Just how dumb is this man? He readily admits that he couldn’t shape public opinion during the campaign, but now expects to do so in his new career.
Doesn’t he get it? He couldn’t “shape” anything because the people of this state saw his opinions for what they were…. bullshit.
dg/blogus

Sounds like Rick is positioning himself to be the next Joe McCarthy.

Notice Rick’s language. He doesn’t mention legislation (which he had little time or talent for) but he talks about how he couldn’t “shape public opinion” during the campaign. I thought the job of a LEGISLATOR was to LEGISLATE, not BLOVIATE!

Rick was never much of a Senator…he was just Bill O’Reilly and Rush with a plush Capitol Hill office. The truth is that the voters of PA finally figured this out; Santorum only wanted to spout off and “shape public opinion,” not listen to the opinions of the people who elected him!

Piltdown Man

“If only”. Of all the losses on Election Night, Senator Santorum’s was the most painful to watch, for me anyway. Not because it handed you lovable libs the hide you’ve sought more than any other for years now, but because I truly believe that the U.S. Senate lost one of the few persons of conviction that they had. While his enemies portrayed him as a whacked-out, Papal wannabee obsessed with Tom and Harry’s sex life, the reality was that Santorum was far more concerned with eliminating poverty by reforming aspects of the educational and social systems that, more often than not, circumvent that noble goal. Santorum won praise from some unlikely quarters on the political left for having the courage to speak out on those issues. Santorum was branded as the typical “right-wing extremist” for his stances on hot-buttons like abortion and same-sex marriage, but in the instance of abortion, his opponents and the media often glossed over his belief that society should work with women and young girls in the case of unexpected or unwelcome pregnancies, not confront them. While standing firm against same-sex marriage (as seven states, I believe, did last month, adding to the list of 18 or so in the past several years), Santorum never personally attacked one gay or lesbian individual, unless you equate opposition to same-sex marriage as a personal attack (which is a stretch). While I feel Santorum was given an unfair shake during his tenure in the Senate, Rick’s loss last month can largely be blamed on Rick. The problem was that, instead of making an effort to highlight the beliefs and values I mentioned above, he became almost a caricature of his own caricature. Instead of talking up his vital role in welfare reform or his other anti-poverty efforts, he honed in on issues like border security and Iran. While both are important, they weren’t exactly things that many Pennsylvanians were focused on this year. Pennsylvanians like their politicans to have a maverick streak of some sort and too many looked at Santorum and saw carbon-copy Washington Republican. Throughout the campaign, Santorum repeatedly berated Casey for never saying much (which he didn’t). However, when Rick spoke, voters didn’t hear his words, because they often resembled those of a man they had long since tuned out – President Bush. Santorum should’ve run as his own man. Instead of cozying up to Bush and the Washington GOP establishment, he would’ve been much better served, both personally and politically, by retaining the independent streak that resulted in public scoldings by Republican elders as a freshman Senator. Perhaps Rick had become too DC. Shame. He had so much to say. Rick Santorum just forgot how to say it.

Pennsylvania voters were, like most of the nation, focused on the war in Iraq and all the other issues (like record setting budget deficits) it helped create. And whether they were lied to, or purposely or mistakenly misled, they had enough.
And on this issue alone, Ricky took positions that the voters completely rejected. There was never a link between Iraq and al-Qaeda, as he stated. There were no WMD’s (something even bush acknowledged) but Ricky kept insisting they were there. Etc. Etc. Etc.
Yes, Ricky lost this election himself. But not because he didn’t talk about “social” issues. It was his assinine positions on everything else.
dg/blogus