Santorums Watch: Pride Cometh *Along With* the Fall?

You put that much heart and sweat into the endless campaign and, of course, critical losses are going to be a blow. The fact the Santorum’s so openly demonstrate as much, however, speaks to how they’re “not quite there” in the evolution of a prime-time ready operation.

But then, could the photo be saying more? It’s not like the family, in fact, hasn’t been through the drill before — many times. Take a look at this photo from 2006, in fact:

Expression-wise, not a whole lot of difference, is there? It’s speculation, I know, but when you consider the continuous “gaffes” Santorum keeps making about what, in his and his family’s (good) book, constitutes moral American behavior, you start to wonder how much the tribe is really hiding behind a populist and genial face most of the time. Not enough, however, that that it doesn’t reveal itself at key moments under the spotlight.

I don’t want to draw that much of a comparison, but for a second, this photo did remind me of the Palin troupe. The differences are grand in that the Palins don’t seen to even get the definition of piety, but I do sense a parallel in terms of people whose self-interest and vanity, pride, etc., revealed on the public stage, clashes all too much with their self-righteousness.

(photo 1: Reuters Pictures caption: Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum speaks onstage as his daughters Elizabeth (3rd from R), Sarah (2nd from R) and wife Karen look on during his Illinois primary night rally in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, March 20, 2012. photo 2: Getty Images. caption: Daughter Sarah Santorum reacts to her father’s loss in his bid for his Senate seat re-election in 2006.)