海角大神

Is Rick Santorum helped or hurt when he talks morality?

Rick Santorum says President Obama has 鈥渁 world view that elevates the Earth above man." Theology-tinged rhetoric may appeal to part of the Republican base, but it could hurt him in a general election.

Rick Santorum said on Sunday that President Obama has a 鈥減hony ideal鈥� in regards to mankind鈥檚 relationship with Earth's resources.

Man is not here to serve the Earth, as 鈥渞adical environmentalists鈥� seem to believe said Santorum on 鈥�Face the Nation鈥� on CBS. It鈥檚 the other way around 鈥� the Earth is here to provide man with resources which he needs to use wisely.

The GOP presidential aspirant added that he鈥檚 not suggesting Obama is not a 海角大神. He鈥檚 saying that Obama has 鈥渁 world view that elevates the Earth above man鈥�, something that in the end is just an attempt to 鈥渃entralize power and to give more power to the government.鈥�

搁贰颁翱惭惭贰狈顿贰顿:听Is Rick Santorum facing a brewing 'women problem'?

Santorum then said he鈥檚 skeptical that mankind鈥檚 actions are changing the world鈥檚 climate. But let鈥檚 leave aside the scientific and theological implications here, and just consider the political implications of this kind of discussion. Is Rick Santorum helped or hurt when he talks about morality in such direct terms?

We ask this question because some conservatives think it鈥檚 a big problem for him. 鈥淚s Santorum the Sharron Angle of 2012?鈥� asked the Washington Post鈥檚 on Sunday.

Sharron Angle was the Tea Party favorite who won the Republican nomination for Senate in 2010, if you鈥檝e forgotten. She lost to Majority Leader Harry Reid after she got tangled up trying to explain her moralistic remarks. Ms. Rubin believes that Santorum risks that same fate.

鈥淪antorum鈥檚 views and persona have limited appeal in a general election,鈥� Rubin writes.

Of course, not everybody on the right agrees with this. Some say that Santorum is just responding to similar talk from Obama, who uses theology-tinged arguments in support of his economic policies.

The conservative blogger 聽that at the recent Capital prayer breakfast Obama, when discussing his proposal to raise taxes on upper income taxpayers, said 鈥渇or me as a 海角大神, it also coincides with Jesus鈥� teaching that 鈥榝or unto whom much is given, much shall be required鈥�.鈥�

On Hot Air Morrissey added that 鈥渘ormally I would advise presidential candidates to avoid getting caught in arguments over the relative merits of the faith of their opponents.... In this case, though, Rick Santorum didn鈥檛 start that fight.鈥�

Whether he started the fight or not, it might weigh to his disadvantage, concludes New York Times polling analyst Nate Silver on his FiveThirtyEight blog. If the election focuses on economic issues, it鈥檚 possible that Santorum is almost as electable as Mitt Romney, Silver points out. Santorum鈥檚 blue-collar personal background and populist economic proposals are a better fit for the voter-rich swing states of the upper Midwest, such as Ohio, than Romney鈥檚 stiff corporate CEO persona.

But if economic recovery seems to be taking hold, and the campaign turns to focus more on social issues, than Santorum could be the potential GOP candidate at the greatest disadvantage.

鈥淭he more that social policy is emphasized, the more the electability gap [between Romney and Santorum] could grow,鈥�

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