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PHOENIX, AZ -- Rick Santorum told a crowd of Arizona Republicans today that he was "an outsider when he was inside" Washington, arguing he fought corruption and wasteful spending during his 16 years in Congress.
In his first campaign stop in Arizona, the former Pennsylvania senator pushed back against the onslaught of attacks he is now facing with his rise as a frontrunner in the Republican presidential contest. Rival Ron Paul released a television ad in Michigan today attacking Santorum's spending record and Mitt Romney's campaign blasted out another round of opposition research calling Santorum a career politician.
But here at a Lincoln Day Luncheon, Santorum said that despite his time serving both in the House and Senate, he was never part of the Washington establishment.
"When we came to Congress, we came and we shook things up to its very core," Santorum said about himself and former Rep. Frank Riggs, who now serves as the campaign's Arizona state chairman.
Without using Romney's name, Santorum said the former Massachusetts governor can portray himself as a Washington outsider due to his 1994 Senate bid.
"I think it’s really fascinating that here’s the guy who was outside of Washington, who was not a Senator or Congressman—not because he didn’t try—he just never got elected,” Santorum said.
"You see all these commercials, Rick Santorum is a big spender, but they never once mention, talk about how I voted for any increase in the appropriation bills. Why? Because I never did," said Santorum. "I voted to cut appropriation bills. They never talk about how I voted for a tax increase. Why? Because I never did in 16 years of public life … I voted for smaller government, lower taxes, less regulation -- the things that we need desperately in this country."
Showing a renewed interest in Santorum, the Romney campaign was quick to counter. Ryan Williams, a spokesman from Romney, emailed out a statement: “Republican primary voters have a clear choice. Mitt Romney spent his career helping turn around companies, the Olympics, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. At the same time, Congressman/Senator Rick Santorum spent his career in Washington, voting repeatedly to increase the debt ceiling and his own pay."
Santorum, latest Republican candidate to surge in the polls, is finding renewed scrutiny not only from his rival candidates, but also the national media. Recent comments questioning President Obama's theology and suggesting the president discriminates against disabled people have put under the microscope.
"Will you be the generation that sat on the sidelines and watched as candidate after candidate comes up and the national media takes their axe out to try to destroy them in every way possible as they’ve done with every single republican candidate," Santorum said.
Initially, Santorum advisers did not view Arizona as a state where they could have much impact, but recent polls show him closer than expected to Romney ahead of the state's Feb. 28 primary.
Santorum will hold a rally in Phoenix tonight before heading to Tuscan for an event ahead of Wednesday night's debate.
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Frothy Rick just keeps getting more and more bizarre.
Personally, I think Santorum is still picking pork out of his teeth.
The K Street Project was an effort by Grover Norquist and Congressional Republicans to coerce lobbying firms into hiring Republicans in return for access to the Republican congressional leadership. The lobbyists were also told that if they didn't contribute to Republicans, they would be denied access. Here's what Wikipedia says about Santorum's involvement:
"Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, who served in the House before 1994, has often been described as the Senate liaison to the K Street Project, as he met with Norquist on a regular basis to review openings at lobbying firms and the leading candidates for those positions. As the Abramoff scandal broke and grew, however, he denied the extent of the role attributed to him. He claimed his meetings with Norquist were not as frequent as asserted, that he did not know Norquist that well, and that he was unaware of a file keeping track of campaign contributions by lobbyists and their firms.
He took particular umbrage at claims to the contrary by then-Senate minority leader Harry Reid, saying they amounted to libel, although he did not deny that meetings took place. He referred to them as "good government" efforts. He claimed he had not seen Norquist in years, but later the blog Crooks and Liars posted a video clip of the two of them sharing a podium at a June 28, 2005, press conference.
Norquist, however, claims that at a 2002 meeting with Santorum and lobbyists he described the project to them. A contemporary report says he described its goals and asked those present to help complete the project. He passed out a list of lobbyists the project was checking on. At that time Santorum did not comment.
Later that year, Norquist publicly commented, "(Santorum) has gotten me in to talk to all those guys."
Santorum also had publicly criticized the Motion Picture Association of America and Boeing for hiring former Clinton Administration officials, but said that was unrelated to his meetings with Norquist.
Roll Call also reported that Abramoff himself attended one of Santorum's meetings in 2001. Santorum says he might have attended but does not specifically recall that.
After the disclosures, Santorum announced the jobs list would no longer be part of the meetings."
Santorum 16 years in Congress and then joined a DC thinktank and he's a outsider? He wants us to believe this but can't comprehend that Obama spent 20 years in one church and didn't completely agree with every single word of his pastor.
A president who could not get along with congress would be a disaster. He wants to be Dictator?? Like it or not, its all about compromising and working together.
who's this clown trying to kid?he was the king of earmarks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do people really believe that Santorum is not an Ayatollah who will bring his "christian" version of Sharia law to America.
Beware who you put in office.
Santorum is a liar and a hypocrite. He's certainly no Christian! Thank God he'll never ever be President, it makes his BS a little easier to take, certainly a lot harder to take seriously.
This Santorum guy is scary. I can't believe he is actually going to have a chance to win. Are people not listening to his outlandish statements? Scary indeed.
WE the PEOPLE are the Official Constitutional GOVERNMENT of the USA... President on down are those WE have chosen to re-present US... WE foolishly contributed to a very divided Congress, both House and Senate... The Republicans have all sworn a Pledge to Grover Norquist to never raise Taxes... Clearly their Oath of Office IS MEANINGLESS... It, the Oath, is basically an Oath to the USA, to re-present WE the People, not to a Party, Nor to individuals... The Republicans announced their plans to oppose our chosen President and make OUR CHOICE a one term President.... Much would have been accomplished without this opposition to our choice...
Clearly this time WE the People need to remove all the current Republicans/Tea Party that WE the People can do... NOT to destroy the Republicans, but instead to remind/notify them they are to re-present, WE the PEOPLE... Those of US who gave LOYALTY to the USA and NOT to either Political Party, whether WE joined the Military and took an OATH, or NOT, but fought and struggled to make the USA better NEED to come to the AIDE of the USA... WE the USA, are neither a Theocracy, nor a Corporate-ocracy...
Sadly, Organized Religion has aligned itself with Politics... IMHO, that is losing Membership of those who seek Spiritual enlightenment... WE the PEOPLE were never supposed to align with Political Religions... Religion is intended under the Constitution to be a PRIVATE choice, NOT a POLITICAL Organization...
Thank You from a Believer/Supporter of the Ideal USA...
And he still we be an outsider, because there is no way is going to be president. He can take the white house tour just like everybody else.
If Santorum was such an outsider, why was he able to put earmarks and riders on important bills, which cost the US taxpayer. Earmarks are a characteristic of an insider using the system. The guy is fraud and liar.
Think he ever figured out why? Nah, he's too stupid and too taken by himself.
Don''t know about most of the rest of you, but supposed "Christians" supporting any of these
bald faced LIARS is repulsive to me... The "TRUTH" will NOT set them FREE,
because clearly they Religiously support LYING, Corporate " Congress allowed bribery" and
they have NO charity for the less fortunate...
In Fact the reference to Welfare Queens is an apparent attempt to portray Welfare as going
to POOR Black Females, when in FACT, more WHITES are poor and drawing what is likely
now "WORKFARE"... Don't like WELFARE, then push/slam the Republican's to get off Abortion
and create JOBS, so People can support Family, Babies and Children...
These self decided/professed "Christians" behavior supports ABORTIONS, regardless of their Rhetoric...
They have Indoctrinated themself and children with so much FEAR (IT) controls them...
FEW can/will walk away from their choice of Religion, because of FEAR..
SHEEPLE best describes this.. It's how one, or two dogs, keep sheep in a flock... FEAR...
The Catholic scandle is a Living Example of that...
Yeah, you were an outsider - out of your freaking mind!