Raucous in the Caucus – Will Santorum Squeak Out a Win? (News Round-up)

He’s the guy with all the momentum and as Quin Hillyer says,  Santorum’s Appeal Isn’t Just “Social”. It’s across the board.

If Rick Santorum comes in first or a strong second tomorrow in Iowa, the establishment media will fall all over themselves “explaining” that it was all those “social conservatives” in Iowa who did it for him. Certainly, his consistency on social issues will merit a great deal of the credit. But that’s hardly the whole story. As Rich Lowry at National Review has pointed out, one reason Santorum is “connecting” is that, alone among the candidates, he so seamlessly ties the “family issues” of “social” policy into the “family issues” of economic policy — in short, he shows how they are connected. He has always done as much. That’s why he always did so well in a tough district and a tough state in Pennsylvania, where he “connected” well in four straight races with blue-collar voters, or, put another way, with “Reagan Democrats” as well as Republicans.

RS McCain, in Iowa covering the caucuses,  filed a very affecting report at The American Spectator:

Several members of Santorum’s South Carolina team have come to Iowa to aid in the final push here, and one of them told me during an event Monday, “I’m laughing at all the media that keeps saying Rick doesn’t have any organization in South Carolina. He’s campaigned in South Carolina more than any other candidate has.… All we needed was a spark, and it looks like we got one.”

That spark seems to have started a wildfire for Santorum here in Iowa, where a strong showing might be the first step toward one of the most remarkable comebacks in America political history. Santorum’s surge could begin to redeem the pain his family suffered when he was defeated for re-election in Pennsylvania in 2006. (Jeffrey Lord recalls that campaign in his American Spectator column about Santorum today.) It was one of the worst wipeouts in the history of the Republican Party, which lost control of Congress in a landslide election driven largely by the unpopularity of the war in Iraq. Election Night 2006 was a painful one for many Republican, but for few was it more painful than for Santorum and his family. As the senator gave his concession speech that night, TV news cameras zoomed in on eight-year-old Sarah, who clung to a doll and wept uncontrollably. Sarah’s tears were mocked by liberal commentators, but inspired a songwriter to compose a tune that was recorded by country music star Martina McBride, the chorus of which says, “Blessed be the child who turns a loving eye and stops to pray for these times in which we live.”

Sarah Santorum and the rest of her family have been praying for many years, and tonight in Iowa they will wait for an answer to their prayers.

Read the whole thing from start to finish. I had to wipe away a couple of tears, myself.

SEE ALSO:The Other McCain Remember the Crying Girl? With pictures.

You’ve probably been hearing all about the brouhaha over Alan Colmes’ despicable remarks concerning how the Santorums handled the death of their newborn in 1996. The usually even-keeled Rick Moran called Colmes a “heartless monster”  and if you haven’t yet seen  video of the confrontation between the morally outraged Rich Lowrey and the simpering, unapologetic Colmes, it is a must see.

Pundette called it, “A new low”:

I never liked Rich Lowry more than here in his exchange with Alan Colmes, who went to a very, very wrong place in his attempt to crazify Rick Santorum:

Any commentator who trawls for talking points at the Democratic Underground should be blacklisted from all respectable networks. That, of course leaves job opportunities open for him at MSNBC or Current TV.

In light of all this, it’s almost unfathomable that anyone would accuse Santorum, the father of seven, and the author of Partial Birth Abortion Ban,  “pro-choice”, yet it happened.

Fox News reports:

“Ron Paul is disgusting,” presidential candidate Rick Santorum said to a handful of Fox News and Business reporters shortly after his Fox and Friends interview Tuesday morning.

Santorum blamed his rival for Iowa robo calls that claimed that the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania was Pro-Choice and against the second amendment.

More excellent on-the-ground gonzo-reporting from McCain, here: Desperate Hours in the Hawkeye State.

The video of Santorum’s wife breaking down as he discusses miscarriage:

Jim Geraghty: Three Factors to Watch Tonight

Batesline: Iowa caucuses: In defense of “arcane rules”

Predictions:

Eye of Polyphemus: Iowa Caucus Predictions

DaTechGuy’s Blog: The first day that actually counts in Iowa

Nate Silver: Why I’d Bet on Santorum (and Against My Model)

Ben_Howe: Santorum 26% Paul 23% Romney 18% Gingrich 10% Bachmann 6%

C-SPAN’s Coverage of Iowa Caucuses Begins at 7pm ET

Also Follow Twitter Hashtag: #iacaucus

RESULTS, here.

The Other McCain: IOWA CAUCUS RESULTS HQ UPDATE: Santorum Surge in Precinct Numbers Exceeds Poll Projections

Linked by Michelle Malkin, thanks!