Our Strange New Respect for Rick

Michael Brendan Dougherty says the culture war is back, just in time for Rick Santorum. Daniel McCarthy says that even though Rick Santorum is no Pat Buchanan, there are similarities:

[C]ombine social conservatives with a blue-collar economic program, and you have a force that can threaten the establishment.

Daniel Larison, who really cannot abide Romney, points out that Santorum has higher unfavorable ratings among Republicans than does Romney:

According to Gallup, both Paul and Santorum have slightly higher unfavorable numbers and lower favorable numbers, and overall Romney’s fav/unfav is 66/25. There are Republicans who deeply dislike Romney, but there aren’t that many of them. Romney’s problem is that he generates so little enthusiasm among the ones that like him.

Jonathan Tobin of Commentary sees real vulnerability for Romney:

It should be remembered the only reason why Romney was able to become the frontrunner was the failure of more viable conservatives to get into the race or to put themselves forward as plausible candidates. Santorum seemed the most unlikely of all the contenders to get this far. But he is a genuine conservative on social issues and has the best grasp of foreign policy of any of those still standing. Though he is vulnerable on his record of support for earmarks and spending while in the Senate, should Romney attempt to “carpet bomb” him with negative ads in the upcoming primaries it will do more damage to himself than Santorum.

I know, I know, foreign policy. I know. Please, enough about the neocons. It makes me unhappy, but your average Republican voter is more likely to agree with Rick Santorum on foreign policy than with Ron Paul. Speaking of Ron Paul, is he ever going to win a state? Even one? No, he’s not. Sorry.