Santorum Interview Contrasted with Paul Interviews

[tbone717]

I caught about 10 minutes of Santorum on Glenn Beck today. What I noticed about his delivery was that Santorum was on the attack against Obama, the left, Bill Ayers, George Soros, et al. Nothing that he said would really rattle any of us, because it was true. He painted Obama as a danger to this country, described him as the radical that he is. The GOP base eats this stuff up, which can explain why he is doing well this past week.

So I came home, and decided to watch the Paul interviews with John King, Greta and ABC This Week. Here is an observation, in all three of those interviews which totaled over 19 minutes, only once did he bring up Obama's name and in doing so really wasn't in the attack against him. What he did speak against was history, what we have been doing for the last 30, 40 or 50 years. He was on the defensive, particularly in the Greta interview. And while all of what he said was certianly correct, none of what he said would fire up anyone except for the hardcore supporters that are already on board.

So in 10 minutes, I hear Santorum saying things that would motivate people to go out and vote for him. In the 20 minutes we heard from Paul, there was nothing there that would appeal to the average GOP voter. My question would have to be why? Why are both the campaign and the grassroots to an extent still in this academic education mode? As I stated nothing that Santorum said in his railing against Obama would be something that we would necessarily disagree with. He identified Obama and the left as the problem in this country, he painted Romney & Newt as being similar to Obama on this issue and that issue and that he (Santorum) is the solution to the problems that Obama creates. So while Santorum is name dropping names like Soros and Bill Ayers, Paul is talking about Keynesian Economics and how we propped up a dictator 40 years ago.

What is wrong with this picture? Why isn't the campaign doing what it takes to win voters? It's not pandering to the base if you are attacking Obama, I am sure that Paul has the same feelings about that radical Marxist as the rest of the GOP base does. So why doesn't he call him out on it, show how the other three candidates are no different than Obama and present his solutions as the only workable solutions to the mess we are in?

Frustrated? Damn right I am. We are so close, and with a little tweaking we can get that momentum we need to win this thing. But it doesn't seem like anything is taking place to make any substantive changes.

Thoughts?

 

[unknown]

Thoughts are that the people interviewing Ron Paul constantly have him on the defensive. VERY rarely is he interviewed by someone who is there to help or even be neutral. Its one attack question and semi-accusation after another.

In addition, I personally believe that Ron Paul has to do two things which he doesnt like to do: expose the other candidates for the phonies that they are i.e. attack them and he also has to self promote, advertise his flawless record and honesty.

 

[Lord Xar]

My question is ... when is the media gonna vet Santorum? Didn't they visciously attack RP because he was getting popular...

 

[tbone717]

Thoughts are that the people interviewing Ron Paul constantly have him on the defensive. VERY rarely is he interviewed by someone who is there to help or even be neutral. Its one attack question and semi-accusation after another.

In addition, I personally believe that Ron Paul has to do two things which he doesnt like to do: expose the other candidates for the phonies that they are i.e. attack them and he also has to self promote, advertise his flawless record and honesty.

But even going on the attack against Romney & company won't fire up the average GOP voter nearly as much as attacking Obama first. That is what I heard from Santorum, and just looked at one of his rally speeches and he did it there too. He attacks Obama, presents his solution, and then compares Newt & Mitt to Obama on the same issue.

I've been at this for years and honestly I just can't understand what is going on here. Especially after hearing that interview on Beck and thinking to myself, I can see why people are starting to vote for this guy. He is pushing himself as the only conservative and attacking the left like crazy.

 

[LisaNY]

The media has not vetted Santorum. And Beck, Limbaugh and the rest are lying point blank to their audiences.

Go ahead a vote for Ayatollah Rick Santorum. Please. If Ron can't get the nomination I pray it's Santorum. Maybe then this whole house of conservative frauds will come crashing down at last.

 

[tbone717]

My question is ... when is the media gonna vet Santorum? Didn't they visciously attack RP because he was getting popular...

Don't know, don't care. It isn't going to help us if and when they do. We still need people to want to vote for Paul and he needs to give them a reason to do so.

Many were scratching their heads the last couple of days wondering how Santorum was pulling in all this support. Granted Romney did not campaign hard in the last three states, but if you want the answer to his success I believe this is the reason: he is attacking Obama and the left -- something that Paul is not doing. The GOP voter despises Obama and rightfully so, but in three interviews Paul mentions his name once and only in passing.

 

[Boss]

They don't seem ready to vet him any time soon

 

[tbone717]

They don't seem ready to vet him any time soon

Would vetting Santorum generate more votes for Paul? Are we seriously banking on the hopes that the media vets Santorum and all of a sudden Paul's support is going to double or triple because of that?

 

[Darthbrooklyn]

@tbone - I agree w you 100%.. the Campaign has to turn from College History Lesson mode into Campaign mode... This is a quote from a family member. "Unfortunately the majority of our Electorate are uneducated, so that is why most would rather watch lions eat people in the colliseum, than watch Plato hold forth at the acropolis"

Im not saying changing your beliefs, but modifying your message for a broader audience.

 

[ohgodno]

I think this is a good point - Santorum speaks the language of the GOP - his record proves he doesn't walk the walk though.

Once again we see the people are swayed by meaningless words. Dr. Paul could incorporate some more "red meat" into his interviews, but it would be forced. It is simply not his style.

It is also untrue to blame everything on Obama as Santorum does - Santorum likes to forget that HE is part of the problem.

This is why the GOP likes him. He keeps the "we're the best and they suck so much" rhetoric going. So the perpetual cycle of denial of the one-party system continues.

 

[tbone717]

@tbone - I agree w you 100%.. the Campaign has to turn from College History Lesson mode into Campaign mode... This is a quote from a family member. "Unfortunately the majority of our Electorate are uneducated, so that is why most would rather watch lions eat people in the colliseum, than watch Plato hold forth at the acropolis"

Im not saying changing your beliefs, but modifying your message for a broader audience.

At least someone gets it. Savage was saying something about this last night as well, that Santorum is out on the stump campaigning against Obama. If anyone has the time to watch the Colorado rally video, I wonder how much at that speech Paul mentions Obama.

 

[Romulus]

I don't want Paul in any way to become Santorum or pander to neocons..

 

[kahless]

This movement really shut down Perry in the fall with all the videos, little websites and sound bites to expose him for what he is. But why is there not any short videos that has all of Santorum's hypocritical sound bites. The movement is getting lazy since 6 months ago if Santorum was doing well there would have been allot of these links and videos posted here that could be sent around to people.

A killer video of would be showing all of Santorum's hypocritical statements like his support of a health care mandate.

 

[tbone717]

I think this is a good point - Santorum speaks the language of the GOP - his record proves he doesn't walk the walk though.

Once again we see the people are swayed by meaningless words. Dr. Paul could incorporate some more "red meat" into his interviews, but it would be forced. It is simply not his style.

It is also untrue to blame everything on Obama as Santorum does - Santorum likes to forget that HE is part of the problem.

This is why the GOP likes him. He keeps the "we're the best and they suck so much" rhetoric going. So the perpetual cycle of denial of the one-party system continues.

True but you change the cycle by winning, not by a slow growth of academically minded people that will take many years to grow. I have been in this for 25 years. I was really encouraged to see the growth we made from 2008 till now. It was enough to give us the money and the volunteer base to make a realistic push for the nomination. But we need a marketable product to sell out there. Paul's ideas and policies are spot on - there is no denying that, but his marketing is poor. We know from history that in order to win elections you have to go on the attack against the other party and you have to give solutions in a positive manner. I can't think that Paul thought that he could win this thing simply by being academic. It is very frustrating to folks like myself who have been waiting for 25 years and then some for enough people to be part of this wing of the party again that we could propel a candidate to the nomination. We did it in 64 and 80, but this time it is so much harder. We are willing to work our butts off for the campaign, to make financial sacrifices. I think the least we can expect is to see the campaign make some on the fly changes as needed. If we would have won a state or two this wouldn't be an issue for me. But we haven't and from what I am reading Maine doesn't look as promising as it did yesterday. So what next, we move the line in the sand, keep talking about the delegates that we have in place and continue on doing the same things that were unable to bring us a win?

 

[tbone717]

I don't want Paul in any way to become Santorum or pander to neocons..

What I heard from Santorum today. It was economically focused and then focused on religious freedoms. I don't want Santorums solutions to these issues, but he correctly identified Obama's positions on both.

Pandering is saying something solely for the purpose to get elected, even when it is not part of your belief. Like Obama saying that he would bring the troops home only to expand the wars. That's pandering.

Getting on the stump and saying Obama has spent us into oblivion, Obama has created record deficits, Obama wants to take away your freedoms - is not pandering. It is a lot of what Paul is already saying, except he is not focusing on a specific target and instead makes generalizations.

 

[floridasun1983]

Having thought about it, I think the campaign's angle is they want everybody to stay in this thing through the end. As long as Santorum and Gingrich stay around, nobody will win the nomination before the convention, its now obvious after Romney's crushing defeats Tuesday. Santorum will do well in the heartland, Gingrich in the South, and Paul and Romney will duking it out in the west. So they aren't targeting anyone or trying to run them into the ground, they seem content to let them bash each other.

What I am afraid will happen is that Santorum and Gingrich will drop out right before the convention and endorse Mitt in exchange for a VP nod or cabinet position, and he'll have his magic delegates at the convention. The establishment is going to freak out if the scenario plays out and will pull all the stops to deny us a fair shake at the convention, bet on that. The stronger we show up in these elections, the more leverage we'll have to remind the GOP they're sunk without us.

 

[ohgodno]

Even if Dr. Paul attacked Obama's positions (which he JUST did in a Press Release)… neocons don't like his solution (more freedom, less central control). Neocons want CONTROL - just like Obama does.

Remember, Santorum is preaching BIGGER government because "we don't live 'properly'". His message is OPPOSITE of what Dr. Paul preaches. GOPers aren't responding to his attacks - they're responding to his crusade to "fix" the "left" through control over their lives.

 

[Darthbrooklyn]

I don't want Paul in any way to become Santorum or pander to neocons..

Most people in the electorate dont give themselves labels like "Neocons".. They do not know, as most of us here did not know we were thinking the wrong way about our FP. All the people want to know is that they will be protected. RP going out and telling people "We will have the strongest military in the world" is not lying or pandering. Saying we will have the strongest economy in the world" is not lying or pandering.. It's streamlining your message.. The people that work all day, and then come home to a house full of screaming children dont have time to listen to a 30 minute lecture on the business cycle. Thats all im saying.. Streamline for the Mainstream..

 

[tbone717]

Even if Dr. Paul attacked Obama's positions (which he JUST did in a Press Release)… neocons don't like his solution (more freedom, less central control). Neocons want CONTROL - just like Obama does.

Remember, Santorum is preaching BIGGER government because "we don't live 'properly'". His message is OPPOSITE of what Dr. Paul preaches. GOPers aren't responding to his attacks - they're responding to his crusade to "fix" the "left" through control over their lives.

Don't assume though that the average GOP voter is a neo-con. Neo-cons are actually a very small part of the GOP. I've been involved at the local level for years, and I can assure you that the typical GOP voter in my area is much more receptive to Paul's platform (particularly the economics) than what the others offer. We do have some work to do in FP, but it is more in the delivery of the message than the content. As many have said the surrogates explain Paul's FP better than Paul does.

 

[unknown]

Would vetting Santorum generate more votes for Paul? Are we seriously banking on the hopes that the media vets Santorum and all of a sudden Paul's support is going to double or triple because of that?

Well yah. The main problem is that every other candidate is lying. The electorate is simply basing their decision on rhetoric. Its easy to get up there and say youre a conservative. Unfortunately, the electorate is stupid enough to believe it.

Everyone of them has voted for or endorsed the expansion of government and increases in spending without the slightest regard for the Constitution or civil liberties.

So how do we combat the fact that Ron Paul is the only one with a conservative RECORD not just conservative rhetoric? Well, the media isnt going to do it, so in my opinion, Ron Paul has to expose these fakes. The electorate needs to know that they are being misled by the typical lying politician who will sell us down the river once elected, just like Obama.