Rick Santorum (in photo) deserves credit for making Mitt Romney lift his performance and improve his platform. Santorum’s overarching theme of restoring American freedom had more resonance than Romney’s recitation of his resume, and the likely GOP nominee has since picked up some of Santorum’s words if not the music. The Pennsylvanian was also by far the most effective Republican critic of Romneycare. When he stood on stage in a debate and took apart the Massachusetts health law as a prototype for Obamacare, Romney realized he couldn’t coast to the nomination. That’s when the former Massachusetts governor came out with his own tax cut and tax reform plan to appeal to economic conservatives. There are no consolation prizes in presidential politics, but if Romney does win in November, Santorum’s strong run will be part of the victory story. – Wall Street Journal
Rick Santorum’s withdrawal should cause most Republicans to breathe a sigh of relief. It means the end of divisive intra-party campaigning that featured Mitt Romney and Santorum and their surrogates firing ugly televised attacks at each other in primary states. Those attack ads and debate barbs undercut both candidates in the minds of voters and have dominated the news for months, to the delight of President Obama and his supporters. The only Republicans who will lament the end of this primary warfare are the die-hard supporters of Santorum or Newt Gingrich or Ron Paul who believe that Romney is not conservative enough on either money or social issues, or do not trust him because of his Mormon faith. Also, by focusing repeatedly on his extreme positions on contraception and abortion, Santorum alienated many women voters from his party. If Romney loses in November, Santorum will have played a role. – Salt Lake Tribune
