Santorum Struggling in Home State of Pennsylvania

Rick Santorum is no stranger to media attention. This week he was at the center of two controversial stories. Unfortunately, I doubt either event will sink his campaign for the Republican Nomination. If we have learned anything during this election cycle, it is that the Rick Santorum supporter is not dissuaded to vote for their candidate by the strange statements that come out of his mouth, or his previous support for big government solutions. Perhaps his followers will question his leadership once it is unveiled that Rick Santorum enjoys very little support in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where he was a Senator for more than 10 years.

Senator Santorum's first blunder this week occurred during an interview with El Vocero Newspaper; he demanded that Puerto Rico make English the official language if they desire statehood. Mr. Santorum would have benefited from knowledge that English, along with Spanish, already is the official language of Puerto Rico. In hindsight, I'm sure he regrets not having investigated and learned about the Puerto Rican culture before opening his mouth. Throughout his campaign, it has become a common trend that Rick fails to think before he speaks.

The second foolish mistake Rick made last week was deciding that now was the ideal time to threaten the pornography industry with government intervention. As a Presidential contender it is fine to have negative views regarding the adult entertainment industry, but to warn the industry of potential government action is absurd. Apparently, Mr. Santorum determined that the United States did not already have sufficient issues to address. The highest gas prices of all time for the season, several undeclared wars, a collapsing dollar, and near 20% real unemployment are not pressing issues for his campaign. The former Senator from PA is no stranger to social engineering. It would not be a stretch to assume that dictating the personal behaviors of individuals was a core reason Ricky decided to get involved with politics. In a 2006 interview with NPR, Santorum exposed his belief that individuals should not be free to act as they wish. A President Santorum would be extremely dangerous to the ideals of liberty. Wielding such power may provide him the platform to sate his desire to utilize government force, by requiring free people to live the way Rick Santorum envisions.

It is no secret that the Santorum campaign has stumbled this past week, but these missteps might actually be helping to deflect media attention from an equally embarrassing failure. According to the York Daily Record, Mr. Santorum, who served as a Pennsylvania Senator for over 10 years, has yet to receive a solitary endorsement from anyone who is active in PA GOP politics.
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