Santorum erred by trying to capitalize on Democratic shenanigans

It is hard to say if the late-breaking news of Rick Santorum's robo-calls to registered Democrats in Michigan had any impact on the final outcome last night. But the story certainly did not help Santorum, and it looks likely to dog him going forward.

The Santorum campaign is doing its best to defuse the issue by arguing - as they must - that they were just "going after every voter." Which in the abstract is perfectly reasonable. If Democrats are able and inclined to vote in a Republican primary, as was the case in Michigan, then it makes perfect sense for candidates to seek their support. For all I know, such pure motivations may even have truly formed the impetus for Santorum's robo-calls. But if that is the case, then at best he has revealed  himself to be pretty hopelessly naive.

In fact, as the Romney web ad below makes painfully clear, there was an organized effort in Michigan by the Democratic party to drive Democratic votes to Santorum, not out of any genuine support for Santorum or the proposition that he ought to be President of the United States, but in a deliberate effort to undermine Romney, who is apparently viewed as a legitimate threat to President Obama.



The Romney campaign is engaged in a bit of hyperbole when it calls Santorum's robo-calls a "dirty trick." As tricks go, this one was pretty mild. But Romney is correct to call attention to the tactic, which even viewed in the best light makes Santorum look weak and a little bit pathetic.

There is an ocean of difference between genuine appeals for the support of voters who are often called "Reagan Democrats," and what looks like a cynical effort by the Santorum campaign to piggy-back on organized primary meddling by Democratic party operatives. Put another way, there is a big difference between a Democratic voter genuinely won to the cause of a Republican candidate (such voters are electoral gold), and a Democratic mercenary voter who makes temporary common cause with a Republican candidate for the ultimate purpose of ensuring a Democratic victory in November.

The latter is the proverbial skunk at the political garden party, and the candidate who invites him in should expect to be called to account for the stench.