NEWTON, IOWA — Yesterday, Rick Santorum, the only candidate to visit all 99 counties is Iowa, made his second stop here, at a coffee shop called “Uncle Nancy’s” in the town square, where I saw him win over a crowd like few politicians can.
From the first time I met Santorum back in 2000 or 2001, his personality has struck me as less than ideal for a politician. In person, he’s certainly not gregarious. Prickly might be the word. Uncomfortable.
But he’s had success as a politician. He was elected to Congress. He overcame odds to win Senatorial elections twice in a state that is, essentially, still a Democratic state. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pull in double digits in Iowa. At Uncle Nancy’s he won over a few voters who had been leaning Gingrich.
How does he do as well he does politically given his lack of personal warmth around strangers?
Because he can, on occasion, cast a spell over a room. At Uncle Nancy’s his stump speech was on tax policy with some foreign policy and some lines about strong families being necessary for a strong country. All agreeable stuff for the Republican crowd. But nothing special.
But one questioner raised the abortion issue. That’s when Santorum’s rare rhetorical ability shone.
Rick Santorum knows — truly, in his heart — that babies are people, however small they are, and however dependant they are on their mother. He knows that one of the gravest injustices in our society is that we allow — and some even promote — the slaughter of our most innocent in the womb. When Santorum began speaking on this matter Friday, every eye in the coffee shop was transfixed on him. The crowd slowly nodded, and gravely sighed. They were tied up in his words. They couldn’t look away or tune him out.
He’s done this on other, slightly different issues. At the Iowa Family Forum last month, he told the story of his youngest child, born with a devastating birth defect, and he and his wife’s struggles with little Isabella’s health. My wife and I, getting ready to go out that night, were barely listening to the entire debate which was playing on my laptop, tossed in the middle of our bed.
But when Santorum began speaking, I slowed. My wife reentered the room. Soon, we were both kneeling by the side of the bed where the laptop lay, so that we could look at Santorum’s face. We were transfixed By the end of his story, we both had tears in our eyes.
And Santorum’s pitch for votes at Uncle Nancy’s explained why. He admitted that every other GOP candidate is pro-life. But he said many of them hold this as a policy position, rather than a personal conviction. To effectively lead on an issue, Santorum argues, you need to believe, deeply, in your position. When it comes to our society’s obligation to protect and love the most vulnerable, Santorum believes. And it shows.
