Obama Fixes His Sights on Santorum

Barack Obama’s Chicago team, which is following all of Obama’s potential Republican challengers, had not paid much attention to Santorum so far. But now they have decided to focus on the Pennsylvanian ex-Senator who talks about Christian values a lot but turns out to be the candidate that has given the least to charitable organizations. (Meanwhile, Barack Obama is the most generous by far, even though he has the smallest personal income in comparison to his Republican adversaries.) The White House is still betting that Mitt Romney will ultimately become the Republican presidential candidate. Nonetheless, Romney’s precarious position is becoming more and more evident — especially if he loses the primary in Michigan, his inherited stronghold, which is to take place on Feb. 28 — and this is forcing the president’s team to take a closer look at Santorum.

Obama’s campaign team has begun delving into Santorum’s life and his tenure in the Senate in order to identify his weaknesses. They have even sent emails out to Obama’s supporters asking for their most significant memories from the time when Santorum was their senator, before he was ejected in 2006. Obama has taken an interest in Romney’s challenger for a very good reason; he has the ability to establish a strong link with the blue-collar voters who are in short supply among Romney’s supporters and with whom the president himself is quite out-of-touch. If Santorum wins the primaries, he will be a formidable adversary in the Midwestern states, which are crucial in the battle for the White House.

Nonetheless, the president’s team believes that Rick Santorum’s extremely conservative views will cause a rift with the independent voters who may decide next November’s elections. Santorum is, for example, opposed to any form of abortion, even in cases of rape or incest.

One of the ex-Senator’s other weaknesses is his fund-raising difficulties, while the entire financial community is solidly backing their former colleague, Mitt Romney.

According to the most recent Washington Post – ABC News poll, Santorum’s support among Republican voters has leaped 12 points since January, reaching 61 percent.

The primary on Feb. 28 should give a good indication of the well-being of Mitt Romney’s campaign. If Republican voters begin to believe that Rick Santorum stands a chance, Mitt Romney might soon find himself on vacation.