Santorum Proves In Politics, You Reap What You Sow
"...for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" -- Galatians 6:7.
It's an adage older than our time, one that elucidates Rick Santorum's remarkable showing in Iowa: You reap what you sow.
Granted, it seems unlikely that Santorum, a deeply religious man, would base his campaign strategy on a centuries-old piece of Scripture. But as the returns rolled in Tuesday night, one couldn't help but think that the Biblical proverb -- both as a farming metaphor in a state dependent on agriculture, and as divine instruction in a contest dominated by evangelical Christians -- went straight to the heart of Santorum's success.
Simply put, Santorum would never have reaped the incredible results of the 2012 Iowa caucuses without long ago planting the perfect seed.
It came in the fall of 2010, when Santorum traveled to Des Moines on a chilly October morning and climbed aboard a black and purple bus parked outside the state capitol. While other potential White House contenders were quietly and carefully mapping out the preliminary stages of their would-be campaigns, Santorum set off across Iowa on the "Judge Bus Tour" -- a conservative crusade to rid the Iowa Supreme Court of three justices who had voted in favor of legalizing gay marriage in the Hawkeye State.
Although Santorum's presidential campaign was months away, his ambitions were obvious: he had visited Iowa several times in the summer and fall months to campaign for Republican legislative candidates, and had already begun accepting invitations to address local conservative groups. He carried an impressive resume after serving 16 years in Congress, both in the House and Senate. His staunchly conservative views, especially on hot-button social issues like gay marriage and abortion, made him an ideal match for Iowa's Republican electorate. But he lacked familiarity with the state, held little name recognition with its residents, and had yet to connect with influential conservative activists scattered around the state's 99 counties.
The "Judge Bus Tour" solved these problems, and then some. In one fell swoop, Santorum introduced himself to Iowans as a champion of social conservatism; forged relationships with key organizers and activists throughout the state; generated media buzz surrounding his potential presidential bid; and familiarized himself with the intricacies of Iowa's complex political geography.
We didn't know at the time whether Santorum's gambit would translate into electoral success, but we knew it had the potential to pay huge dividends should he find himself in a competitive caucus race in 2012. Seeing Santorum's play for Iowa, I wrote back in October 2010 that Santorum "is putting all his presidential eggs into the Iowa basket. ... His decision this week to join a three-day, 1,300 mile bus tour through 45 Iowa counties calling for the removal of three Iowa Supreme Court justices who helped legalize gay marriage is a shrewd political maneuver that will grant him priceless exposure to the state's grassroots conservative groups."
To be sure, a great many variables factored into Santorum's stunning performance in Iowa. He benefited from being the "last man standing" after several of his once-leading Republican rivals crashed back to earth. His limited role in the debates shielded him from the scrutiny reserved for frontrunners. And he consistently flew under the radar since entering the race, thereby avoiding the attacks that contributed to the collapse of his competitors' campaigns.
That said, observers have attributed Santorum's Iowa surge primarily to two factors: his relentless campaign schedule, which took him to all 99 counties; and his recent string of high profile endorsements. It's true that both dynamics proved instrumental in his near-victory Tuesday night; but it's also true that neither would have been possible had the future presidential hopeful not laid such a strong political foundation back in October 2010.
Santorum's 99-county tour in 2011, viewed as the catalyst for his rise in the polls, was made easier and more efficient because of his 2010 swing through nearly half those locations. And his biggest endorsement came gift-wrapped days before Christmas courtesy of influential Christian leader Bob Vander Plaats -- who 14 months earlier had organized the "Judge Bus Tour" and eagerly welcomed Santorum aboard one chilly morning in Des Moines.
"You reap what you sow." It might just be Santorum's favorite expression these days. Either that, or, "The early bird catches the worm."
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