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Subscribe to RSSATLANTC, Iowa - With only days to go until the GOP primary contest finally begins in earnest, a new set of polling has brought forth a new anti-Romney candidate in the race, and today for the first time, Mitt Romney was asked by reporters to draw contrast between himself, and the surging former Sen. Rick Santorum.
Keeping with his tradition of rarely attacking his Republican rivals directly, Romney reminded the press that Santorum endorsed him in 2008, and that the former Pennsylvania congressman and senator spent the majority of his career in Washington.
"I don't think I’ve spent a lot of time trying to describe differences on policy. But instead I focused on the things I believe and the choices that Americans have to make. Senator Santorum was kind enough to endorse me last time around. I appreciate that. And we’ve been friends," Romney said. "I can tell you that our backgrounds are quite different. Like Speaker Gingrich, Senator Santorum has spent his career in government, in Washington, nothing wrong with that, but it is a very different background than I have and I think the people of this country recognize that with our economy as the major issue we face right now that it would be helpful to have someone who understands the economy firsthand."
Asked later whether he or Santorum, who has ridden a wave of evangelical and social conservative support to third place in the latest Des Moines Register polling, was the more conservative, Romney again chose not to attack Santorum directly, but to speak about his own record, concluding:
"I'll let people make their own assessment of our respective records, but I'm a conservative. I'm proud to be a conservative businessman, and I think what distinguishes me from the others in the field is that I understand the economy first hand, having lived in it. And I look forward to a spirited campaign"
The questions about Santorum came at the end of a chaotic retail campaign event, in which more than 75 journalists from local, national and international media overwhelmed campaign and restaurant staff at The Family Table restaurant in Atlantic, Iowa, spilling into the kitchen and out onto the street as space in the restaurant disappeared. The pack underscored Romney's recent reclamation of frontrunner status here, but also prevented him from talking to more than a few dozen voters, who clung to their tables and bar stools amid the crush and trample of camera crews and notepad-wielding reporters.
While working the room after his brief remarks, Romney was asked to respond to the latest poll numbers (by a voter or a journalist, it was impossible to tell) that have him leading here by a narrow margin, 24 percent to 22 percent over Congressman Ron Paul of Texas.
"I think it's really hard for pollsters to know exactly who is going to come out and who is not, but it's encouraging," Romney said. "I'm pleased that we're seeing the kind of crowds we're seeing and the kind of enthusiasm, so it's encouraging."
Another encouraging sign for Romney? His fourth quarter fundraising. Asked to predict his total haul for the final three months of the year -- a dollar amount described to NBC by a Romney campaign fundraiser last week as "phenomenal," -- the candidate sounded confident.
"We’ll do better this quarter than any quarter so far but I don’t have a final figure for you and when we do we’ll let you know," he said.
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Our whole political system of choosing viable candidates for national office is flawed-It's a mockery of democracy;
We are given only candidates who are personally wealthy, tied to power through Wall St, connected with influential radicals from all political and religious points of views, supported by an electorate ignorant of the democratic representative system who blindly follow the clowns on talk radio and TV. Sad ! Our political system is now an oligarchy rigged by the players to control and continue the rule of the top 5%..The next generation of young people have an opportunity to be the next "great" generation that returns our democracy to a new middle-class. The last one was eliminated systematically and incrementally by sending the wrong people to Congress who represent only the rich and their personal desires to belong to that class. Vote Independent !
I hope every Voter remembers why we threw the republicans out of office in 2008.
The Republicans are acting like nothing ever happened and they are all of a sudden the Saviors of the World.
I for one will never forget the shape George W. Bush and his fellow Lock Step republicans left the Country in.
They left the economy in shambles and now they want us all to believe that Obama caused it all. They refuse to take responsibility for the Wreckage, lost lives and broken families their Tenure made possible...
Well, at least he didn't start a "Nuclear War!!"
Of all the front-runner now has-beens the GOP has put forward the one I would vote for if I had to is the one that's never been a front-runner, Huntsman.
I usually read these blogs to find out the dirt on the candidates. Apparently, the left has not come up with a "good" reason that Santorum is unelectable. You guys apparently have dropped the ball on this guy. Let's see Gingrich had too many wives, Bachmann is a dingbat, Perry has too many gaffs...
I see in Santorum a man with one wife, he is a Christian, and he has compromised with the left. I say he is totally electable.
However, I would vote for anyone but Obama. He has spent too much money and the economy is a mess. He won't compromise with the republicans to get anything done. He obviously disdains the public since they put the House in the Republicans hands to control him. I say he has no chance at reelection since the small business community can't handle the Obamacare disaster. He can raise all the money he wants, but the mainstream public doesn't like his policies. I say repubs take the country in a landslide election. With someone like Santorum who doesn't have any baggage the dems can use against him. But, I am sure they will come up with something to bat him over the head with given a little time and imagination.
ROMNEY IS THE MAN FOR THE JOB FOR 2012 .
We should all vote for a CEO rather than a college professor to fix the economy.
You know if Romney is the nominee I would vote for him, however I disagree with him on the healthcare issue. Conservatives believe Obama would win if he's the nominee since there is not much difference between Romney and Obama on this issue. Also, he is mormon and not christian, which goes against the religious beliefs of some voters. Haven't we seen enough of Obama and his non-religious beliefs? Obama has not been a church goer since he left Rev Wright's church. I believe him to be muslim in his beliefs and Un-American since he does not believe in the Constitution. Obama looks to the UN and not Congress. That is totally unacceptable to me.
sham,
The economy comes first in 2012, and we should leave religion out of politics.
Romney ( a CEO ) in 2012 for jobs jobs jobs.
I agree it is all about the economy but unfortunately, people will always make mormonism an issue, very sad. And "Sham", on healthcare, I don't know how many times Romney has had to defend it by saying that his model works for his state, not as a one size fits all forced upon the whole country. I don't understand why people can not accept this? I don't know how much clearer Romney needs to be, he will vow to repeal healthcare and I believe he will do this.
At least we know Romney doesn't LIE, like some we know.......
Obama, as a candidate, said it's very bad for the economy to raise the debt ceiling, he said if we spent $780 billion, the unemployment rate wouldn't go above 8%, he said there were "shovel ready" projects, he said Obamacare would lower premiums and we could KEEP our same doctors, etc. etc. etc.
Perhaps Romney should be reminded that it was business men that got us into this economic mess. And please remind him of past business men who were president: Jimmy Carter and Herbert Hoover. Do we really need another?
Mata, So I guess we need someone with no business experience because getting people back to work is not a priority for anyone I guess. I suppose someone with no business experience such as Barack Obama is the best choice for creating the atmosphere of creating jobs, look where that got us. Please!!!
So much hate! You guys are killing my soul!
It will be interesting to see which Clown climbs out of the car first.
The Repuglicans in congress continue to show us who they really care about and they'll be receiving our thank you, now F Off in November.
hey Chris,
since you notice what the Congressional Repubs are not doing........
Have you happened to notice what the DEMOCRATS in Congress are doing??
A.Weiner (D) resigned for texting nude pics
C.Rangel (D) payed NO taxes on properties & has 3 govt. subsidized apts.
M.Waters (D) funneled "stimulus" funds to bail out her husband's bank
N.Pelosi (D) guilty of insider trading and her relatives are getting rich from "green" companies which receive govt. money
B.Frank (D) said Fannie and Freddie were in good shape , when they were actually bankrupt
Harry Reid (D) won't bring Republican bills to a vote because he wants to call them the "party of no"
There is no comparing any presidential candidate to RON PAUL; without a doubt, he is the most intelligent and electable candidate running in 2012.
How the hell did this comment thread get hijacked by a debate about the EPA?!?!?! Check it out: Romney predicts his own victory. Don't you just love Mitt's humility? It's so very very small and so very very hidden that it's shocking. Just like his tendency to speak of himself as the royal "we." And his tone-deaf suggestion that he could pull $10K out of his pocket to cover a bet with Ricky Perry. And his belief that corporations "are people, too." If the Republicans ARE stupid enough to nominate Romney, two things will happen: 1. the TeaParty will boycott the election (they are too stubborn to "hold their noses and vote for Mitt" ; and 2. Team Obama will wipe the floor with Romney's record of waffling, elitism, and cold-hearted devastation of SO MANY of the people who once worked for companies that Bain Capital decided to buy.