York: Why Santorum lost in 2006

[tosh]

By Byron York/Syndicated columnist
The MetroWest Daily News
Posted Feb 22, 2012 @ 08:16 AM

<snip>

Santorum didn’t lose just because of the war. The economy was also an issue in Pennsylvania in 2006, and Santorum lost 66 percent to 34 percent among voters to whom the economy was a critical issue. Santorum even ran disappointingly on values issues, his usual strength, splitting the vote 50-50 among those who said values were extremely important.

But it wasn’t all issues. Santorum also made personal decisions that came back to haunt him in 2006. For example, even though he owned a modest home in Pennsylvania, he moved his family to a much nicer house in Virginia, leading to charges not only that he had abandoned his home state but also that he had gone native in Washington.

In Virginia, Santorum kept his home-schooled children in a program run by the Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. That cost Pennsylvania taxpayers thousands of dollars a year, and some of Santorum’s political opponents demanded that he reimburse the state. “Just pay the money back,” Casey said to Santorum in one debate. “You ripped off the taxpayers. Pay it back.” Santorum declined, and an adjudicator ruled in his favor, but the school issue highlighted the fact that Santorum had left Pennsylvania behind.

Finally, there was Santorum’s personality. In the Senate as well as in his home state, Santorum often struck people as arrogant and headstrong, preachy and judgmental. Even today, he sometimes becomes so involved in an argument that he seems intent more on winning the argument than reaching some sort of useful agreement. Throughout his career Santorum has always maintained that his forthrightness means everyone knows where he stands. Sometimes it means people know they don’t like him.

<snip>


Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/opinion/x306964568/York-Why-Santorum-lost-in-2006#ixzz1n8ajuo3D

[livetohike]

1. Arrogance is the only thing that explains how a person can get beaten so badly in a re-election

campaign and then decide he is Presidential material!

[appleannie1]

2. It went beyond the fact that he moved to Virginia. When it first came out that he

was living there yet his kids received Penn Hills funded schooling, he lied and said they all still lived in the 2 bedroom house. He even went so far as to call the police one night and claim a peeping Tom was looking in the window and scaring his wife. When police got there the house was vacant. His tenant had moved out. The whole call and followup were taped and the tape was played on the news. He put officers lives in jeopardy answering a phony emergency call in order to uphold the lie he was living in order to commit fraud on the taxpayers of Penn Hills and educate his kids free. If he was willing to lie about that, what else did he lie about? If he was willing to basically steal from taxpayers, what other shady deals was he involved in? Those all became issues for the voters to consider.

PS: He nor his family ever lived in that house.

[K Gardner]

3. WTF??!! Are you kiidding? I love hearing from people in his home

state who know this creep. This should be given to Maddow, if she hasn't already covered it.

[tosh]

4. Thanks for that.

I was curious about his senate loss and went on a hunt today and found this story.

Now that Donald Frump has started in on this I hope it will get the attention that it deserves.
(Can't believe I'm giving the frumpster credit for anything )

[Cosmocat]

7. Byron York is a typical R twit

one of these "intellectual" Rs who babble on about democratic "intellectuals" and the such.

But, this piece actually is close to reality based.

The house/charging the school district to pay for his kids education in Virginia thing most certainly did not sit well with a lot of people.

Santorum is a VERY formidable political force. He is tough, works hard, is actually smart and knowledgeable.

I think the reality is, in a country where the republican party and "liberal media" has framed the "center" 10 steps to the right, Santorum is SO FAR to the right, no one can even begin to argue that he is anything other than a far right extremist.

End of that day, THAT was his undoing. As unimaginable as it it is today, where the frames all lend to casting democrats as extremists, Rs can even try to say he is anything other than an extremist.

[Lugnut]

10. And our prize members of the "media" aren't talking about this.

I was stunned when I heard that Rick was running for president. I thought his political career would never be resurrected. Boy, was I wrong.

[southernyankeebelle]

5. It's nice to know where he stands. However, the art of compromise goes a long way. We don't need

that kind of a person in the white house. He needs to go and become a preacher. Then he can preach all he likes.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. Forgot a major reason: Santorum market tested Bush's destruction of Social Security

On an 18 stop dog and pony show barnstorming tour of Pennsylvania. Support for the measure steadily decreased during Santorum's sell period. The Bushies saw that the whole thing was a catastrophe and pulled out of the tailspin, leaving Santorum standing there with his dick in the wind.

[WCGreen]

8. i can tell you why he lost...

He's a smug ass hole...

[HopeHoops]

9. Santorum lost because he's santorum. He'll always be santorum.

We threw him out once. He won't get PA in November.

[Lex]

11. Santorum = The Church Lady on SNL

Now that I have that visual I can't get rid of it.