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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- As Michigan and Arizona voters went to the polls today, the gloves came off between the two top contenders for the Republican presidential nomination.
The first blow came this morning in Livonia, Mich., when Mitt Romney called Rick Santorum "an economic light weight." The remark kicked off a day of verbal sparing and boxing metaphors between the two both stumping in the Wolverine State. "I don't think he understands the process of job creating," Romney added.
It was later that Santorum responded to the former Massachusetts governor, calling him "a lightweight on conservative accomplishments."
The latest candidate to surge in the polls attempted to spin Romney's comments as an attack on his wealth.
"I'm not a heavyweight," Santorum said. "I’m not a multimillionaire. I'm someone who has gone out and worked hard and learned my economics from shining shoes."
(Santorum may not be as wealthy as Romney or even Newt Gingrich, but the former Pennsylvania senator made more than $1 million in 2010 and half of 2011.)
Of the two states holding primaries today, it is Michigan that has received the bulk of attention. Santorum is threatening in the state where Romney spent his youth and his father served as governor. As a result, the contest here has gotten increasingly negative, with each candidate running scorching television ads in the state.
Romney is pointing to a robo-call from the Santorum campaign as the latest example of the mudslinging. The call features a message calling on Democrats to vote against Romney in the Tuesday primary.
Romney said on Fox News that the calls are "outrageous and disgusting, a terrible dirty trick at the last hour."
But Santorum and advisers contest the move was nothing more than an attempt to reach out to a broad base of voters. "I don't remember Mitt Romney running around and doing anything but trying to encourage Democrats and independents to vote for him in New Hampshire," Santorum contended.
A win for Santorum in the state would be a tremendous boast for a candidate still struggling to to keep compete with the money and organization of his chief rival. However, campaign advisers argue that the race is close enough that they don't need an actual Santorum win to claim a victory.
"I think it's already a win by the fact that it's this competitive with Mitt Romney in his home state," senior Santorum strategist John Brabender said on MSNBC.
Both candidates will take their campaigns to Super Tuesday states tomorrow, with Romney heading to Ohio and Santorum to Tennessee.
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Oh Puhleeze little Ricky!
The sniveling snot nosed kid is much more like a featherweight!
Wrapping yourself in a flag and banging your Bible does NOT make you a heavyweight!
But, you keep marching on little fella!
No better poster child then Ricky to remind voters when the GNOP mainstreamed bat @!$%# crazy!
Santorum is saying "I'm way more crazy than you are Romney"!.....so there.
...and these two think they are presidential.
What's next out of these two baffoons?
Wedgies?
Steve Jobs----- 1955 - 2011
Blow Jobs----- Bill Clinton 1993 - 2001
No Jobs---- Barack Obama 2008 - 2012
[What's next out of these two baffoons? Wedgies?]
Yes, then come the Indian Burns and the Noogies...
...followed by the dreaded Purple Nurple...
That's nice, Rob. Come back when you have an original thought.
You forgot...
...Wet Willy...
...Hertz Donut...
...and Swirlie!
(I don't know how Santorum feels about that last one.)
These two imbeciles are embarrassing themselves. They're both lightweights and everyone knows it except them. It's shameful.
Damn.
Here's a thought how are the SIX different commercials from 2008 in which Obama personally railed against Bush for high gas prices going to play with voters when Romney runs them nonstop?
Romney is a lightweight. People will ignore the commercials just as they ignore him.
Both of them are right. And they're both wrong for America right now. It's really sad that they are so petty. At least Hillary and Obama toughened each other up--made each other stronger, not weaker. I'm not saying they were perfect angels, but the choice then was between two competent candidates instead of two "lightweights" who, if they can't stand the heat, they should get out of the kitchen and stop slinging spaghetti at each other like toddlers!!
If I were a republican/tea bagger. I would take the paper bag from the unknown comic, put it over my head and call myself the unknown republican/tea bagger. With the field you guys have to pick from I would not want to be seen or known as a republican/tea bagger.
Then Santorum said to Romney, "Your mama wears army boots", to which Romney replied, "So does yours!" Please, send these two to the Principles office.
The headline didn't do Santorum's response justice. That actually was a pretty good line.
At some point, Romney is going to have to stop just saying he knows who to create jobs, and actually explain his thinking on that. Maybe that was all in his economic plan, which nobody seems interested with. If it's just tax cuts, I can tell you he's made more out of his 'infinite wisdom' than anyone else would be willing to acknowledge.
It's kind of like the scare crow and the wizard of oz.
Scare crow: Okay little man behind the curtain, whatcha got back there?
Wizard: You couldn't possibly understand, not being as powerful and wealthy as me.
Scare crow: Try me.
Wizard: Well, there's tax cuts, but that's above your peasant, straw headed level of thinking.
Scare crow: Dude, I've been a Republican for 30 years. Even I understand that line... Man, what a disappointment. I thought I was coming to the font of all knowledge, and when you get down to it, that font isn't even as deep as Joe the Plumber.
They are both disgusting. I'm still waiting for the mystery, republican, savior, candidate. Talk about operation Hilarity. The RepubliCons are it.
and in steps Snowe
oooohhhhh! Zing! That would be interesting...but would the establishment allow for that…I don’t know…
So, basically Romney v Santorum has been reduced to "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
Now I feel so much better about the way this country will be heading
Will we also be subjected to these two brain drains trading such barbs as "my wife's Cadillac is bigger than your wife's and your kids are snobs because they want to go to college?" Talk about mental lightweights. Yo, Adrian!!!
If Santorum wins this thing tonight this will go to the convention. Hard to believe!!!!!!
And if this goes to the convention they could pick anybody!
"The sniveling snot nosed kid is much more like a featherweight!" C'mon - stay on topic! This isn't about Obama!! Ah ha ha ha!!!
How anybody would even remotely think that these two short ball hitters are even remotely qualified to be POTUS is a complete mystery to me. Santorum is sounding more and more panicky, saying anything and everything. He has got to realize that he is sounding more and more unhinged. Old Mitt is deluding himself if he thinks he can go into Michigan and rail against unions and the bailout like he did. That is the kiss of death. Right now he's losing in Michigan. I know, it's all the UAW's fault...spare me.