Santorum undecided in 2016 bid

The former Pennsylvania senator said in an interview that he isn’t ruling out a 2016 candidacy.

But, he says, there are plenty of reasons why he wouldn’t do it.

He is enjoying a second career as a movie studio executive. His daughter Bella’s health remains a concern.

And, Santorum writes in a new book, he can help shape his party’s future from offstage.

In the interview, Santorum said the GOP will struggle to win races unless candidates came up with policies that help working Americans.

Victories will be tough, he said, unless elected officials stop being obstructionists.

Santorum said the libertarian streak running through his party distorts the definition of freedom, and that politicians wrongly look to President Ronald Reagan’s policies to address today’s challenges.

Then there’s Santorum’s slap at Republicans who demonize social welfare programs.

“Do Republicans really care less about the person at the bottom of the ladder than Democrats do? To be painfully honest, I would have to say in some ways ‘yes,’” Santorum writes in his book, “Blue Collar Conservatives: Recommitting to an America That Works.”

The tough talk raises questions about Santorum’s viability in what could be a crowded 2016 primary field.

“A while. A year at least, probably,” he said of his timeline to decide on a 2016 bid.

Santorum ran an upstart campaign in 2012, surviving long enough to be Mitt Romney’s last remaining rival. He struggled to raise money or support among establishment-minded Republicans, but his socially conservative profile drew enough backing for Santorum to pick up victories in 11 states.

Even in victory, his disorganized campaign cost him, including failing to qualify for the ballot in Virginia.

“We cannot run the campaign we ran last time if we run this time,” Santorum said.

How Republicans win is the focus of Santorum’s latest book, to be released Monday.

Santorum offers ideas on how the GOP can expand its support.

For instance, Republicans should not focus exclusively on business leaders and “job creators” and should speak to employees, Santorum said.

Anxiety among those voters remains high, and Republicans have for too long talked to the top earners and not the workers.

“A rising tide lifts all boats — unless your boat has a hole in it. A lot of Americans, we’ve got holes in our boats,” Santorum said. “Millions and millions of Americans (are) out there who want good lives but have holes in their boats. … They just see the water level going up and their boat sinking.”

That’s why, he argues, candidates need to put forward policies to help those voters.

“I’m looking at 2014 and I’m thinking the Republican Party is heading toward No-ville, which is ‘we’re against this, we’re against that, we’re against this.’ We’re not painting a positive vision for America,” Santorum said in the interview.

After the 2012 campaign, he signed on as CEO of EchoLight Studies, which produces movies rooted in faith and family.

“I saw an opportunity to do something in the space where we need to have movies that have a faith message in them that are better than the movies that have been done,” Santorum said.