His ‘spark of feeling’ captures the essence of the American spirit

Rick Santorum has positioned himself as the candidate who can appeal to both Republicans and Democrats alienated by the Ruling Elite, which pervades Big Government, Big Labor, Big Businesses, Big Finance.

In NBC’s Florida debate, Santorum painted himself as the true conservative, a stark contrast not only with Barack Obama but also with his two main rivals for the Republican presidential nomination.

“On the three issues that got the Tea Party started”—bailouts, cap-and-trade, and Obamacare—“there is no difference between Barack Obama and these two gentlemen,” said Santorum, referring to Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

Santorum might just be the only major candidate who can capture the spirit of those tired of the government colluding with business to prevent prosperity for the rest of America. If the Tea Party is to thrive beyond its role in the 2010 Republican takeover of the House, Santorum is their best shot.

His conservatism is not of the knee-jerk variety that automatically defends every big company as God’s gift to the world. “Candidly, I believe most corporations actually don’t mind big government,” Santorum has said.

The former Pennsylvania senator advocates for truly free markets, where Wall Street and big businesses do not exert undue influence due to cozy relationships with Capitol Hill. He is the only major candidate who opposed the Wall Street bailouts, and he’s the only one who has fully opposed the idea of a health insurance mandate.

Santorum’s political philosophy, as outlined in his book It Takes a Family, is based on the dignity and rights of the working family, not on preserving the prerogatives of the elites. This is why he is calling for tripling the tax deduction for children and for a tax policy that will rejuvenate manufacturing jobs in America.

Santorum “is not a representative of the corporate or financial wing of the party … He represents … a viewpoint that is being suppressed by the political system,” David Brooks writes.

And as even media mogul Rupert Murdoch has admitted via Twitter, Santorum is the “only candidate with genuine vision big vision for the country.”

But this doesn’t put Santorum in the camp of moderates and elites. Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, and Gary Bauer have praised Santorum for consistently standing by conservative principles, from defending the sanctity of all human life to developing an intelligent national security policy.

Santorum is not afraid of offending a media elite that trades in frivolous soundbites rather than substantial discussions. And as a result, they cannot help but acknowledge the strength of his character.

His willingness to work with others and his care for the dignity of all has impressed liberals like U2 frontman Bono, who has called him a “defender of the most vulnerable.”

Or Daily Beast columnist Michael Tomasky, who was smitten with Santorum’s speech at the Citadel’s annual Patriot Dinner. After saying he definitely, absolutely, 100% despises Santorum’s conservative views, Tomasky praised him for the “spark of feeling” in his “politics that goes beyond ideology and beyond even ‘commitment,’ but into a place where our political selves and our real and full human selves collide.”

It is that “spark of feeling”—along with Santorum’s concern in Tomasky’s words, “for the lives of working-class people”—that sets Rick Santorum apart from both Barack Obama and his Republican colleagues Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

Here are two short videos that help reveal Santorum’s “spark of feeling”.

Watch Santorum on the Constitution (53 seconds).

Watch Santorum on the right of all Americans to rise (32 seconds).

Read Michael Tomasky’s account of Rick Santorum’s speech at the Citadel’s annual Patriot Dinner (2.5 pages/1,285 words).