This is Siberia, right?

Thank you, Ohio, for putting Rick Santorum to the fore, thereby substantially boosting Barry Obama's prospects.

Politics is really something these days.  Santorum is so far to the right that it's amazing he's sorta considered near the middle.

Can't believe that the teas etc are so dominant in the Republican party that the Republicans will end up with an extreme, extreme candidate such that independents won't buy it, likely leaving the Republicans at a loss (Congress too?) in a year in which Obama seems vulnerable.

Of course, it's 98% about the economy.  But for the Republicans to nominate an extreme candidate who's just not electable?  Ideology is nice.  But it would seem that winning the White House would be a higher priority.

Maybe I'll be proven very incorrect but I'm amazed that Republicans will go extreme after the lessons of Goldwater, McCain, etc.

finn--Ohio's a key/swing state and news reports are that Santorum is surging there.  McCain, as most Repubs, seemed to have to go hard for the right.  Makes sense; it's the core of the party and the Repub candidate has to bring that first and foremost.  Taking Palin as ticket member, going hard on immigration (against his relatively moderate stance on immig until the campgain) are signs that McCain toed the line to the right.  No, he wasn't as extreme as Goldwater and Santorum.  But he went more to the right than the middle.

You can tell that I'm not a fan of Republicans.  But my point is that I think that the race to the right is a tactic built to win the nomination but leave the candidate in poor standing come the general election.  That point I bring up for consideration without regard to party affiliation.  It seems good politics but bad election strategy.

If gas is $5 a gallon, prepare to be amazed.

What, Monroe, do you find so extreme about Santorum?  As a Catholic he opposes birth control in his personal life, but he's never made any move to restrict birth control and said he never would.  This is a manufactured issue.  As Newt said in the debate tonight, why wasn't Obama asked in 2008 why he was in favor of infanticide (late term abortion)?  By the way, I haven't decided who I will vote for in the Ohio GOP primary.  So, I don't yet have a dog in this fight.  But, I do think it's time for a change that really holds out some hope for the economy to recover.  Obama's veto of the pipeline from Canada was just the final straw for me.  Now, the Canadians will build a pipeline to their west coast and ship the oil to China.  Obama gave in to the environmental extremest wing of the Democratic Party.  Obama is basically a socialist similar to those in many European governments.  Give him another four years and we'll be far down the road toward being the next Greece. 

Roger, what about OCF and his right-wing slant?

We don't wish to referee. If someone wants to set up another forum, I'll be happy to provide a link. As previous experience suggests and as you can see in this thread, these conversations go downhill quickly.