Blame the messenger. Nice.
Wish we could say Rick Santorum's whiny, petulant rant against pollster and political pundit, Terry Madonna, was out of character for the GOP presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania senator. But we can't.
Madonna, the Franklin & Marshall College professor respected statewide for his polling skills and political insights, was just the latest victim of Santorum's bitter invective.
Last month, Santorum lashed out at a New York Times reporter, accusing him of distorting his criticism of Obamacare. Calling language that Santorum used "salty" is being kind. Suffice to say, the dispute between the two was a distinction without a difference.
More and more, the nation is coming to know what many Pennsylvanians already know: Santorum has a short fuse.
Madonna rubbed Santorum the wrong way by releasing a poll last week that showed his apparent sizable lead in Pennsylvania slipping away.
The results were picked up by the national media, which began writing stories about the possibility of Santorum being "embarrassed" by his home state.
On "Fox News Sunday," Santorum described Madonna as a "Democratic hack" whose polls are consistently off the mark. He said other polls, which he did not name, showed him up by as much as 20 points in the Keystone State. (Madonna had him up by just 2 points in a poll he produced with several media outlets, including Lancaster Newspapers.)
Madonna, long considered one of the most influential people in Pennsylvania politics and a veteran of several presidential campaigns, was nonetheless upset with the "personal" nature of Santorum's attack.
The jury's out as to whether Santorum's conduct will hurt him with voters. Actually, it could be a plus with those people who have a great distrust of media in all forms.
Santorum's unpresidential-like outbursts are inexcusable, and he or his handlers must take steps to get them under control if he is to be considered a serious contender for the highest office in the land.
That said, this illustrates why candidates — and voters — should not put too much stock in polls.
Polls are good diagnostic tools for candidates plotting day-to-day or week-to-week campaign strategy, as well as for inside-the-beltway types seeking to gauge the "pulse" of the people at any given time. But polls often have conflicting results and they can change like the wind.
Case in point: The just-released Quinnipiac University (Conn.) poll shows Santorum now leads former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by 6 points — not 2 as Madonna had found — among likely voters in Pennsylvania's April 24 GOP primary.
Both polls are within the statistical margin of error, suggesting the same overall result. Still, the bottom-line numbers are different.
The Quinnipiac results will no doubt please Santorum — at least until the next time something or someone sets him off.
Meanwhile, voters should place their faith in the only poll that counts — the one on April 24.
