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Rick Santorum surprises CPAC with plea for GOP to work for little people Rick Santorum surprises CPAC with plea for GOP to work for little people
(6 months later)
Newsflash: by the middle of day two at the Conservative Political Action Committee’s annual conference, the speeches will begin to seem … a bit repetitive. Or even by the middle of day one. Or after the first speech.Newsflash: by the middle of day two at the Conservative Political Action Committee’s annual conference, the speeches will begin to seem … a bit repetitive. Or even by the middle of day one. Or after the first speech.
On the economic front, every speaker has already paid his or her (mostly “his”) paeans to entrepreneurship, the free market, small businessmen and the glorious “job creators” who work their God-given managerial magic to create employment for the masses. Toss in a healthy dose of therapeutic Obama-bashing and general angst over the impending collapse of the global economic system and universal moral norms, and you’ve done a day’s work.On the economic front, every speaker has already paid his or her (mostly “his”) paeans to entrepreneurship, the free market, small businessmen and the glorious “job creators” who work their God-given managerial magic to create employment for the masses. Toss in a healthy dose of therapeutic Obama-bashing and general angst over the impending collapse of the global economic system and universal moral norms, and you’ve done a day’s work.
When former Pennsylvania senator and 2012 Republican presidential primary runner-up Rick Santorum came out this afternoon for his 20-minute slot, it wasn’t unreasonable to expect not much of a change.When former Pennsylvania senator and 2012 Republican presidential primary runner-up Rick Santorum came out this afternoon for his 20-minute slot, it wasn’t unreasonable to expect not much of a change.
Perhaps the culture warrior would throw more “God” into the mix. Even the scheduling for the day indicated a thematic focus on the religious right: two of the morning’s most prominent speakers were the southern Baptist politician-preacher-Fox News host Mike Huckabee and evangelical mainstay Ralph Reed. Who better to complete this holy trinity than Santorum, sole protector of Catholicism, the unborn and the Sacred Institution of Traditional Marriage?Perhaps the culture warrior would throw more “God” into the mix. Even the scheduling for the day indicated a thematic focus on the religious right: two of the morning’s most prominent speakers were the southern Baptist politician-preacher-Fox News host Mike Huckabee and evangelical mainstay Ralph Reed. Who better to complete this holy trinity than Santorum, sole protector of Catholicism, the unborn and the Sacred Institution of Traditional Marriage?
But that wasn’t what Santorum talked about. (Mostly.) The man who when on the presidential campaign trail was constantly shooting himself in the foot by getting into heated debates about homosexuality with bloggers seemed determined to escape his pigeonhole of social conservatism. And instead of touting the secular holiness of the job creators, he took his party to task for focusing on them at the expense of the average working person.But that wasn’t what Santorum talked about. (Mostly.) The man who when on the presidential campaign trail was constantly shooting himself in the foot by getting into heated debates about homosexuality with bloggers seemed determined to escape his pigeonhole of social conservatism. And instead of touting the secular holiness of the job creators, he took his party to task for focusing on them at the expense of the average working person.
Santorum, unexpectedly, turned in the most provocative address of CPAC 2014 thus far.Santorum, unexpectedly, turned in the most provocative address of CPAC 2014 thus far.
His speech was all the more interesting for the way he negated his own introductory premise. Santorum explained that he’d been hearing a lot at CPAC so far about what the GOP will have to do to “win” the midterms this year. He interpreted such remarks as suggestions that conservatives should change course, in order to make a fair electoral showing.His speech was all the more interesting for the way he negated his own introductory premise. Santorum explained that he’d been hearing a lot at CPAC so far about what the GOP will have to do to “win” the midterms this year. He interpreted such remarks as suggestions that conservatives should change course, in order to make a fair electoral showing.
“That may result in a win for a Republican candidate,” he said, “but it will be a devastating loss for America.”“That may result in a win for a Republican candidate,” he said, “but it will be a devastating loss for America.”
But then it was Santorum himself who changed course, lambasting the rhetoric of the 2012 presidential campaign for trying to appeal only to job creators and business people, large and small.But then it was Santorum himself who changed course, lambasting the rhetoric of the 2012 presidential campaign for trying to appeal only to job creators and business people, large and small.
He criticized his party for animatedly defending a core tenet of supply-side economics – reducing tax rates on the wealthy.He criticized his party for animatedly defending a core tenet of supply-side economics – reducing tax rates on the wealthy.
“I’m for those policies, but cutting taxes for high-income people doesn’t really cut it for most people,” he said.“I’m for those policies, but cutting taxes for high-income people doesn’t really cut it for most people,” he said.
The bigger problem, he added, was that in 2012 “we went out and talked about job creators. We talked about job creators, not job holders”.The bigger problem, he added, was that in 2012 “we went out and talked about job creators. We talked about job creators, not job holders”.
He talked about his experience at the 2012 Republican National Convention, where every seat featured a placard saying “We Built That”. That was the theme of the convention on the night he spoke – a play on President Obama’s perceived campaign trail gaffe, when he said: “If you have a business, you didn’t build that.”He talked about his experience at the 2012 Republican National Convention, where every seat featured a placard saying “We Built That”. That was the theme of the convention on the night he spoke – a play on President Obama’s perceived campaign trail gaffe, when he said: “If you have a business, you didn’t build that.”
The problem, Santorum said, was that while the Republican party “trotted out small business person after small business person after small business person after large business person” that night, to talk about their companies, “we didn’t send one server from a restaurant on the stage” to talk about their own life situation. The problem, Santorum said, was that while the Republican party “trotted out small business person after small business person after small business person after large business person” that night, to talk about their companies, “we didn’t send one server from a restaurant on the stage” to talk about their own life situation.
The GOP can’t just tailor its approach to entrepreneurs, he argued. The GOP needs people “who work nine to five and go home to coach little league. Obama got the votes of the most economically vulnerable, he said, because we didn’t talk about how to make things better for them.The GOP can’t just tailor its approach to entrepreneurs, he argued. The GOP needs people “who work nine to five and go home to coach little league. Obama got the votes of the most economically vulnerable, he said, because we didn’t talk about how to make things better for them.
“I know you’re going to have fun railing on Obama,” he told the CPAC crowd. “Get it out of your system. Because after we leave here, we have a job to do. We have to win.”“I know you’re going to have fun railing on Obama,” he told the CPAC crowd. “Get it out of your system. Because after we leave here, we have a job to do. We have to win.”
Talking not just to managers and owners, but to workers also: it doesn’t sound like difficult stuff. And yet within the closed loop of CPAC, it was nearly radical.Talking not just to managers and owners, but to workers also: it doesn’t sound like difficult stuff. And yet within the closed loop of CPAC, it was nearly radical.