Santorum to McCain: "Play it safe."

[Keystone Phil]

Santorum basically makes every argument as to why someone like himself shouldn't be McCain's running mate. 


http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/26945249.html

[riceowl]

Santorum basically makes every argument as to why someone like himself shouldn't be McCain's running mate. 


http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/26945249.html

because he's not a "... pro-life economic conservative with zero baggage and solid experience in government."?     ;-)

Santorum v. Ridge to the death!

[12th Doctor]

Santorum has been all over the board these last couple years since he has been in exile.  Hell, he was all over the board four years ago, and that is part of the reason he lost.

Funny, I was just thinking about old Rick.

[12th Doctor]

Done with the article... it really doesn't say much.  He doesn't go into much depth about what he means by "play if safe" though I can think of a few things.

[Keystone Phil]

Santorum has been all over the board these last couple years since he has been in exile.  Hell, he was all over the board four years ago, and that is part of the reason he lost.

All over the board? What's inconsistent here? He's not suddenly saying McCain is the best thing ever. I will say that I didn't like his McCain bashing early on. McCain was good enough to work with in the Senate on lobbying reform and he was good enough to campaign with Rick and then suddenly, they're going at it. Eh, whatever.

Anyway, he wasn't all over the board two years ago and that certainly wouldn't be why he lost. He was seen as too set in his ways, if anything.

Done with the article... it really doesn't say much.  He doesn't go into much depth about what he means by "play if safe" though I can think of a few things.

He lays out that it should be a standard conservative. McCain shouldn't rock the boat with a person who is "controversial" to the base.

[WalterMitty]

mccain to santorum:  'why is an ex senator who lost his reelection race by double digits giving me campaign advice?'

[Keystone Phil]

mccain to santorum:  'why is an ex senator who lost his reelection race by double digits giving me campaign advice?'

Yeah! He's much better off with Jane Swift, a controversial acting Governor with no appeal, running around the country on his behalf, opening campaign offices in states that have no clue as to who she is. Brilliant strategy.

[WalterMitty]

mccain to santorum:  'why is an ex senator who lost his reelection race by double digits giving me campaign advice?'

Yeah! He's much better off with Jane Swift, a controversial acting Governor with no appeal, running around the country on his behalf, opening campaign offices in states that have no clue as to who she is. Brilliant strategy.

jane swift has worked her ass off for mccain.  for two reasons:

1. in the primary she wanted to stick her thumb in romney's eye.  for obvious reasons.

2.  she wants a job in politics.  if mccain wins shed be an excellent assistant secretary, probably in the department of education.

[Keystone Phil]

mccain to santorum:  'why is an ex senator who lost his reelection race by double digits giving me campaign advice?'

Yeah! He's much better off with Jane Swift, a controversial acting Governor with no appeal, running around the country on his behalf, opening campaign offices in states that have no clue as to who she is. Brilliant strategy.

jane swift has worked her ass off for mccain.  for two reasons:

1. in the primary she wanted to stick her thumb in romney's eye.  for obvious reasons.

2.  she wants a job in politics.  if mccain wins shed be an excellent assistant secretary, probably in the department of education.

Ok, those are great reasons why it benefits her but your point was that Santorum's words of advice are of no benefit to McCain. This isn't about who is working hard for McCain and who isn't. It's about giving advice. You made it your point in that post.

Apparently, McCain shouldn't listen to Santorum, a man connected to the base and still involved, but he should listen to political whiz Jane Swift.

[12th Doctor]

Santorum has been all over the board these last couple years since he has been in exile.  Hell, he was all over the board four years ago, and that is part of the reason he lost.

All over the board? What's inconsistent here? He's not suddenly saying McCain is the best thing ever. I will say that I didn't like his McCain bashing early on. McCain was good enough to work with in the Senate on lobbying reform and he was good enough to campaign with Rick and then suddenly, they're going at it. Eh, whatever.

Anyway, he wasn't all over the board two years ago and that certainly wouldn't be why he lost. He was seen as too set in his ways, if anything.

Done with the article... it really doesn't say much.  He doesn't go into much depth about what he means by "play if safe" though I can think of a few things.

He lays out that it should be a standard conservative. McCain shouldn't rock the boat with a person who is "controversial" to the base.

Santorum made it seem pretty clear that he would never accept McCain as the nominee... now he is giving him advice?  Maybe Rick is trying to sabotage the McCain camp.  And yes, Rick was rocked with major consistency problems is 2006.  By many on the left he was seen as too conservative, but there were people of the right who thought he had been too eager to cave on a number of positions, only to set himself back up and act as though he hadn't near the end of his term.   A lot of people thought he had betrayed his support for states rights by supporting the FMA... myself included, and there were a number of points where he seemed inconsistent.  In the PA portion of the Ohio Valley, he was completely despised for first telling flood victims to go screw themselves and then showing up to help bail them out with pork.  And there was alot of pork handed out.  Biofuels factories.  Emergency relief.  Endorsing Arlen Specter.  Bridge projects.  It might not have meant much to people who had already made up their minds about him, but it knocked the enthusiasm out of the early campaign and made getting people to volunteer a hellish task... I would know, I was the volunteer coordinator.

Then, of course, there was living outside of the state while he had roundly criticized his congressional opponent for doing so in 1992.  I understand the circumstances, but you have to admit, it looked bad.  And to be perfectly honest, there was no reason he couldn't have bought a place in Adams County.

Is this why he lost... no, there are other factors... but it would have been a different race had he not started with all this hanging around his neck, and it would have given us a chance.

[Brittain33]

mccain to santorum:  'why is an ex senator who lost his reelection race by double digits giving me campaign advice?'

Yeah! He's much better off with Jane Swift, a controversial acting Governor with no appeal, running around the country on his behalf, opening campaign offices in states that have no clue as to who she is. Brilliant strategy.

Swift was fortunate to only have been controversial in a single state.

[Keystone Phil]

mccain to santorum:  'why is an ex senator who lost his reelection race by double digits giving me campaign advice?'

Yeah! He's much better off with Jane Swift, a controversial acting Governor with no appeal, running around the country on his behalf, opening campaign offices in states that have no clue as to who she is. Brilliant strategy.

Swift was fortunate to only have been controversial in a single state.

Well, it really doesn't matter either way. I was just stating why Swift isn't exactly the best political strategist while Santorum actually knows what he's talking about concerning the base.

Santorum made it seem pretty clear that he would never accept McCain as the nominee... now he is giving him advice?

He never said he wouldn't support McCain in the General. Whether he wants him or not, though, is irrelevant. He writes a political column.

 

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That's perception though. Even I can be seen as too conservative by some but not conservative enough by others. It happens all the time in politics.

  

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I don't think emergency relief or biofuel factories classify as pork. Neither is endorsing Specter but I have agreed that that is an area of inconsistency with Santorum. I don't know much about these bridge projects you speak of but I'll take your word for it.

I, too, support states rights but I'd support a National Right to Life amendment. Why? Because I think the right to life is a right that shouldn't be determined state by state. Maybe Santorum saw a difference with marriage.

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First of all, it was 1990. Secondly, the situation you mention is completely false. Santorum attacked Walgren for not only not living in the district but not spending time in the district. Santorum travelled to every PA county at least once a year. To say that he wasn't in PA enough is laughable.

I don't take it upon myself to determine what is acceptable for a family in terms of where they live when their father or mother has to be in or near DC a good deal of the time.

[WalterMitty]

mccain to santorum:  'why is an ex senator who lost his reelection race by double digits giving me campaign advice?'

Yeah! He's much better off with Jane Swift, a controversial acting Governor with no appeal, running around the country on his behalf, opening campaign offices in states that have no clue as to who she is. Brilliant strategy.

jane swift has worked her ass off for mccain.  for two reasons:

1. in the primary she wanted to stick her thumb in romney's eye.  for obvious reasons.

2.  she wants a job in politics.  if mccain wins shed be an excellent assistant secretary, probably in the department of education.

Ok, those are great reasons why it benefits her but your point was that Santorum's words of advice are of no benefit to McCain. This isn't about who is working hard for McCain and who isn't. It's about giving advice. You made it your point in that post.

Apparently, McCain shouldn't listen to Santorum, a man connected to the base and still involved, but he should listen to political whiz Jane Swift.

the only subject that swift has advised mccain on (that im aware of) is education.

and lets be honest, she has probably spoken with him 5-10 minutes max on the subject.

[Keystone Phil]

the only subject that swift has advised mccain on (that im aware of) is education.

and lets be honest, she has probably spoken with him 5-10 minutes max on the subject.

And he'd be better off speaking to someone who knows the base for at least five to ten minutes than to talk to Jane Swift. To write him off because he lost is silly especially when discussing the base.

[WalterMitty]

mccain campaigned for santorum in 06.

how did rick repay him?  by blasting him during the primaries.

i doubt mccain is interested in talking with him.

[Keystone Phil]

mccain campaigned for santorum in 06.

how did rick repay him?  by blasting him during the primaries.

i doubt mccain is interested in talking with him.

Whether he is actually interested or not is not the point at all. Your argument was that he is in no place to give advice (if anything, people, it's just space for his column).

[Brittain33]

Well, it really doesn't matter either way. I was just stating why Swift isn't exactly the best political strategist while Santorum actually knows what he's talking about concerning the base.

Oh, true, she's not a political strategist. I don't see any harm if all she's doing is showing up and saying "I'm a governor, but I'm also a mom, and I think John McCain is the greatest thing since sliced bread because blah, blah, blah..." It would be the height of hubris if she were offering advice to McCain on anything.

[Keystone Phil]

Well, it really doesn't matter either way. I was just stating why Swift isn't exactly the best political strategist while Santorum actually knows what he's talking about concerning the base.

Oh, true, she's not a political strategist. I don't see any harm if all she's doing is showing up and saying "I'm a governor, but I'm also a mom, and I think John McCain is the greatest thing since sliced bread because blah, blah, blah..." It would be the height of hubris if she were offering advice to McCain on anything.

I don't find a problem either but sending around someone no one knows as an official campaign surrogate makes less sense than taking advice from a man who knows the base.

[WalterMitty]

Well, it really doesn't matter either way. I was just stating why Swift isn't exactly the best political strategist while Santorum actually knows what he's talking about concerning the base.

Oh, true, she's not a political strategist. I don't see any harm if all she's doing is showing up and saying "I'm a governor, but I'm also a mom, and I think John McCain is the greatest thing since sliced bread because blah, blah, blah..." It would be the height of hubris if she were offering advice to McCain on anything.

I don't find a problem either but sending around someone no one knows as an official campaign surrogate makes less sense than taking advice from a man who knows the base.

im sure there are plenty of nutters who know the base that *didnt* stab mccain in the back during the primary.

[Keystone Phil]

Well, it really doesn't matter either way. I was just stating why Swift isn't exactly the best political strategist while Santorum actually knows what he's talking about concerning the base.

Oh, true, she's not a political strategist. I don't see any harm if all she's doing is showing up and saying "I'm a governor, but I'm also a mom, and I think John McCain is the greatest thing since sliced bread because blah, blah, blah..." It would be the height of hubris if she were offering advice to McCain on anything.

I don't find a problem either but sending around someone no one knows as an official campaign surrogate makes less sense than taking advice from a man who knows the base.

im sure there are plenty of nutters who know the base that *didnt* stab mccain in the back during the primary.

...

I don't get what's so hard to understand here. That doesn't make Santorum's advice bad.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Well, it really doesn't matter either way. I was just stating why Swift isn't exactly the best political strategist while Santorum actually knows what he's talking about concerning the base.

Oh, true, she's not a political strategist. I don't see any harm if all she's doing is showing up and saying "I'm a governor, but I'm also a mom, and I think John McCain is the greatest thing since sliced bread because blah, blah, blah..." It would be the height of hubris if she were offering advice to McCain on anything.

I don't find a problem either but sending around someone no one knows as an official campaign surrogate makes less sense than taking advice from a man who knows the base.

im sure there are plenty of nutters who know the base that *didnt* stab mccain in the back during the primary.

...

I don't get what's so hard to understand here. That doesn't make Santorum's advice bad.

     I don't doubt that Santorum can give good political advice. He won plenty of hard races in the past. That he had to face a Casey, in a Democratic wave year, with plunging approval ratings, pretty much ensured that he had no shot in 2006, regardless of his political acumen.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

First of I hate Jane Swift but I do have to thank her for an add she was going to run against Romney, in MA Gov primary in 2002 before she dropped out, claming he was pro-life. Thanks Jane. She did however lose 175,000 jobs under her watch and Romney got blamed for it by McCain, who also confused her with Lt. Keary Healey who's camapaign for Governor was sabotage by a horrible campaign manager in 2006, who went to work for McCain's presidencial campaign a few months latter, to damage Romney 's chances before he entered the race. I am glad I finally got to vent that rage at Swift.

As much I love Rick Santorum I think once again he has opened his mouth and inserted his foot squarely in it. What he said may be correct, but I think McCain is more likely to do the exect opposite because Rick said he should do it. I am eternally grateful for the help he provided Romney when it was so popular to endorse McCain. I think though that he should not try and encourage McCain to do anything until he has some credability with him. 

[Keystone Phil]

What he said may be correct, but I think McCain is more likely to do the exect opposite because Rick said he should do it.

Oh, come on. It's not that bad between them.

 

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Ugh. 

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

What he said may be correct, but I think McCain is more likely to do the exect opposite because Rick said he should do it.

Oh, come on. It's not that bad between them.

 

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Ugh. 

Okay Phil what is you problem with Mitt Romney?

Go Mitt 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Keystone Phil]

Okay Phil what is you problem with Mitt Romney?

Go Mitt 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He's fake.