If you viewed the GOP primary through the lens of MSNBC, you might believe the GOP field — absent everyone’s favorite wacky uncle Ron Paul, of course — was one of ideological and political uniformity. Of course, things are much more complex and interesting than that.
One of the key, if subtle, areas of difference has to do with American culture.
During the campaign, Rick Santorum spoke about his grandfather — a coal mining immigrant who fled Italy during the fascist rule of Mussolini — and that helped him connect with blue-collar workers. Santorum criticized unbridled capitalism, while unflinchingly defending the unborn. He proudly defended the principles that form the foundation of American Exceptionalism. As Robert Costa recently noted, his platform was one of “family values, freedom, and faith.”
Santorum had the potential — but failed to fully seize the opportunity — to light a fire in a largely untapped demographic cohort of the GOP. It’s predominately less educated, blue collar, and very concerned about social issues. They see their country changing (globalism, secularism — you name it!) — and realize that in the process, they are being marginalized. They may not constitute a large enough population to win a Republican nomination, but a Republican cannot win a general election without their enthusiastic support.
Interestingly, this group is increasingly demoralized. Ross Douthat noted in a controversial 2010 New York Times column, that “downscale, the rural and the working-class” whites are experiencing “alienation from the American meritocracy.” The problem isn’t just financial, it’s also cultural. As evidence he cited a study showing that,
while most extracurricular activities increase your odds of admission to an elite school, holding a leadership role or winning awards in organizations like high school R.O.T.C., 4-H clubs and Future Farmers of America actually works against your chances.
In an America concerned with building a facade of equality (at least institutionally), lower class whites feel increasingly left behind. And perhaps not surprisingly, they aren’t intuitively attracted to Mitt Romney (though many will grudgingly back him, as Obama is perhaps even less appealing). Romney has no natural connection to folks who punch a time clock. That isn’t his fault, but it’s the brutal reality. And, of course, Obama is hoping to exploit this point (even if he can’t win this conservative populist vote, suppressing their vote by talking about Bain, etc., would constitute a major victory.)
So with Romney as the Republican candidate, what could be done to reach out to this core constituency of the party? Just as Barack Obama must turn to surrogates like Bill and Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, Rick Santorum is the logical surrogate to be assigned to reach out to blue collar workers and the white underclass in rural and industrial parts of the nation.
The role isn’t sui generis — Pat Buchanan tapped into this constituency in the past, and in recent years Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin have also come close to playing this role. But Rick Santorum is the latest incarnation — and freshest in the minds of American voters — which makes him the best-equipped to play this role of uniter. So far, however, he still seems to be offering lukewarm support for Romney. This is a problem that must be addressed.
Of course, the Romney vs. Santorum battle was really a microcosm of a larger split. Santorum represents a major divide within the big tent GOP that has been fractured by the Tea Party. What once was a coalition of libertarians, Cold War anticommunists and traditional conservatives is today in danger of splintering.
That’s a concern for social conservatives. David Limbaugh, for instance, fears the impact of a GOP driven more by fiscal issues than social concerns. “Because Obama has driven us…over the financial cliff,” he averred, we “see the ascendancy of the libertarian wing of the…Republican Party rising. And we see less concern about the denigration of our social values.”
Santorum is a potential bridge to that constituency — and, if he embraces the role (and is welcomed in), he could be a very important part of this campaign. The working class is a vital segment of the Republican coalition. As Republicans work to reach new audiences, they must be particularly careful to shore up the conservative populist base.