# Santorum or Gingrich-Who Is Worse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 8, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164 "2012-02-08T05:00:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/1 "2012-02-08T05:00:42Z")
Of the two competing “Great Right Hopes” in the GOP primary race-Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum who do you think would make the worse President? Normally I would have asked who would be better but I felt this would produce better answers… ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/2 "2012-02-08T05:05:07Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Of the two competing “Great Right Hopes” in the GOP primary race-Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum who do you think would make the worse President? Normally I would have asked who would be better but I felt this would produce better answers… Gingrich. He’s an untrustworthy croak. Santorum is just an asshole, anyone pretty much knows what to expect from him. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/3 "2012-02-08T06:26:51Z")
Gingrich, definitely. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/4 "2012-02-08T06:50:02Z")
Gingrich. He seems a lot more petty and destructive than Santorum. Santorum is just a guy whose ideology clouds him from reality who probably isn’t a bad guy inside. Gingrich is a hypocritical, egomaniacal asshole. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/5 "2012-02-08T06:51:54Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Gingrich. He seems a lot more petty and destructive than Santorum. Santorum is just a guy whose ideology clouds him from reality who probably isn’t a bad guy inside. Gingrich is a hypocritical, egomaniacal asshole. It’s kinda like having to choose between W and Cheney. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/6 "2012-02-08T11:25:56Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > It’s kinda like having to choose between W and Cheney. Pretty much, although I was thinking more along the lines of poop and puke. At least Santorum has an ideology that he came by honestly (although I have no idea where he got them), even though it bears no relationship to real life. You know what you’re getting with him. Gingrich does what’s best for Gingrich. To the reality-based community, he’s a massive hypocrite who is literally promising the moon. I don’t think his backers love Gingrich as much as he’s not Romney. I can’t fathom any other reason. Paul is just a pre-conversion George Wallace. Racist as hell and happy to throw anyone under the bus for the sake of maintaining personal “freedom”. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/7 "2012-02-08T13:41:13Z")
This is like choosing between being poisoned or shot. If I had to choose, I’d say “both”. Santorum really really hates gays. I get it. Gingrich gets a woody looking into a mirror. Santorum wouldn’t put anyone on the Supreme Court to the left of Pat Buchanan. Neither would Gingrich. Both men would cut taxes for the wealthy. Gingrich would give us fiscal austerity, yet build a lunar colony, supposedly by offering a prize to the private interest who does it first. Or something. Santorum would declare war on Iran. Gingrich would give a tax credit for jewelry purchases. Santorum would have homosexuals stoned. It’s only when you contemplate a Santorum or Gingrich presidency that you can imagine a Romney administration without suffering projectile vomiting. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/8 "2012-02-08T13:45:04Z")
I’ll go against the flow and say Santorum. Gingrich is a cynical manipulative self-aggrandizing asshole, sure. That’s definition 2A for “politician” in Webster’s. Santorum is a zealot. While assholes are likely to lead to corruption and shittiness, zealots leave horrors in their wake. Yes, other than his bigotry, Santorum might be a nice guy. I’m not voting for niceness. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/9 "2012-02-08T15:17:34Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I’ll go against the flow and say Santorum. Gingrich is a cynical manipulative self-aggrandizing asshole, sure. That’s definition 2A for “politician” in Webster’s. Santorum is a zealot. While assholes are likely to lead to corruption and shittiness, zealots leave horrors in their wake. > > Yes, other than his bigotry, Santorum might be a nice guy. I’m not voting for niceness. My difficulty with your analysis is that Gingrich is a zealot of convenience. A _vindictive_ zealot. Whether or not he shares Santorum’s True Convictions, he pays service to them, and any semblance of a concious is not going to prevent him from pursuing identical ends. Faced with the choice (again, in this scary hypothetical), I would suggest that Santorum lacks a certain malignant stripe that winds its way throughout Gingrich. Gingrich would do all the things you’d fear of Santorum and then some. Even if you consider Santorum followng a zealotish course and going overboard, you’ve got to give Gingrich the same possibility (or is your case that Santorum is more likely to go crazy?). Fear both. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/10 "2012-02-08T15:28:18Z")
So hard to choose. I’m gonna say that Santorum would be a worse Republican nominee, because his religio-craziness makes him less electable. Newt’s has so many different kinds of crazy, that some are going to like part of them. Even I like the idea of a moon base, for example, but IMO not at the cost of a Newt presidency. Newt, would be a worse president. He’s much smarter, and he would make deals with Congressional Republicans and they would run rings around the Democratic leadership – Pelosi and Reid have never struck me as the brightest bulbs in the string. So Newt would get more done – bad things done, that is. Romney remains the most electable. I give him about a 30% chance against Obama, Newt gets 15%, and Santorum gets 5-10%. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/11 "2012-02-08T15:43:24Z")
Santorum would be worse than Gingrich. Although both have objectionable goals, Santorem is more likey to just put them forward with the belief that they will be accepted becuase god and all “real” Americans are behind him. Eventually reality will set in and he will have accomplished very little of his agenda. Gingrich on the other hand is more of a realist and will engage in underhanded tricks that would put Nixon and Machiavelli to shame in order to achieve his aims. So I think Santorum would do less damage. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/12 "2012-02-08T15:48:23Z")
I’d have to give Santorum a slight edge as worse than Gingrich. Santorum’s a true-believer and it’s tough to outdo someone who, irrespective of facts, honestly believes his mandate comes from his chosen deity. Gingrich is all about Gingrich. Yeah, he’s a kook, and yeah, he’s definitely dangerous. He’d be as horrible a president as he is a person, but I also believe he’d have the sense to pull back before [hyperbole alert] destroying the world. I believe Santorum, on the other hand, is driven by the conviction of his beliefs, that they should apply to everyone, and that we should be brought to his vision of enlightenment, kicking and screaming if necessary. I can’t imagine much scarier than that. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/13 "2012-02-08T15:57:38Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I’d have to give Santorum a slight edge as worse than Gingrich. Santorum’s a true-believer and it’s tough to outdo someone who, irrespective of facts, honestly believes his mandate comes from his chosen deity… But Gingrich is a true believer too… in Gingrich. I think he believes all the BS about being a globally important historical figure who will change the world. His chosen deity? Gingrich! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/14 "2012-02-08T16:00:15Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > … > I believe Santorum, on the other hand, is driven by the conviction of his beliefs, that they should apply to everyone, and that we should be brought to his vision of enlightenment, kicking and screaming if necessary. I can’t imagine much scarier than that. Oops, for those who read my comment before I deleted it, I meant it to be addressed to someone else. So… never mind. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/15 "2012-02-08T16:14:05Z")
Gingrich. Santorum would trample on our rights in a well documented way. Most people wouldn’t even know the difference until they tried to use certain services, or the Jesus police brokes down their door to confiscate their dildo collection. There’s no telling what president Gingrich would do. Divorce America and marry Mexico? ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/16 "2012-02-08T16:14:35Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Santorum is just a guy whose ideology clouds him from reality who probably isn’t a bad guy inside. Actually, I think it’s pretty clear Santorum is a [bad guy inside](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santorum_controversy_regarding_homosexuality). Gingrich, for all his ridiculous bluster, does seem to possess a few brain cells. Santorum strikes me as both a moron AND a hateful prick. This is the most hilarious primary of my lifetime. The “frontrunner” can’t get anyone to like him, one competitor is coming off like Dr. Evil designing his secret moon base, and the other is terrified that somebody somewhere is having consensual sex. Seriously, it’s like Romper Room. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/17 "2012-02-08T16:18:50Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > It’s kinda like having to choose between W and Cheney. It’s more like asking if you’d rather eat shit or if you’d rather eat more shit. That said, I think Gingrich is mentally unstable and a danger to our country. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/18 "2012-02-08T16:21:17Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > But Gingrich is a true believer too… in Gingrich. I think he believes all the BS about being a globally important historical figure who will change the world. > > His chosen deity? Gingrich! I know guys like Gingrich. He wants to be important because of his perception of how it will benefit him personally and make him look, not for anything he would actually accomplish. I mean, just look at how he’s lived his life. Forget that, look at him. He obviously has esteem issues. He’s a big-little man. Dangerous, yes, but ultimately impotent and incompetent. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/19 "2012-02-08T16:40:12Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I’ll go against the flow and say Santorum. Please. Please. Do not use “flow” and “Santorum” in the same sentence.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164/20 "2012-02-08T16:43:21Z")
I wonder how long it will be until spell checkers no longer underline “santorum” as a misspelled word. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-or-gingrich-who-is-worse/612164.md?page=2)