1. I’m not sure it is good policy, but Santorum’s policy of no corporate income taxes on manufacturers, might do him some good when added to the stuff about his biography, etc. He might be able to rally a constituency for working class-oriented, right-leaning industrial policy. If you can add that to his appeal among social conservatism-first voters, he might have something there.
2. I wasn’t a big fan of the Santorum and Romney speeches yesterday. Santorum gave the better speech. It seemed from the heart and he was able to authentically ground his policies in real life struggles. It also rambled, but he seems to have a small operation, so I don’t think he has speech writers and stuff working on every phrase.
Romney’s speech was just discouraging. It was basically Romney’s “hey unemployment is high and my opportunity society vs. Obama’s entitlement and redistribution society” stump speech. And it is a lousy stump speech. It is like someone assigned the least talented person at the Chamber of Commerce’s message shop to write a response to Obama’s Ostawatomie speech on inequality and this is what they got. It was totally hollow other than rightish clichés about people rising and everybody getting wealthier as a result, blah, blah, blah.
The thing is Romney is underselling the appeal of his own policies. The right conservative message for the moment is that the right-leaning reformist policies can produce rising living standards and a sustainable safety net for those who need it while liberal policies will either erode living standards or weaken the safety net or both.
Neither guy came close and, in a general election, we are rhetorically outgunned with either of these guys.
3. I agree with Peter Lawler that we would be better off with several candidates other than the ones we have. The problem is that I don’t see how the mechanics of the current nominating process allow for effective activism to encourage such a result. The only way another candidate becomes a realistic possibility is though a series of very unlikely events.
4. Run Bobby Run. I just don’t see how it happens.
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