Rick Santorum No Longer Relevant, Impactful in Republican Race (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Rick Santorum has come in fourth in the Nevada caucus with 11 percent of the vote, according to CNN. As a political scientist, I see this as the time for Santorum to exit the race as the 15 minutes of fame he gained in Iowa have come to an end. Republican voters are making a statement of how they are not interested in what he represents.

Santorum represents the principles of the Christian right. He is a candidate who most likely would base the majority of his decisions on religion. As a nation, we have moved away from the religious principles of the 1950s and gotten closer to basing decisions on the law and on past practice. The rights of the people overwhelm the ideas presented in the Bible. The separation of Church and State has become more prominent and there is no room left for candidates who believe otherwise.

Santorum was one of the last members of the Republican "Flavor of the Month Club." He had his push in Iowa but was never able to turn this success into a rally for new support. His campaign fizzled quickly after his win and his numbers have continued to dwindle. Obviously, this is not a quality of the leader the U.S. needs right now.

One of the important aspects of politics is finding your opportunity for success and milking it for all it is worth. The goal is to ensure success is long-lasted. The former senator was handed his success but did not know what to do with it. He was taken to the top of the mountain, and was quickly knocked down when he froze.

Consider how the Nevada caucus would have been different without Santorum still being in the race. The biggest difference would have been if all of his supporters had gone to Ron Paul. The representative's totals would have been 29 percent instead of the 18 percent he received.

Paul would have ended up in second instead of third. If Newt Gingrich had gotten the other candidate's votes, he would still have ended up in a distant second place with 34 percent next to Mitt Romney's 48 percent. It is time for Santorum to exit as he is no longer relevant or making any type of impact in the election.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120205/pl_ac/10929798_rick_santorum_no_longer_relevant_impactful_in_republican_race

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