At Politics Daily today, conservative writer Matt Lewis makes an interesting argument:
Rick Santorum has some high hurdles to overcome, but don't write him off. Just as Mike Huckabee came out of nowhere to pose a credible challenge to John McCain in 2008, Santorum may also surprise in 2012.
Yes, this means Lewis thinks that the former Pennsylvania senator is a viable presidential candidate two years from now.
It's an interesting thought exercise -- and Lewis does make some good points -- but probably not much more than that. Santorum has a whole lot of baggage. And, more importantly, the economy is likely to remain a major issue come 2012. If it is, someone like Santorum whose identity centers around social, not economic, conservatism is at a real disadvantage.
But Santorum and his advisors have a strategy, Lewis reports:
Every campaign needs a narrative -- it must tell a story. This one would require creativity. My sources indicate the Santorum camp has settled on a Churchillian narrative. Essentially, it goes like this: Santorum was right all along. He was right about creeping socialism. He was right about the culture. He was right about Islamic fascism. The people didn't appreciate him. He was a Cassandra. But now he has been vindicated.
Also, everyone's having sex with dogs. It's the hot new thing!
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