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Chris Keane / Reuters
Republican presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum greets supporters Wednesday during a campaign stop at the Historic Springdale House & Gardens, West Columbia, S.C.
RIDGEWAY, S.C. -- Recently the target of Rick Perry’s accusations that he wasted federal funds through congressional earmarks, Rick Santorum said on Wednesday the Texas governor had plenty of earmarking experience himself.
Perry has criticized Santorum over his federal earmarking record for weeks. On Tuesday at a town hall, Perry said that "people like Rick Santorum" wasted taxpayer dollars through earmarks, which he called "the gateway drug to big spending in Washington."
Speaking after a town hall here, Santorum turned that criticism back on Perry.
"Rick Perry requested 1,200 earmarks as governor of Texas," Santorum said to reporters in the jam-packed restaurant where the event was held. "It’s sort of hard for somebody who’s been in public life and elected office for 25 years to be the outsider when he also requested over a thousand earmarks from Washington, D.C."
Santorum also defended his role in allocating federal funds, saying it was his job to make sure the money was being responsibly spent.
"There were abusive earmarks that I supported ending," Santorum said.
And when asked whether he considered himself an insider -- assuming that the criteria for that moniker was having requested or allocating money -- Santorum said he had been a "reformer" in Washington, but he also seemed to embrace his residency there.
"If you look at my record, I’ve been as much of a reformer and someone who’s been able to shake things up both from the inside and the outside as anybody else. But do I have experience? You bet I do!"
Santorum’s speech to about 50 people in this tiny Midlands town was mostly geared toward the economy and bringing manufacturing jobs back to small-town USA.
"We’ve put together a plan that is really focused on Ridgeway. Really focused on Fairfield County," he said. "Making things here in America is what built small town America."
He also criticized President Barack Obama for fomenting "class warfare," taking an approach similar to Mitt Romney's recent talks, including his New Hampshire primary victory speech Tuesday when he decried the "politics of envy."
"There are people in America who are not doing very well but they don’t sit at home every night and then have envy toward those who are succeeding,"Santorum said.
"The idea that President Obama’s put out there that we should pit one group against another for political purposes is really unknown to America."
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Oh NO - say it ain't so! lol
The King of Pork is now attempting to label Prince of Dork as an 'earmarker'? lmfao!
These morons will say ANYTHING to garner a vote!
Who is ready for some *popcorn*?
All weapons in this little spat are supplied by the Romney camp. The muddle of morons has reconvened.
Ahhh the " frothy candidate" .. His pork was different from the others pork
... He had frothy pork?
Great analogies Feisty and ideology! King of Pork/Prince of Dork and a muddle of morons! Certainly conjures up great images. Thank you for the best laughs of the day!
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" Pogo by Walt Kelly
They are both career politicians. They both take pork for their states. They would be worthless to their states if they didn't. I wish this pork stuff would end. It is the biggest bold "in your face" lie. Almost as good as Mittens and his investors making millions while the poor and middle class shore up pensions for those failed firms he gutted, with their tax dollars. If that is not stealing from the poor to make Mittens rich, I don't know what is. I don't care that it is legal welfare for the rich. It is immoral!
Santorum is really is running on empty.
"There are people in America who are not doing very well but they don't sit at home every night and then have envy toward those who are succeeding,"Santorum said.
Oh Ricky, it is not about succeeding or being part of the rich 1%.
It is the arrogance of some of the 1% that vulture capitalism is noble and even something to envy.!!
Northstar--I think you hit the nail on the head! The "muddle of morons" (ty ideology, for that one!) knows it's wrong, unethical and immoral, and it only in their dreams is this really about envy. When these folks face their Christian God, I am sure this behavior will not be acceptable, and there will be a whole lot of very surprised folks! I am still trying to figure out how these people reconcile this behavior with their so-called "christian" principles--looks to me like this kind of behavior violates the precepts laid out by Christ in their version of the Bible.
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" Pogo by Walt Kelly
use it sparingly nurse ... you are welcome
Northstardfl,
Excellent post!
The article is off the mark in even the smallest of details... As the vice chairman of the Fairfield County GOP and some one that was actually on hand for this event in Ridgeway (Yesteryears Restaurant), SC. The author obviously forgot how to count. Luckily, I did not as there were well over 154 people INSIDE the restaurant not including the people standing outside listening with the front doors open.
If you can not even get inside the ballpark with the numbers, just how much of this did she not get right.. Hopefully her digital recorder worked...
Ali,
I have to agree the count was off. Yesteryears holds 75 seated and there were no seats available. People were packed in this place. See ya on the trail. There were at least 100. The number was close to the number Jeff mentioned.
The count doesn't matter. Santorum will never be the candidate.
Perry is not in Congress and cannot do "Earmarks". Perry has his own problems here in Texas:
On 12-21-2011, I wrote:
The Coal-fired Power plants have been on notice for a long time to clean up the pollutants they spew into the air for everyone to breathe and the president has made it clear they have to comply with the EPA rules promulgated. America is in the forefront in clean air and environmental issues and should carry out and implement these regulations for all Americans. The die-hard extreme fringe will continue to scream about EPA rules and de-regulation because they are in the pockets of the super-affluent who do not care about water, ground and air quality. All they care about is pleasing the 1%-ers and their tax breaks. The EPA, the America lung Association and many scholarly bodies welcome our efforts. But the puppeteers have control of this radical element who cannot see past the monies they receive the effects of "Global Warming"! These die-hard illusionist will shut down plants rather than fix the plants to make their points. These TEA-GOP-republican members care only about keeping taxes down and lie that jobs will be lost and the increase in cost that will be passed onto the consumer. This is all the same hogwash that has been used since time infinitum.
On Jan 13, 2012, I read Patricia Kilday Hart's piece in the Houston Chronicle stating Texas leads the country in greenhouse gas emissions and we could thank or Governor Rick Perry. Perry issued an executive order fast-tracking permit requests for construction of new coal-fired power plants while Texas was awash with cheap, cleaner natural gas, an alternative for electricity production. Perry told Texas this would be an economic boon and there would be 3,770 new jobs generated. Meanwhile Perry received hundreds of thousand of dollars in campaign contributions from Wyoming Coal companies. He and his appointees to the Texas Public Utilities Commission and the Texas Environmental Commission on Environmental Quality colluded to mis-inform the public and at a speed to avoid new federal laws for carbon pollution. Texas now has thirteen coal-fired, greenhouse polluting power plants that will not and do not comply with the new federal rules for carbon pollution. ERCOT has failed to protect Texas, Texans and the people downwind from Texas from greenhouse gases. Texas is a one-party state run by unforgiving Capital chasing career politicians.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/01/12/texas-leads-u-s-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions/
http://www.chron.com/default/article/Texas-leads-U-S-in-greenhouse-gas-emissions-2476015.php