Pennsylvania Republicans should nominate favorite son

Monday, February 20, 2012

The “surge” in public opinion polls for former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum says very little about Santorum — but it says one thing about former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, in huge block letters: “OBAMA CAN BEAT HIM.”
The Santorum surge also reinforces our perception from a month ago that Pennsylvania’s April 24 primary election, usually a presidential-year exercise in irrelevance, could be vital this year, because the Republican nomination might well not be settled by April 24.
It might not be settled by Aug. 27, the date when delegates will convene in Tampa to ratify — or, perhaps, this year, to choose — the GOP nominee.
Who should Pennsylvanians choose?
Joe Scarnati, anyone?
Tom Ridge? Mark Schweiker?
These current and recent Republican leaders are respected, electable and popular within Pennsylvania. Any of those three, or of a half-dozen others, would make a good “favorite son.”
For those of us who did not vote 100 years ago, a history lesson is in order.
Back when conventions actually nominated candidates, some states held their cards close to their vests by nominating “favorite son” candidates, often a governor or senator, rather than any of the national campaigners. The delegates lustily cheered their favorite son, and voted for him on the first ballot.
Then, the horse-trading began.
Brokered conventions aren’t necessarily bad conventions. Brokered conventions gave us Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Eisenhower. The advantage of a “favorite son” strategy is that delegates are not pledged to any national campaigner, and so do not break faith with those who named or elected them if, during the convention, they switch from one candidate to another.
Santorum, in our opinion, is no more electable against Obama than is Romney. Nationally, he has few negatives. Within Pennsylvania, he is viewed as a too-preachy, sanctimonious double-dealer, who argued against pork and earmarks but used both to try to gain re-election, who attempted to get the federal government involved in the tragic case of brain-dead Terry Schiavo, who billed a Pennsylvania district for the educations of his children — which was taking place in his native Virginia. Santorum is also ... there’s no other word for it ... whiny.
So a “favorite son” candidacy for Pennsylvania Republicans might allow Pennsylvania to play a key role in selecting a Republican nominee who is both qualified and electable.
The GOP is not going to beat Obama with either Romney or Santorum at the top of the ticket. The Santorum “surge” is just another manifestation of the disaffected yearning of the Republican masses for “anybody but Romney.”
So ... favorite son? Or four more years of Obama?
— Denny Bonavita