From the diaries

Left-leaning elitist pundits are scratching their heads.  After two weeks of liberals trying to convince women that Rick Santorum wants to rip the birth control out of their hands and put them in the kitchen, more and more women are supporting Rick Santorum.  “How could this be?” they ask.  Answer: We are smarter than you think.

Let me offer a little primer on American women to the liberal elitist folks who spend too much time in New York and Washington DC and not enough time where Femi-regulars live.  “Femi-regulars” is a term I coined during the 2008 election when leftists just couldn’t grasp the appeal of gun-toting Sarah Palin. Palin, I explained, like most women, was a femi-regular, not a femi-nazi (a tag coined by Rush Limbaugh to label rabid, man- hating feminists).

Most women are femi-regulars.  They are strong women who are too busy accomplishing important things to worry about the divide and conquer strategies of leftists. They are more interested in voting for principled, honest, strong, America-loving folks who will stand up to evil, advance liberty and let our free enterprise flourish—all things that they see in Rick Santorum.  They don’t vote as women; they vote as Americans.  Sure it doesn’t hurt that Santorum is obviously a loving and supportive husband and father, but they are voting for the person who will get the job done–they are not picking a husband.

Liberals constantly underestimate, ignore or demean such women—women like those I knew growing up in Michigan.  I am proud to be the daughter and granddaughter of strong women who loved their husbands, nurtured their children, served their community and loved their country. The kind of women who had a spirit of giving and selflessness those elitists might deride, but that those who truly love their fellow citizens would applaud. The kind of women who didn’t feel it a sign of weakness to put others first and the kind of women who don’t feel that they must put men down in order to build themselves up. The kind of women who realize time spent whining is time wasted.

Femi-regulars are the kind of women who are smart enough to know the difference between a fight about religious liberty (the Obamacare mandate on religious institutions offering abortifacients) and a cocktail party discussion about the benefits of birth control.  And the lefties and elitists will be shocked to know that more than a few femi-regulars like Rick Santorum because of his A+ rating with the National Rifle Association.  You see, femi-regulars like me are not always easy to spot. My evening dress may not be hunter orange or camouflage, but don’t assume I don’t love the Second Amendment… or that I’m not a damn good shot.

They are also smart enough to know that it is the elites who have let down the country while regular folks have been doing their part. The cocktail party elitists with their Ivy League diplomas and matching egos got us into this mess, while the majority of Americans would do just fine if the high-brow economists and Washington and New York brains would stop meddling with the free enterprise system and redistributing our hard earned wealth.

Elitists (Republican and Democrat) always trash the leaders who emerge who connect with the regular folks. They trashed Reagan and Palin and now Santorum. They probably thought we were too dumb to notice, but we “commoners” out here are on to the fact that the so-called intellectuals don’t generally look out for us. Oh, they pretend to, but it is all for show so that they can be puffed up with pride for their work on behalf of the common man…and get our vote.  Then they turn around and demean our values, diminish our freedoms and steal our money.

Every once in awhile we regular folks rise up and storm the establishment and try to sneak in one of our own. Yes, sometimes we support someone who is (gasp) not an Ivy League graduate, not a member of a political power family, and not a power-hungry egomaniac who thrives on the sound of their own voice. Sometimes we get the real deal—like Ronald Reagan.

They said his view of the world was too simplistic because he had a concrete belief in good and evil. Even the Republican elitists didn’t like him. But regular folks loved him.  And regular folks are increasingly flocking to Rick Santorum. And so they are mocked. And in the case of femi-regulars, the elites imply that they are just too dumb to know any better.  Liberal elitists seem to think that women should choose the leader of the free world based on whether they support abortion and, if male, are willing to do their share of the dishes and take care of whatever baby the woman decides not to abort.

They might want to think twice before they continue to insult the bulk of the electorate. In most of America, having grit is more important than being slick. Speaking your mind is more important than rehearsing your lines. Living by your principles is more important than parroting the principles your high paid consultants put in your talking points. This is why elitist pundits cannot understand femi-regulars. And why many femi-regulars are supporting Rick Santorum.

Lori Roman is the founder of RegularFolkUnited.com