Rick Santorum has had a better showing today than I think more people realize with his supporters filling up the lower ring of Hilton Coliseum. He has been campaigning hard the last three weeks having brought his entire family and has visited 68 of 99 counties. Santorum with his family standing behind him encouraged Iowans that the media elite in DC or those in the business board rooms in New York. Santorum said, “they are not going to choose the next President, you are.”
Santorum said, “I will not back down on the sanctity of life and the integrity of marriage,” and stated, “America is a moral enterprise.” He said that our founders knew that our rights came from our Creator – “from Nature and Nature’s God.” He noted that if candidates don’t know this then they don’t know Iowa’s values.
Santorum called his campaign the “little engine than could” campaign and that while they not be as flashy as the “shiny engines” they will persevere.
Santorum honored his father, who was a coal miner, and said, “I stand on his shoulders.” He said that our greatest threat is “Obamacare.” He said that with Obamacare “everyone is a puppet, everyone can be pulled… but not on my watch.”
He said he has defeated three incumbent Democrats. He said he has fought and helped to achieve welfare reform. He said he will fight for life in the Oval Office as he did from the floor of the Senate.
Quick thoughts: Santorum kicked off the presidential candidates during the program this afternoon. He has set the bar high for the other candidates. I have said before that Santorum articulates his worldview better than any other candidate in the current field. He demonstrated that again today by opening his speech with a discussion of our founding principles.