◼ Santorum and the Silence of the Shams - David Catron/American Spectator
Santorum has not merely explained why Obamacare must be repealed but has repeatedly declared it the most important issue of the campaign. In fact, he did so during the most recent GOP debate in Arizona, where he called it "the biggest issue in this race" and later went on to explain why: "The real fundamental issue here is government coercion." Likewise, during the Florida debate, he implored Republican primary voters not to "give this issue away in this election [by supporting Romney]. It is about fundamental freedom." And Santorum doesn't reserve such comments for big events with large television audiences. He delivers precisely the same message in the smallest of town hall meetings.
The reluctance of the other GOP candidates to follow suit is odd. It certainly can't be explained by the popularity of Obamacare. The latest Rasmussen survey shows 53 percent of likely voters favoring repeal while finding only 38 percent who oppose sending it to the death panel. A CNN poll indicates that half of all Americans oppose the latest of Obamacare's assaults on individual liberty -- the anti-conscience mandate -- and Gallup finds that nearly half of America's small businesses are deliberately not hiring new workers because of worries "about the potential cost of health care." And yet Santorum continues to be the only Republican presidential candidate left who has made Obamacare's repeal central to his campaign.
