Has anybody wondered why Rick Santorum does well with the Tea Party despite the fact that he does not have the purest fiscal conservative record? Sure he was against the bank and auto bailouts but he isn’t ashamed of earmarks, he voted for No Child Left Behind, Medicare Part D, the Highway Bill and voted to increase the debt ceiling several times.
So what gives?
Santorum’s true appeal to the Tea Party is because within that movement there are loads of evangelicals (at least 50 percent of the movement if not much higher). When Santorum talks about matters of faith and this nation’s Judeo-Christian principles it resonates with many in the Tea Party because evangelicals are a big part of what drives the movement in the first place.
Nearly 60 percent of the Tea Party identifies as social conservatives (there are other polls showing this figure to be even higher). So when Santorum brings up social issues, they resonate with many people who align with the Tea Party even if national Tea Party leaders want to keep social issues out of the equation. That’s why he doesn’t necessarily have to have the perfect fiscal conservative record.
Santorum is appealing to Teavangelicals! (The Brody File coined the term and in a shameless plug, my new book called, The Teavangelicals is coming out this June!) Has anybody ever connected all of that? Consider this a public service by The Brody File.