by nearly 17 points?

Don't want to compare, but Bush Sr. actually lost two Senate elections in row and not by a hair.

While that is true, he was also Vice President for 8 years and thats what people most remembered about his experience. Now if people don't remember Santorum the senator but remember Santorum the 2012 candidate who almost took Romney's nomination (by proxy of him being the Anti-Romney, of course), then its not impossible that he could be, at least, the frontrunner for a while. Not sure how long that will last, but I'm sure he wouldn't make it to the nomination.

But yes that is an error, and I'm a hack for making it.

[Maxwell]

This time two years ago we would have never thought that Santorum would win Iowa...just sayin...

Some people will never learn, my friend.

Same thing happened to Mike Huckabee. I think the anti-establishment social conservative candidate baton will be passed to Jindal or someone of the like.

[Maxwell]

We are four years away, guys. With the likely candidates, yes, he will have difficulty breaking through (if he even runs) but we are a mighty long way off. We don't know what could happen. Whose to say some kg the above names are definitely running? Here's what we do know: Santorum can surprise and, contrary to what many would like, he does have a following. If the "newer" guys/girls find themselves mauling each other, whose to say the party doesn't turn to the experienced "next in line?"

Let's cool it with the definitive statements on all sides of the 2016 primary.

I can see where you're coming from, because back in 08, Republicans DEFINITELY didin't want Mitt Romney to be next up, so Ensign, Sanford, and Jindal were front-runners until they got caught in scandals/really bad speeches. I could see that happen to some of the people on the Republican bench (particularly Marco Rubio, who already has some ethics issues in his background ANYWAY), so Santorum could be the next in line after all.