Lets face it, to this point the GOP primary has been about as exciting as a Friday evening playing Scrabble in the Romney house hold. Despite his low delegate count Rick Santorum has touched the base of the party. Even though he lacked funds and name recognition he was able to be a force. In my opinion it would harm the party to force him out at any point.
What are the advantages of Santorum staying in the race? First of all it will keep the primary season alive and spare us from the general election campaigns from starting. Also, with Santorum still in the race it will keep more people engaged in the political process. In 2008 the Obama vs. Hillary show captivated the nation and gave the democrats the edge. While the GOP has failed to produce a show of that magnitude, they need to capitalize on any opportunity they can. The best way would be to have a show down at the convention. Yes, a brokered convention.
What are the disadvantages of Santorum staying in the race? It is a valid concern that the more Romney is exposed to attacks the weaker he may be against Obama. The reason that the concern is valid is that Romney has done such a bad job of defining himself and deflecting criticism. Did George W. Bush did not have this problem. Bill Clinton was even able to define himself despite horrible personal issues.
To break things down, I think Romney should spend more time on defining his campaign than urging Santorum to get out through segregates. The race against Obama is going to be ten times tougher than the primary. If Romney is not able to get rid of Santorum by being more appealing at the primary polls and with the conservative base, he might was well get out himself.
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