Santorum thought he had a pretty darn good point by saying that we need a GOP nominee that presents a clear contrast to President Obama. You could see it in the smugness on his face. But the way he said it was simply gaffetastic.

Santorum started off with a strong and proper message: “You win by giving people a choice,” he said. “You win by giving people the opportunity to see a different vision for our country, not someone who’s just going to be a little different than the person in there.”

This is right, I think. As conservatives, we need to offer the American people a clear contrast to Obama. Every time we’ve offered voters a moderate Republican we’ve lost the White House. In fact, the only clear conservative we offered to the people that lost was Barry Goldwater and he lost because conservatism was so new at the time that Americans hadn’t any real idea what Goldwater was offering them. They didn’t finally have their head-slapping moment until 1980 when Reagan appeared before them. It took from 1964 until 1980 to both convince the establishment that a conservative could win and teach the electorate about just what conservatism meant. And we were only really successful with the latter.

In any case, what Santorum said next ruined his point entirely and amounts to what I feel is a gaffe (and note, I just voted for Rick in my state’s primary election).

If you’re going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk with what may be the Etch A Sketch candidate of the future.

Good golly, Rick. Did you really mean to say that Obama would be better than Mitt Romney??

That is the most absurd thing I’ve heard you say, Mr. Santorum, and you’ve had a few doosies this election cycle.

One has to wonder why we should offer a Republican at all, in Rick’s view, if Obama is doing a good enough job!?

This is a disastrous concept to get conservatives and Republican voters to start pondering, Mr. Santorum. This is a recipe for an Obama second term. If you start your supporters imagining that Mitt is worse than Obama then we will chase voters away from the general if you don’t take the nomination, Rick.

I understand your point, Senator. I understand that you mean to say that you are the choice, you are the clear contrast to Obama. I also understand and agree with you that Mitt Romney is not anywhere near as conservative as you are, Rick. But to say we may as well keep Obama rather than have a President Romney is simply as stupid as the day is long.

Yes, I agree that Mitt has often been Obama lite in years past. But even with that being the case, Mitt Romney has not shown the same zeal for the destruction of these United States that Obama has reveled in. Mitt Romney would not illegally use his regulatory powers to destroy business, energy, and property rights as Obama is now perpetrating. Mitt would not want to confiscate the wealth of Americans as Obama wants to do. Mitt would not gobble up corporation after corporation into government owned entities as Obama is doing. Mitt would not appoint a thousand new “czars” every time he wants to get around Congress as Obama does. Mitt would not be as zealous in enlarging his executive powers by fiat as Obama is doing daily.

Yes, Mitt Romney has a tendency toward big governmentism. Sure he was a tax and spender, an abortion supporter, an anti-Reaganite and an anti-Second Amendment guy and sure Obama is also all these things, as well. But there is one thing Mitt is not and that is a zealot on these issues. Mitt has never shown any tendency toward being a crusader for any of these anti-American and un-conservative ideas. He may more or less believe in them but he’s never wanted to push them with every ounce of his dark soul as Obama does.

Perhaps a President Mitt would still set his feet on a center-left path were he to become president. But he’d be walking. Not riding a jet cycle and driving toward these ideas at the speed of light as Obama is doing.

Barring Rick Santorum getting this nomination, it is most assuredly better that Mitt Romney get it and win the general election than we have another four years of Obama, Mr. Santorum. This country can stand a president shuffling toward Gomorrah as Mitt might do. But we cannot take another four years of Barack “rocketman” Obama driving us to ruin at hyper speed.

So, no, Rick. It isn’t better that we keep what we have rather than have Mitt Romney win the nomination.

To steal a line from Commie-Obamie, Rick, you were acting stupidly.