Politics

Mark Steyn on Iowa results: ‘If I were Obama, I would be feeling kind of OK’

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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After Iowa, the picture on who will be this year’s Republican presidential nominee is becoming a bit clearer, for better or for worse.

And in the eyes of National Review columnist Mark Steyn, author of “After America: Get Ready for Armageddon,” it is for worse. Steyn has often categorized this election as “truly consequential” and warned that without a change of course, the United States is destined for the same fate as some European countries or worse.

On “The Dennis Miller Show” on Wednesday, Steyn said the prospects of that change by defeating President Barack Obama were in doubt.

“If you regard this as a truly consequential election, which I do — this is an election that if it does not result in the killing of ObamaCare, serious course correction on spending — will condemn the United States to a Latin American future,” Steyn said. “And if I were Obama, I would be feeling kind of OK after last night and I think it’s sad that with this great existential choice facing the electorate, the Republican Party is — whoever it is — is likely to nominate a guy it has to drag across the finish line.”

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum’s emergence as the so-called “anti-Romney” out of Iowa didn’t provide a lot of confidence for Steyn as well.

“Rick Santorum I think did a terrific job,” he continued. “You have to hand it to him. I certainly didn’t think he had last night’s result in him. Rick Santorum is a wee bit too big on the compassionate conservatism side of things for my taste. I would like him somewhere closer to the Calvin Coolidge end of the spectrum. But you know, these are the guys and if you agree with them on 70 percent of the stuff, you should consider yourself lucky and ease up on the other 30 [percent], I guess.”

Listen:

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