Rick Santorum Releases Powerful New TV Ad

Former Pennsylvania Senator and Candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States, Rick Santorum, has released a new campaign ad as his campaign prepares to head down the homestretch toward Iowa and New Hampshire. I’ve posted the video below; but first a few thoughts on the spot and the candidate generally.

As campaign ads go, I must say it is as powerful and moving as any that I’ve ever come across. If you have followed this campaign and Rick Santorum’s part in it, you undoubtedly know that he’s made “family” and “family values” as much a part of his platform as anything else. He opened the last debate with a message to one of his children and he speaks of them often on the campaign trail. He’s an unapologetic Catholic and a “social conservative” in every sense of the word. And for what it’s worth, his campaign and his platform have reflected both from start-to-finish.

As to Santorum generally, I’ve said it before and I see no shame in saying it again. I believe he is without a doubt; no questions asked; no room for debate; the most genuinely conservative candidate in this field. Across the board, this guy is solid conservative, period.

That brings the inevitable ”but.” The but here is that he American People want those things in a Republican candidate, but this time around they seem to care more about fiscal matters than anything else. While I do not agree with the notion that conservatism can be taken in piecemeal, many do; and it seems they want a candidate that they believe can tackle the fiscal matters without getting “bogged down” in the rest of it. Like it or not; right or wrong; real or perceived; Rick Santorum is just not seen by most as that guy. I think it’s a shame. I think he’s been more than overlooked by an electorate that is supposedly looking for a genuine conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. If not him, then I say who else would be more sufficient?

Regarding the current field, I have to say I feel more than lucky that it developed as it did. Sarah Palin did me a solid and stayed out of the race – leaving me in a position to genuinely take a second, third, and fourth look at all of them with any hope of remaining objective. If at this point I am still capable of doing that, I think I would unequivocally tell you that Rick Santorum is not only the most conservative candidate in the field, but also the guy we should give this nomination to. Frankly, Newt Gingrich would be the only one within arm’s reach. They are the only candidates in this field that could take Barack Obama to task in a presidential debate and Santorum is the only one that could do it from a principled conservative position and have a track record that would support it.

That said, the political world is rarely so objective. Because of that – barring disaster or revelation – I fail to see a path that will lead Santorum to victory. I think he will have a modest-to-solid showing in Iowa and be out of this race by the time votes are counted in South Carolina. I say that not as a farewell to Santorum, but simply as a general recognition of the reality most likely waiting on the horizon. But I do commend him for the effort. And if you do not, let me ask you just one question. If Rick Santorum was not in this field, which one of these candidates would even waste the time paying lip service to the social side of conservatism?

I think we all owe him a debt of gratitude for at least that much.