New poll shows Santorum crushing Romney nationally

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Via twitter:

Rasmussen poll has Santorum up 12 nat'l over Romney, up 21 in 2-man race. (link)

-- Ed Morrissey (@edmorrissey)

I don't think this will last, or at least I can't imagine it lasting, even with the crazy unpredictability we've seen so far in this race -- not least because of Romney's significant financial and organizational advantages, and also because the GOP elite wants nothing to do with Santorum, who would be an utter disaster as nominee, and will do whatever it takes to stop him. (And also, of course, because the race will be decided on a state-by-state basis, where Romney can do extensive damage to Santorum, not in a national poll.)

But these numbers certainly point to Romney's astonishing weakness as a candidate and even more so as the supposed frontrunner who basically has the nomination to lose.

We all knew that for all his money and organization (and even sense of inevitability, Romney was especially vulnerable to the emergence of a strong, credible conservative alternative, particularly one who could unite the right (i.e., the non- and anti-Romney vote), it's just that none emerged with any real staying power (e.g. not Perry and not Newt).

Until now, it seems.

And who thought it would be Rick Santorum, a guy who, while proving to be a polished and even appealing candidate, hates gays and birth control and porn and wants to institute a right-wing theocracy that runs counter both to human nature and to the American Way? (Maybe not so surprising, actually, given the current state of the GOP.)

Indeed, the fact that it's Santorum just makes it so much worse, and so much more telling, that Romney is doing so poorly, particularly given his advantages and expectations.