To most of America the number one issue facing our nation is the economy, but to the Santorum voter it is something entirely different.

By more than 3:1 Rick Santorum voters in Iowa view abortion as the most important issue over the economy. That right there tells you who Rick’s base really is – the social conservative.

But can a candidate who has based their campaign almost entirely on social issues win the nomination or even the presidency in this economy? I highly doubt it. American’s want to hear how we can get jobs coming back to this country and how we can put more money in the pockets of working Americans. Abortion isn’t an issue and it certainly isn’t an issue the President really has any control over.

If you look further into those numbers you can see something else. No other candidate even came close to having the issue register. The next closest one is Newt Gingrich, which is why I said a Gingrich candidacy actually hurts Santorum, but even then it ranks very low.

Now we do have to remember that we are talking about Iowa, a state flush with social conservatives. Abortion might be a strong issue there and in some of the southern states, but it isn’t a big enough issue to carry Santorum to the nomination. If Santorum thinks he can win on the abortion issue, then he really doesn’t know America. Polling shows that most Americans support the woman’s right to choose, either in all cases or in some. Santorum supports them in no case.

With Santorum doing so well in Iowa, we can expect to see and hear a lot more of him in the media. As American’s start seeing just how far to the right Rick Santorum is from the mainstream of the country on social issues, his chances will deteriorate even further. Actually this could end up helping Gingrich even more and that will also keep the clown car rolling.

This race is really far from over.