Why I'm Afraid of Rick Santorum

About a month ago I saw a tweet from my favorite polling firm that really caught my eye, 

Head to heads- Santorum leads Mitt by 18 in NC, Newt leads by 1. Perry trails by 17, Paul by 46: tinyurl.com/748397u

— PublicPolicyPolling (@ppppolls) January 11, 2012

It was one in a series of polls that would be released in the coming weeks that predicted what we are seeing now, that Santorum, in large part because of his personal favorability, can mount a serious challenge to the inevitable nominee, Mitt Romney. 

Santorum's problem is that he's quiet. Despite having a lengthy list of outrageous and neanderthal-like quotes, they are delivered by a humble, seemingly well-meaning and devout Catholic. Not a rhetorical flame thrower like most of the former "front runners".  Somehow I can't picture a guy in a sweater vest doing this.  
 

So even though Santorum's culture warrior credentials are untouchable and he has appeal with blue collar workers (a.k.a. he's never been photographed with $100 bills popping out of his suit) no one could hear him say it. Not with Newt lambasting the liberal media and Cain offering us all a pretty good deal on 3 large pizzas (not to mention the entourage of "other women" those guys came with). 

But now things are more quiet, Romney's Death Star has twice crushed a Gingrich rise and the grassroots are moving toward Santorum. He's won four states and seems well positioned to deliver a humiliating defeat to Romney in his home state of Michigan. 

But, so what? Chances are (and have always been) Romney will outlast Santorum and become the nominee. And even if Santorum wins, that's the best case scenario for the Democrats, right? Certainly Markos of Daily Kos thinks so,

Announcing Operation Hilarity: Let's keep the GOP clown show going! dailykos.com/story/2012/02/…. Dems: vote for Santorum in MI, ND, VT, and TN

— Markos Moulitsas (@markos) February 15, 2012

I see it differently. I think if we lose Mitt Romney as the Republican nominee, we lose something else, the legacy of #occupy and what should be, in my opinion, the defining issue of the next generation, Economic Inequality. 

We were seeing the emergence of a perfect storm. The #occupy protests, President Obama's Osawatomie, KS speech and the perfect enemy, Mitt Romney. No possible Republican candidate (outside of Donald Trump) better epitomizes the increasingly unequal society we live in than Romney. His tax rate, his off-shore/Swiss bank accounts and the kind of capitalism Bain engages in will all work against him in the general election. Economic inequality can be an issue that Democrats nationwide use in years to come, it can become a defense of Government, a call to invest in the basic infrastructure and services that allow business to flourish and produce an educated society. 

As we see the end of an organized #occupy movement (a movement I was not a part of and at times critical of), those of us working in progressive and Democratic politics must play the long game. We can use #occupy as a catalyst of a much longer conversation about how we prioritize government and what we want to invest in. I want 2012 to be the beginning of that. In the White House we have a reluctant populist, but one who seems to finally be embracing the ideas his base has long pushed for. We have candidates like Elizabeth Warren, who gives the best defense of Government I have heard. She speaks forcefully about our shared responsibilities and the need to give back, for the next kid with a great idea. 

But if Santorum is the nominee that's not the narrative we'll have this election. It becomes something more garbled, competing conservative and liberal visions of populism with an unfortunate return of the culture wars. Obama still probably wins, probably by a bigger margin. I tend to agree that Santorum's social positions make him too extreme, just like Pennsylvanians found in 2006. So Obama will be President for four more years but we'll have missed an opportunity. 

That's why I'm afraid of Rick Santorum. Not because I'm worried he'll be President, or that he'll strengthen Romney for the general but because of the opportunity we have. If we make this election about inequality, about investing in roads and schools, about rebuilding and revitalizing America and preparing her for the 21st century, I believe we stand to win a lot more than an election.