The general view about last night’s debate is that Rick Santorum didn’t do well. Rich Lowry put it best: Santorum spent too much time “explaining why he voted for things he opposed (NCLB, Title X),” got “tangled up in his Senate record,” and was in general “too defensive, too insider, too complicated.”
That view could well be right. One could say on Santorum’s behalf that he did voters the courtesy of assuming they might want to hear a substantive explanation of his votes when criticized and a defense of his record when under attack. Still, Santorum didn’t follow the normal advice most political types would have given—don’t be backward looking, don’t play defense, pivot to making your own arguments, go on the attack, make sure Romneycare is discussed more than earmarks—and he may pay a price for being a little too unpolished, a little too earnest.
