Paulitical Ticker: “The tea party playbook is more Paul than Santorum”
This is a good outline of how the Tea Party wins most often by focusing on the bedrock conservative principles of cutting government and spending. I would note, however, that while many Ron Paul supporters or half of the Tea Party are less concerned with social issues, there has been a significant uptickin the number of Americans who now consider themselves pro-life. I’ve noticed this frequently among Dr. Paul’s young supporters, many of whom who don’t really care about issues like gay marriage but are solidly pro-life.
Writes David Kirby and Emily Ekins at Politico:
The Republican National Convention this week announced speaking slots for libertarian Rep. Rand Paul and social conservative Rick Santorum. Both claim the “tea party” brand. However the 2012 primary season reveals that the tea party playbook is more Paul than Santorum.
Conventional political wisdom for at least two decades has held that Republican primaries are won by emphasizing values issues to placate socially conservative voters. Observers point to Santorum’s strong showing in the presidential primaries. Exit polls, however, reveal Santorum never won a majority of the tea party vote in any primary.
Republican candidates must increasingly win over both Paul and tea party supporters on economic issues. Libertarians and the tea party movement are intertwined in ways the campaigns and the media have yet to fully appreciate.
Harold
