This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Santorum is the Real 99%

A Redlands Tea Party Patriot rejoices in the numbers from the Iowa Caucuses showing that Rick Santorum, the conservative movement and Americans in general were the big winners on Tuesday night.

Conservative Rick Santorum won the Iowa Caucuses despite finishing just eight votes behind Mitt Romney, the only RINO in the race.

Coming from nowhere to everywhere, Santorum overcame massive advantages in money, volunteers and organization from rivals Ron Paul and Mitt Romney to place in Iowa. Santorum should get the gold medal because of his political David-and-Goliath story.

“Game on!” was Santorum's appropriate first words of his victory speech.

Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But conservatives and Americans in general were also just as big of winners on Tuesday night as Santorum was in Iowa.

Looking at the late-night numbers from my native Iowa, Romney scored 25 percent and Paul won 21 percent, meaning Republican In Name Only Romney and isolationist nut Paul won 46 percent of the vote. That means the conservatives – Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich – won 54 percent of the vote. When those later three retire from the political battlefield, Santorum will gain the majority of conservatives. I would assume that, as the novelty of a Paul protest vote and the Romney establishment vote fade, Santorum’s numbers would grow even more.

Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Among Republican voters, Iowa is more socially conservative than GOP voters nationwide. Still, Iowa’s numbers reflect national GOP numbers that the majority of Republicans don’t want the RINO or the nutcase.

I would predict a Santorum GOP nomination victory this morning but for Romney’s massive advantages in organization, money and “Super PACs.” Political campaigns can be just as long and bloody as military campaigns, so Santorum’s momentum may not be enough overcome Romney’s advantages in a protracted battle.

Speaking of predictions: I was dang close! I had predicted an outright Santorum upset, but I will happily settle for a second place that came up just eight votes short (that's just .0056 percent). After all, we’re talking about the Iowa Caucuses and not Nov. 6. I also switched spots five and six (I had predicted Bachmann, then Perry, rounding out the GOP field).

(And, for the record, my liberal wife got it exactly right by predicting, in order, Romney, Santorum, Paul, Gingrich, Perry and Bachmann.)

I did see the victory and concession speeches – and, as a political junkie, I’m salivating at the idea of Newt becoming a political suicide bomber targeting Romney. This is as good as political theater gets.

And I love me my Michele Bachmann, but there isn’t really a cornstalk of difference between Bachmann and Santorum. I would have even more respect for Michele if she endorsed Santorum while dropping out of the race.

After all, the Republican GOP nomination is not about any particular candidate; it’s about finding the right person who can administer the medicine needed save this country from the economic and moral carnage stemming from Obama’s incompetent brand of the socialism and Marxism. (Besides, as a veteran, I can say he sucks as a commander-in-chief.)

Game on liberals! I think we conservatives may have finally coalesced around our candidate.

And thanks Iowa! The real 99 percent of the people in this great country of ours -- meaning the ones who take showers, go to work, obey laws, pay taxes as well as raising kids and and ignoring miscreant protesters -- owe you a massive hug for wounding a RINO and giving us a real conservative.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?