Froth the Vote

David Weigel | October 13, 2006

Pennsylvania's doomed theo-Republican Sen. Rick Santorum has raised more than $20 million for his re-election bid - more than twice as much as he raised for his last campaign. And for some reason he's spending a chunk of it on this ad that's running on MTV.

First reaction: Where did they find a spokeskid who comes off like a cross between Christopher Paolini and Wesley Crusher? From the College Republicans, of course. And that's a brilliant move. Even when I was a Republican in college, I hated College Republicans.

Cheap shots aside, this ad's an interesting example of how the socially conservative wing of the GOP misunderstands the youth vote. The issues fronted here: Iraq, Medicare, and Social Security. All issues (sadly, in the last case) that give Democrats a huge advantage over Republicans.