Mitt Romney would be wise to take a good hard look at what Rick Santorum did right and what he did wrong during his campaign. In his quest to unseat President Obama Romney will face some of the same challenges Santorum faced.
Back in the summer of 2011 nobody thought Santorum had a shot at the Republican nomination. Nationally he was polling at about 3 percent. But through sheer hard work and persistence he won the Iowa caucus and was catapulted into the big time.
There are many lessons to be learned from Santorums political journey beginning with having a dream and fighting like hell to make it happen. The senator did that and it makes him a noble figure to those of us who admire achievement.
But Santorum also made some vivid mistakes in underestimating the secular culture and the intent of the media. And this is where the Romney tutorial begins.
The national press is generally biased toward the left and has the long knives out for anyone spouting spiritual beliefs. Once Santorum began answering questions about his theology it began to damage his political message. And when he criticized John F. Kennedy on the separation of church and state issue the media went wild. You dont mess with JFK.
ABCs George Stephanopoulos defined the skeptical tone toward Santorum in January during the New Hampshire debate. He zeroed in on the senators moral view of contraception and foolishly Santorum engaged. He should have simply said: Hey George I have seven kids. I dont know much about it. End of exposition.
But no. Santorum rambled on about the downside of birth control something most Americans simply dont want to hear about. Although most citizens are believers the USA has become a largely secular country and voters do not want politicians telling them how to conduct their private lives.
Soon Santorum was besieged by questions about his faith-based belief system and again entered into the conversation answering questions about the morality of homosexuality and the like. In doing so he walked into a swamp he couldnt get out of and was marginalized as a religious zealot.
Memo to Romney: If the media ask you about Adam and Eve simply say they didnt have jobs and its Obamas fault. Keep the conversation on issues that matter to the voters. The media dont really care what you think about Cain and Abel or what you believe spiritually. They simply want to make you look like Elmer Gantry.
In the end Santorums spirited challenge to Romney actually better defined the governor for the voters which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your viewpoint. But going forward Romney will face the same sand traps that bedeviled Santorum. Best to walk around them Governor because once you get in youll never get out.
Bill OReilly is host of the Fox News show The OReilly Factor and author of Whos Looking Out For You? and Pinheads and Patriots.
Mitt Romney would be wise to take a good hard look at what Rick Santorum did right and what he did wrong during his campaign. In his quest to unseat President Obama Romney will face some of the same challenges Santorum faced.
Back in the summer of 2011 nobody thought Santorum had a shot at the Republican nomination. Nationally he was polling at about 3 percent. But through sheer hard work and persistence he won the Iowa caucus and was catapulted into the big time.
There are many lessons to be learned from Santorums political journey beginning with having a dream and fighting like hell to make it happen. The senator did that and it makes him a noble figure to those of us who admire achievement.
But Santorum also made some vivid mistakes in underestimating the secular culture and the intent of the media. And this is where the Romney tutorial begins.
The national press is generally biased toward the left and has the long knives out for anyone spouting spiritual beliefs. Once Santorum began answering questions about his theology it began to damage his political message. And when he criticized John F. Kennedy on the separation of church and state issue the media went wild. You dont mess with JFK.
ABCs George Stephanopoulos defined the skeptical tone toward Santorum in January during the New Hampshire debate. He zeroed in on the senators moral view of contraception and foolishly Santorum engaged. He should have simply said: Hey George I have seven kids. I dont know much about it. End of exposition.
But no. Santorum rambled on about the downside of birth control something most Americans simply dont want to hear about. Although most citizens are believers the USA has become a largely secular country and voters do not want politicians telling them how to conduct their private lives.
Soon Santorum was besieged by questions about his faith-based belief system and again entered into the conversation answering questions about the morality of homosexuality and the like. In doing so he walked into a swamp he couldnt get out of and was marginalized as a religious zealot.
Memo to Romney: If the media ask you about Adam and Eve simply say they didnt have jobs and its Obamas fault. Keep the conversation on issues that matter to the voters. The media dont really care what you think about Cain and Abel or what you believe spiritually. They simply want to make you look like Elmer Gantry.
In the end Santorums spirited challenge to Romney actually better defined the governor for the voters which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your viewpoint. But going forward Romney will face the same sand traps that bedeviled Santorum. Best to walk around them Governor because once you get in youll never get out.
Bill OReilly is host of the Fox News show The OReilly Factor and author of Whos Looking Out For You? and Pinheads and Patriots.
