One of Mitt Romney’s fiercest criticisms of Rick Santorum is that Santorum voted to hike the debt ceiling. But, as it turns out, that’s a criticism that applies equally well to almost all of the current congressional members backing Romney.
“I don’t believe it’s appropriate for us to keep raising the debt ceiling every year. He voted five times to raise the debt ceiling without getting compensating cuts in spending,” Romney said yesterday in Ohio.
“Romney made the remarks at the Meridian Bioscience company outside of Cincinnati, where he was flanked by Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, a prominent endorser and potential vice presidential pick. Portman voted to raise the debt ceiling in August as part of a deal that involved future spending cuts,” reported CBS News.
Portman isn’t the only Romney endorsee who voted to hike the debt ceiling in August.
In fact, 91 percent of current congressional members who have endorsed Romney (and were in office at the time of the vote) voted to increase the debt limit in August. On the House side, the holdouts among the 63 members who endorsed Romney were Rob Bishop (Utah), Jason Chaffetz (Utah), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Connie Mack (Fla.), Todd Rokita (Ind.), and Michael Turner (Ohio). On the Senate side, Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) and Orrin Hatch (Utah) were the only two among the thirteen current senators who have endorsed Romney to not back the bill.
This isn’t the first time there’s been a discrepancy between Romney’s policy views and his surrogates’ past stands. Former senator Jim Talent criticized Santorum for voting for Medicare Part D in a conference call with reporters last week, only to have one reporter point out that Talent himself had also voted for Part D.
UPDATE: A couple of readers have pointed out that since the 2011 debt limit deal included spending cuts, it shouldn’t be viewed as being in the same category as previous debt ceiling hikes, such as those that Santorum voted for, which did not include spending cuts to offset the increase.
That’s a fair point, although some Romney endorsers (Sens. Richard Burr, Thad Cochran, Orrin Hatch, Lisa Murkowski, and John Thune) voted for both or one of the debt ceiling increases in 2006 and 2007. That’s just looking at the Senate side; I haven’t reviewed House members’ records on those debt limit increases. And of course, plenty of candidates have differences with their endorsers on issues. Still, for better or worse, Santorum is just one of many congressional Republicans who voted to support the debt ceiling increase.
SO?
Is Romney now responsible for all of his backers past views on the issue?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHe's not responsible, but it shows that he is attacking Santorum on an issue that his own backers feel isn't important.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt's no different than Santorum's demagoguing of TARP. At the time, even stalwart fiscal conservatives grudgingly supported TARP because the alternative (complete meltdown of financial markets) was unacceptable.
Now, 4 years later, Santorum uses it as a cynical ploy to attract Tea Partiers.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseA complete meltdown of the financial system was also not possible.
Those who claimed such were the moral equivalent of those who claimed that if we didn't bail out GM the entire auto industry would disappear.
It was a lie then, it's a lie now.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs if Santorum wouldn't have voted for TARP were he still in office.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOne of the most amusing developments in this race is watching conservatives attempt to convince themselves that Santorum is somehow different than Romney.
The choice between Santorum and Romney is a choice between two candidates who have a checkered past when it comes to fiscal conservationism.
Santorum has benefited from his rhetoric on social issues, but the general election will be about the economy and debt and not about birth control, abortion, and Satan.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePretty much sums up the state of the GOP.
Promise fiscal conservatism. Practice fiscal profligacy.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSantorum "voted five times to raise the debt ceiling without getting compensating cuts in spending ."
Portman (and others) "voted to raise the debt ceiling in August as part of a deal that involved future spending cuts."
I can discern a difference between those statements, even if Ms. Trinko cannot.
Do not mistake this to mean I think the "voted to raise the debt ceiling" criticism is particularly relevant in the grand scheme of things. But it serves the same purpose as Santorum's disingenuous attack that Romney "supported TARP." In both cases, one candidate is trying to make the other appear less conservative than he claims.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOh goody, they supported a cut that wound up being something like $10 million dollars.
A fig leaf by any other name.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNo one in government is ever actually against raising the debt ceiling, they just pretend to be when the opposing party is in power in order to score cheap political points with credulous uninformed voters. It is possible that there might be politicians who are against rising debt, but anyone who isn't hopelessly stupid understands that isn't the same as being agianst raising the debt ceiling when it has to be done.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAbsolutely True! You nailed it RJG! Cordially, Bill
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think everyone needs to take a deep breath. The majority of Republicans in Congress voted for the bill. That a majority of Romney endorsers in Congress--a subset of Republicans in Congress--also voted for the bill tells a little.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think that in fairness didn't just about every politician, GOP and Dem vote to raise the debt ceiling? I mean, it was barely ever noticed until the Tea Party finally took a stand on the deficit. We all probably should have taken such a stand long ago but my point is here is that just about any politician who has been around for longer then the past 4 years has voted for a debt ceiling increase.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWow does Ms. Trinko hate Romney!
In addition to the afforementioned difference between voting for a debt ceiling increase which was part of a deal to reduce planned spending, the big issues are that: (1) Romney is attacking Santorum for being inauthentic as "the true fiscal conservative in the race" and (2) Romney, on this score, is right that Santorum is not any more conservative fiscally than he is, and is in fact likely less conservative.
Santorum has been positioning himself as the "Conservative" alternative to the moderate Romney. There is nothing wrong with Romney pointing out that this positioning is a sham. And it is a sham. From earmarks to debt ceiling to every big government failing of the Bush administration - Santorum was there.
Oh, the Romney haters will say "Romney was there too! Or he would have been! Or his supporters were! And he asked for federal money to help MA highways!" And sometimes they are right, or their speculations (in the case of non-factuals) ring true. But Romney doesn't have to prove that he's more conservative than Santorum. Santorum is the "true conservative," no?
Meanwhile, the fact remains that Romney balanced he budget in MA after coming into office with a big hole, while not raising taxes (cutting some, raising some fees), vetoeing hundreds of Democratic measures, chopping departments, and, Romneycare aside (and boy is that a big issue, notwithstanding that Romney followed the Heritage group blueprint and was faced with worse alternatives) being more fiscally conservative as a Governor than Santorum was as a senator.
Shameful hit pieces by NROs Romney haters today - and completely ignoring Santorum's "Satan" and "Bible gaffes." I guess the fad is "not Romney for this month."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNot only did Jim Talent vote for Medicare Part D, his 2006 senatorial campaign page touted him as "a leader in helping pass the Medicare Prescription Drug plan".
External Link
The Romney campaign needs to get rid of this guy.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRomney's endorsers aren't running for President, Santorum is. I love the poll today. GOP voters favor Santorum by 10 points but STILL think Romney is more electable. What's going on here?
To be sure, Romney is no dyed-in-the-wool conservative. But so what. There is one goal in November: defeat Obama. This contraception stuff is just the beginning if Santorum is the nominee. Whether his views on wedge conservative issues is correct or not, if that's what the election is about, Obama might win 50 states!
The "Establishment Right" (that's right, there is one -- Rush, Hannity, et al.) have stopped at nothing to degrade Romney. And that's why we are where we at now.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseObviously , the devil made Santorum vote for the debt ceiling hikes.
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