NBC News reports:
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry have used Romney’s time at the investment firm to portray him as a business tycoon who fired scores of workers for his own profit. But Santorum likened such attacks to what he called the anti-capitalism rhetoric President Obama has used to attack America’s most financially successful corporate leaders. Rhetoric, Santorum says, that has stalled the economy and put the country’s free market system into question.
“It’s this hostile rhetoric, which unfortunately – I don’t want to stand here and be a defender of Mitt Romney, but unfortunately even some in our party now, even some running for president will engage in with respect to capitalism,” Santorum said to a town hall of nearly 200 people. “It is bad enough for Barack Obama to blame folks in business for causing problems in this country. It’s one other thing for Republicans to join him.”
If both Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry alienate conservatives with their attacks on Romney’s Bain record, Santorum could benefit by getting a larger chunk of the not-Romney vote in South Carolina.
Could we be looking at a Romney/Santorum ticket?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI hope not. If they're looking for more support from the base, they'd do better with a VP who will get Tea Party types on board by showing that we're serious about fiscal sanity. You don't do that by placating social authoritarians who don't even mind if someone is a Big Government conservative.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHe's looking for the veep slot.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI agree: Santorum benefits by staying away from this particular fight, and conservatives who have good reason to be upset with Gingrich and Perry -- I personally expected better from Perry, at least before he declared -- might see Santorum as the last conservative standing.
He's not an ideal conservative for everyone, especially those who are turned off by social conservatism, and he's certainly made his fair share of mistakes, but I think he measures up well against Perry or Gingrich or Romney, if you evaluate all of their flaws and virtues.
This might also leave open his being Romney's running mate, but I hope it doesn't come to that.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseEven Rudy Giuliani is defending Romney on this and hitting Newt and his close friend Perry for acting like "Alinsky". External Link
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI agree on the veep thing and think it would be useful combo. Not a "dream team" by any measure, but a lifeline to movement conservatives who more than anything else want a seat at the table.
Oh, and Santorum shows good judgment in trying to explain to people that finance is not quite what they see in comic strips or Hollywood bad-guy movies. What, are we waiting for public schools to teach people how companies are managed? Good luck with that.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"...Santorum could benefit..."
As well he should, Ms Trinko. I really have had no horse in this race; I am an Anyone But Obama type. I think the office of the President is overblown. We do not live in a dictatorship and I for one do not need a "ruler". All I am looking for is an Executive that will not thwart the will of the people, as expressed by Congress. I think that any of the original contenders would be sufficient.
I understand that for those involved, this contest for the nomination is a very big deal and as in any contest, one is in it to win & therefore it can sometimes get nasty. But the anti-capitalism attacks of Gingrich & Perry have completely removed them from contention in my view. Reading the quotes from those two (or their surrogates) without attribution, I would have bet a hefty sum that the quotes came from some ignorant OWS clown.
How many times does Gingrich expect us to forgive him - Ryan's right-wing social engineering, global warming ad w/Pelosi, et cetera. The undeserved attack on Bain/Romney is the last straw.
As for Perry, I had never warmed up to him much. He seemed too much the opportunist politcian, jumping in once Bachmann showed Romney's vulnerability. But if he can spout leftist, anti-capitalist rhetoric, he certainly isn't someone for whom I can vote.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI have a number of friends, cynics & Ronulans, who claim there is no difference between the Democrats & the Republicans - in essence, that they are all the same. I have always protested that there exists a large difference between the two; that while the GOP isn't perfect (to my tastes) it certainly comes much closer to my 'pragmatic libertarianism" than the Democrats.
How do I make that argument now. Gingrich & Perry are advocating the same thing as Obama and his friends, be they union thugs, Marxists, OWS clowns, or leftist 'journalists' & academics.
Thanks a lot, guys. And forget my vote. I am now working actively against you.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLet's face the dire truth. The US is founded on vulture capitalism. What else is slavery?
It is a myth that capitalism is pure and good by itself and must not be regulated. It is now time to stand up for true righteousness and expose the hypocrisy.
Remember the civil war and how unwillingness and stubborness led to the bloodiest war in the history of the US. Great Britain got rid of slavery in a peaceful way. The United States, where all men are created equal on paper, had to have it pried out of their fingers.
What would happen if the rich, who profit from vulture capitalism, and their powerful friends in the media and in Washington, are as stubborn and unwilling to acknowledge the evil of vulture capitalism. Why would God not bring justice to those oppressed by this selfish system as He did for the slaves?
Watch my video: A German's preachers thoughts on 2012.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpLYq525SpM
Freedom is a strange concept to you, isn't it?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"The United States, where all men are created equal on paper, had to have it pried out of their fingers."
By whom? By Americans who believed justice and equality should be more than just words on paper. They died for these things, as did the founders in our Revolutionary war.
I'm trying to imagine the version of history that was taught to you about Lincoln and the Civil War. Have you ever read the Gettysburg Address?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSantorum is an honorable, principled conservative, and I have no doubt that's where he's coming from in defending Romney from these ridiculous attacks. It is, however, also smart campaign politics, as Romney and Santorum come off as the only adults in the race while Newt and Perry alienate conservative voters with their leftist rhetoric.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"If both Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry alienate conservatives with their attacks on Romney’s Bain record, Santorum could benefit by getting a larger chunk of the not-Romney vote in South Carolina."
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Perry certainly alienated me. I've been a big supporter of my governor, but as one commenter said yesterday, "You can take Perry out of the Democrat Party but you can't take the Democrat out of Perry." Santorum and Paul were the only ones with the right response to this and one will get my vote if they are in the race when Texas has its primary.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGood for Rick. This is grounds for Newt to be excommunicated as far as I'm concerned.
Also, Little Caesars is the worst pizza of all time. Who wants Pizza from Detroit?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLittle Caesar's Pizza is great for those occasions where you want to travel back in time to any given Friday in your high school cafeteria.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNot as Veep, but , Santorum might be a good choice as the US Ambassador to the Holy See in a Romney Administration.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe meme of "the non-Romney vote" has become deeply embedded, and I admit that I have used it myself.
But how accurate is it? Sure, there is a certain fraction whose bottom line is "anybody but Romney."
But what happened to those reports we used to hear that pollsters found Romney to be the second choice candidate of many voters...in fact, the candidate most often indicated to be the second choice for those not voting for him.
Is the idea of the broad and deep and unshakeable resistance to Romney not possibly overblown?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSantorum is the only remaining viable Not Romney. It was kinda clear even before Iowa, very clear after Iowa, and still clear even after his 9% showing in New Hampshire. The liabilities of everyone else are just obvious. Newt - too egotistical and ethically challenged. Paul - too out of the mainstream (and too old). Perry - too inarticulate (to put it nicely). Huntsman - too fricking liberal and arrogant.
How viable Santorum is remains an open question, but his exploiting the attacks by Gingrich, Perry, Adelson attacks speak well for him and his campaign.
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