In his robocall to Michigan voters, Rick Santorum is saying, “Romney supported the bailout for his Wall Street billionaire buddies, but opposed the auto bailout. That was a slap in the face to every Michigan worker.”
For almost 60 years now, National Review has worked against this kind of crudity — crudity of thought and crudity of expression. And this is our guy? Santorum is the conservatives’ guy?
Many conservatives supported the bank bailout and opposed the auto bailout. You can look up arguments within NR editorials. Conservatives all over the country, in all sorts of forums, made arguments for and against — for and against either bailout. Those arguments continue now, retrospectively.
But is there any thinking or respectable conservative who uses Rick Santorum’s language — the bank bailout was for Mitt Romney’s “Wall Street billionaire buddies” while Michigan workers got their faces slapped? (Santorum opposed the auto bailout, too. Was he slapping workers’ faces?)
Ladies and gentlemen, this isn’t conservatism. It’s more like street-corner Marxism. What a strange and tragic pass we’ve reached.
P.S. If you want a clue about who’s a conservative — certainly a Reagan or Buckley conservative — and who’s not: Normally, conservatives don’t use the phrase “Wall Street billionaire buddies.” You’re more likely to hear that on Olbermann’s show.
P.P.S. Santorum also says that Romney is “an Occupy Wall Street adherent.” 1) It’s odd for such an adherent to have Wall Street billionaire buddies. 2) Campaign hyperbole is one thing; the language of the nuthouse is another.
Keep up the sniping and in-fighting, Republicans! Send the nation a bloodied and weakened nominee--be it the 2012 equivalent of Michael Dukakis or John Kerry OR the 2012 version of a 13th century cleric.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHopefully, in later years, we'll all look back and see this as the start of the cleansing process whereby the nuts and cuckoos and absolutists and extremists and theocrats are rooted out of the once Grand Old Party.
Rick the strident "cause guy" strikes again. what a hypocrite. this is the same guy that held his nose and endorsed Specter over Toomey?? I will take Mitt any day and vote for the guy with a "couple of caddies" and billionaire buddies who is a renowned turnaround guy. i am not going to support the "cause guy" who keeps his taxes on his home computer...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBetween the opportunist little weasel and the zig-zagging Fundie Gone Wild... so hard to choose... how could Obama, the most incompetent President ever, get so lucky?
Too bad that a GOP candidate - the only candidate - of enormous erudition, experience, and intelligence has been summarily executed by the Establishment, because he is not the perfect family man. Or because he is not easily manipulated by his backers. Or something.
Next time I have surgery, I wonder, should I get the best surgeon to operate on me, despite the man having been divorced twice, or should I go with some under-educated "person of faith and family man," whose hand on the scalpel shakes uncontrollably?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSantorum has shown his true colors in these robo-calls. Dishonest and pandering. Class warfare at it's best. No wonder so few of Santorum's former colleagues support him.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI suppose the real conservative is the guy who created Obamneycare. Romney is a Occupy Wall St. adherent. This past week, Romney trotted out his tax plan and said that he'll make sure the 1% continue to pay their fair share. If you are trotting out the "1%" meme, you are adhering to OWS. I remember on this very site, Rich Lowry wrote an article titled, "Heed the 99%". Please, don't try propping up NR by acting like it has been a 60 year old publication of consistent good taste.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThanks for this, Jay!
I have been supporting Mitt Romney since the get-go. I'm going out to his event tonight, actually.
For a long while, I was not against Newt. I liked depth and passion he brought to the race. I turned all-out against him, however, when he leveled the same threadbare tactics of the left re: Romney's Bain tenure. Then, he pulled the Holocaust staunt, reaching a new low.
For weeks now, I have been pro-Santorum, while still supporting Romney. I appreciate what Santorum stands for, and I view him as a fellow conservative. My support stuck with Romney, though, mainly because I value greatly his executive experience in business, at the Olympics, and as governor. Santorum just doesn't have that type of experience. Now, this robo call thing has really left a bad taste in my mouth, and it's unfortunate.
It's a cheap ploy, a dirty trick. The idea that these Democrats would vote for Santorum in the general is laughable. He's not winning over voters in the true sense, and it's sad, really.
But hey, if Santorum pulls of Michigan somehow, this will just give more fuel to Bill Kristol's fantasy of a brokered convention. Dream on, Billy boy, dream on...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIn fairness, both candidates have hit some low points and used some unfortunate rhetoric (Romney talking about the 1% when unveiling his new tax plan). However, of all the candidates, Romney has most often and most consistently kept things respectful and above board. He attacks when he has to but you can tell he prefers to focus on Obama. I give Santorum props for not joining the others in their Bain demagoguery a while back but I don't know what he is thinking with these latest attacks or with that robocall to the Dems. That does nothing for me, I don't want Dems helping me pick the GOP nominee, they won't help pick the best nominee. Rather, they'll vote for whoever they think will lose. Now maybe you can try to "trick" them, but that is just ridiculous. If you're the "true conservative" then you shouldn't need any Dems.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Many conservatives supported the bank bailout and opposed the auto bailout."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNo. All conservatives opposed both, if they didn't, they're not a conservative.
It's really not that confusing.
If Mr. Inevitable Electability's supporters are so enraged by such a mediocre negative statement, how ever will they survive Obama's merciless attacks on Romney's stone tongued deliveries of his "severe conservatism," and his pride in telling Michigan blue collar workers how his wife understands them because she drives a couple of Cadillacs?
I do believe Mr. Nordlinger has a case of the primary season vapors.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs a progressive I find the GOP primary incredibly entertaining. The country is getting a nice hard look at the Republican Party and its leaders. The more they do so, the higher Obama's poll numbers go. Great job guys, keep up the good work.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseToo bad about Mitt’s disintegration, but you know what they say, money can’t buy everything.
And by the way, since Wall Street came to the US taxpayer, hat in hand, asking for bailouts to save them from themselves, I could care less what Santorum calls them. “Buddy” actually seems pretty charitable.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWas it Santorum or was it an independent group opposing Romney? And who listens to those robo-calls, anyway? I hang up immediately.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"And this is our guy? Santorum is the conservatives’ guy?"
Oh, he is? I guess I missed that memo.
What drives me nuts about this whole thing is that if we're to nominate Santorum, we're going to have to admit that all the Tea Party stuff from 2009-2011 was a bunch of crap. Santorum is the only candidate left that I know has been outwardly hostile to the Tea Party.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJay;
I have never been so disgusted by a group of Republican candidates as I have this year. I'll vote for the nominee but I will not campaign or send them a dime. Republicans deserve Barack Obama for four more years if this is the best we can do.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOne by one, the not-Mitt candidates go off the rails and lose me, until all I'm left with is Mitt. But instead of feeling relief at having reached the end of my journey, I'm depressed, kind of like when you know that the big tourist attraction that you've driven cross country to see just isn't going to be all it was cracked up to be.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYour constant snide attacks against Mr. Santorum reveal more about you Mr. Nordlinger than the candidates themselves. Anti-Catholicism is unbecoming from a journal founded by Mr. Buckley.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou almost sound surprised. Remember, this is the same guy who voted for the largest expansion of the "social contract" since 1965, as well as the guy who voted against the 1995 National Right to Work Act. None of this is surprising. Rick Santorum is a big government, big labor populist.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDon't forget his zero tax rate for manufacturing businesses. Talk about macromanaging the economy. Obama would be proud.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuseit's just hard to take you serious on this when i remember how quiet you were when willard accused perry of wanting to push old folks off a cliff a la' leftist tactics.
p.s. if you want a clue about who is a conservative, its not a guy who signed a bill banning assault weapons....
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHow embarrassing for Rick Santorum to pander to lefties who despise everything he stands for on social issues---and who would never vote for him in a general election. Why do states hold open primaries again? What is the upside to allowing lefties to sabotage the process by voting for the weaker candidate?
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