BULLETIN: Earthquake Hits Vanuatu as Santorum Vows on National TV: ‘We’re Going to Surprise a Lot of People’ in Iowa
Posted on | December 1, 2011 | 15 Comments
Geologists, eschatologists and political observers took note Thursday when an earthquake struck the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu at the exact time that Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said during an appearance on a U.S. television network that he would do “very, very well” in next month’s Iowa caucuses.
“It’s coming our way,” the former Pennysylvania senator told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “We’re the campaign that’s on the move. We’re the campaign that’s rising.”
Students of apocalyptic prophecies noted that, even as Santorum was speaking, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake rattled Vanuatu, a tiny achipelago of volcanic islands between Fiji and New Guinea.
“We will do well in Iowa — I have no doubt about that,” Santorum said during his Thursday interview with Mitchell. “We’re going to surprise a lot of people on [Iowa caucus] Election Day on January third.”
Thursday’s earthquake was the third to strike Vanuatu in the past five days. The former French colony was hit with 4.7 quakes on Wednesday and on Nov. 26, which most seismologists described as aftershocks of the 8.7-magnitude earthquake near Vanuatu on Nov. 11.
Asked by MSNBC’s Mitchell about his disagreements with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Santorum said the current GOP front-runner has “been jumping around a lot” on “very big, definining issues in Iowa and across the county,” including cap-and-trade legislation that would impact “lots of farmers in Iowa.”
Although no deaths resulted from the series of earthquakes that have recently shaken Vanuatu (known by Westerners as the New Hebrides prior to becoming an independent republic in 1980), disaster-relief organizations warned that tsunamis or other deadly catastrophes are possible if the long-dreaded “Big One” should hit next.
Recent polls in Iowa show Santorum in 7th place, although his strong grassroots campaign in the Hawkeye State has taken him to all 99 Iowa counties. A Catholic father of seven children, Santorum is staunchly supported by social conservatives, and recently gained the endorsement of Karen Testerman, a New Hampshire activist described by The Hill as a “powerful former . . . supporter” of Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.
The Santorum campaign had no immediate comment on speculation by one autodidactic religious scholar that the Vanuatu earthquakes may be a “biblical omen of cosmic significance.” However, a few hours before the 5.2-magnitude quake hit Thursday afternoon, Santorum spokesman Matt Benyon issued an “updated media advisory” announcing that six events have been added to the campaign’s “Faith, Family and Freedom Tour” of Iowa that begins Sunday afternoon.
RECENTLY:
- Dec. 1: Santorum Heading to N.H. Friday
- Nov. 22: Santorum Claims Victory in CNN Debate UPDATE: Gingrich Goes Soft?
- Nov. 16: Good Question, Tina
- Nov. 12: RICK SANTORUM AFTER DEBATE
- Oct. 11: Ouch: Former ‘Americans for Rick Perry’ Iowa Operative Joins Team Santorum
Comments
15 Responses to “BULLETIN: Earthquake Hits Vanuatu as Santorum Vows on National TV: ‘We’re Going to Surprise a Lot of People’ in Iowa”
December 1st, 2011 @ 4:17 pm
And that’s today’s episode of “Stacy McCain and the Search for Sinecure.”
December 1st, 2011 @ 4:19 pm
Santorum really shook things up? LOL!
December 1st, 2011 @ 4:52 pm
Do we have a tsunami warning from that Vanautu earthquake? It might create a wave 30 miles high if what Stacy is saying is true about Santorum.
December 1st, 2011 @ 4:55 pm
Yeah. Salem Communications never returned my call.
December 1st, 2011 @ 5:15 pm
vanuatu or bust
December 1st, 2011 @ 5:44 pm
Like the kids say: Hell to the yeah.
December 1st, 2011 @ 6:16 pm
By promising he will do very well in Iowa, Santorum seems to be giving himself the out to withdraw if he doesn’t.
December 1st, 2011 @ 6:54 pm
Looks like somebody from Chicago or Boston will be claiming that ambassadorship:
http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/312588
December 1st, 2011 @ 7:15 pm
[…] was busy today on a “therapeutic escape from depressing realities,” and examining the prophetic omens of cosmic significance, news kept happening:Gingrich Tells ABC News: ‘I’m Going to Be The Nominee’ By Jake […]
December 1st, 2011 @ 7:22 pm
Over at THE CAMP OF THE SAINTS, we always go with the bust.
December 2nd, 2011 @ 3:13 am
[…] that means I’ve got to win in 2012.”BULLETIN: Earthquake Hits Vanuatu as Santorum Vows on National TV: ‘We…Geologists, eschatologists and political observers took note Thursday […]
December 2nd, 2011 @ 8:40 am
[…] video.RECENTLY:Dec. 1: Campaign Update: Rick Santorum Adds Friday Event in Merrimack, N.H.Dec. 1: BULLETIN: Earthquake Hits Vanuatu as Santorum Vows on National TV: ‘We’re Going to Surprise a Lo…Dec. 1: Santorum Heading to N.H. FridayNov. 22: Santorum Claims Victory in CNN Debate UPDATE: […]
December 4th, 2011 @ 12:01 am
[…] call from Rick Santorum. Saturday, Herman Cain quit the race.Coincidence. Accident. Luck. Like an earthquake in Vanuatu.One month from now, I plan to be in Iowa, reporting the results of the Republican caucuses. And […]
December 8th, 2011 @ 9:37 pm
[…] He’s got it.What else does he need? Money.We’ve had miracles every day since that earthquake in Vanuatu.RECENTLY:Dec. 8: ’10,000 Marbles, Please’Dec. 8: SANTORUM’S SURGE: Tells Palin Supporters, […]
December 9th, 2011 @ 12:25 pm
[…] as if orchestrated according to the unseen design of an intelligent being?Ever since that earthquake in Vanuatu . . .Category: Election 2012, Iowa, Rick SantorumComments /*MITT ROMNEY: Hey, you know who's a […]