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Republican presidential candidate and former Senator Rick Santorum holds up an Etch-a-sketch while addressing supporters at a "Get Out The Vote" rally in Mandeville, La., March 21, 2012.
ARBUTUS, MD -- Mitt Romney said he plans to run on the same issues in the general election as he has in the primary in response to a top aide's comment likening Romney's pivot to the general election to an Etch A Sketch.
Romney acted to hastily control the damage resulting from comments by adviser Eric Fehrnstrom on CNN, which prompted a day's worth of attacks from Democrats, as well as Romney's Republican rivals.
Romney told reporters following his lone event today that while his campaign will change organization, the issues on which he'll run "will be exactly the same."
"I'm running as a conservative Republican," he said. "I'll be running as a conservative Republican nominee."
The comments gave Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich a new weapon to use against Romney, figuratively and literally illustrating their case that the former Massachusetts governor is only a conservative of political convenience.
Mitt Romney said he plans to run on the same issues in the general election as he has in the primary in response to a top aide's comment likening Romney's pivot to the general election to an Etch A Sketch.
The two men, who lag behind Romney in the delegate count, jumped at the opportunity to attack Romney after a senior adviser, Eric Fehrnstrom, this morning compared moving into the general election campaign to the children’s toy this morning, saying, “you can kind of shake it up and restart all of over again.”
Both Gingrich and Santorum brought small Etch A Sketch toys to their afternoon events in the state of Louisiana.
“We're not looking for someone who's the Etch A Sketch candidate,” Santorum said after pulling out the toy during his event in Mandeville. “We're looking for someone who writes what they believe in in stone and stands true to what they say."
Santorum even told the crowd it was “the first of what I’m going to now call my ‘Etch A Sketch Tour of America.'"
“Given everybody's fears about Gov. Romney's flip flops, to have his communications director say publicly to all of us, if we're dumb enough to nominate him we should expect by the acceptance speech he'll move back to the left, triggers everything we should worry about,” Gingrich said as he began his town hall in Lake Charles, where he appeared holding the toy. "I think having an Etch A Sketch as your campaign model, raises every doubt about where we're going."
The former House speaker handed the popular childhood toy to a little girl sitting in the front row of the Harlequin Steaks and Seafood restaurant and joked, “You can now be a presidential candidate.” (Gingrich went on and autographed the toy for her after the event.)
Santorum said he purchased his Etch A Sketch at a Toys R Us store “down the way” while the Gingrich campaign simply said they bought the “Cars” themed toy today.
But the two candidates themselves were not alone in their purchases.
More than 2,000 miles away outside Romney's Arbutus event, Santorum’s press secretary was passing out mini Etch A Sketches in the parking lot.
Holding the one remaining toy she had yet to distribute, Alice Stewart told reporters this “gaffe” from a top Romney advisor “confirms what a lot of conservative have been afraid of.”
“The campaign acknowledged that his [Romney’s] conservative credentials can come and go with the climate, just like an Etch A Sketch, and we can’t have that,” Stewart said.
Romney had initially refused to address Fehrnstrom’s Etch A Sketch comments while asked several times on the ropeline following his event in Maryland.
“I’m not doing a press conference right now, OK?” Romney told reporters.
One group that does seem happy with all the buzz of the children’s toy today is the Ohio Art Company, the Etch A Sketch manufacturer.
"Happy to see Etch A Sketch, an American classic toy, is DRAWING attention with political candidates as a cultural icon and important piece of our society," said Nicole Gresh, spokeswoman for the manufacturer. "A profound toy, highly recognized and loved by all, is now SHAKING up the national debate. Nothing is as quintessentially American as Etch A Sketch and a good old fashion political debate.”
Alex Moe reported from Lake Charles, LA. Jamie Novogrod reported from Mandeville, LA.
Leave a Comment:
Etch a sketch??? I see kindergarten is still in session in the GOP. If Gingrich and Santorum have nothing to talk about except to use a silly comment by an aid to attempt to discredit their opponent, then how on earth could they qualify to run a toy store let alone a whole country. Romney is no better either. God help us if any of those buffoons are elected.
they have to use that to fit the base of there thinkers.and voters
Seriously? Who's base consists of people who are grown up babies? The people who supposedly don't even have a photo ID.
oh that's right..123 tell the world we are frauds huh America the good old USA huh
hey let us go around the world and help othere nations so they can vote huh 123
Not sure what you are talking about with going around the world. I am referring to the left saying that people cannot get a photo ID to vote. Is that not the defense for why we shouldn't have voter ID laws?
oh your just acting dumb i see..and answer me
And the slow train wreck continues...
its fun to see the grand ole party fail i cant wait to see what they do next its like watching a broken circus
You can always tell who the liberal base is afraid of by how much they attack. I'm voting for Romney all the way...it would be IMPOSSIBLE for him to be a worse president than Obama...and thats good enough for me. If libs hate 'em...I'm all for 'em.
Hi insoc. I'm writing in my cat for president even he wouldn't tie a dog to the top of a car. hahahahahahahahaha
lmao come on mittins what next
What new slang will we hear next from the leftist mob?
Rick Santorum needs to grow up and quit playing with his etch a sketch!!! He also needs to accept defeat and put his support behind the Republican front runner. Nothing worse than a sore loser!! Who would want him running the Country when he acts this way!!!
This Country is filled with first class loonies. Mitt Romney is going to be the nominee and i wish Santorium and Gingrich would go away, they have become so annoying and so stupid. I want Obamur out of the office and go back to Chicago with Ayers and Wright.
Peggy -
Ayers and Wright? Newsflash: Obama won the 2008 election. It's 2012 now.
If Santorum and Gingrich can hit home with their attacks what do you think a far more professional and seasoned campaign machine is going to do to flip-flopping Mitt? I just want the GOP nomination settled so that Obama's team can really go to work on this phony.
I am tired of Mitt running around in his comfortable circles spouting his BS. I guarantee once Obama's supporters really begin to focus on him and realize the stakes involved, they'll come out. Big. Believe me, the campaign is cruising in second gear right now. All they are doing is responding to Mitt's many, many gaffes. He's been running for President since 2007 and he still looks half-prepared. An accomplished campaign team would never have made a mistake like today. Now Mitt is running around trying to put on the fire. Comical and typical. It will happen again. Guaranteed.
Ayers and Wright....yes that is important. We barely know anything about Obama prior to the start of his political career and what we do know is bad. How is it that he's been able to conceal his prior love interests, friends?
Another genius. With the amount of people foaming at the mouth to discredit Obama since 2008, don't you think something of substance would have come out already if it were there?
I believe there was a huge amount of coverage on Wright and Ayers during the 2008 election. I seem to remember Obama giving a big speech on race as a response to the Wright controversy. I also seem to remember something else: Obama winning the 2008 election after all of this came out.
The GOP would be far better served focussing on current events if they want the WH. Exhuming the corpses - journalistically speaking - of Wright and Ayers will just make them look stupid. Oh wait...
Flip, flop, flip, flop, flip, flop.
It sure is fun watching Republican liars squirm and spew out more lies!
The republicans have pet rocks as candidates
Romney is not a pet rock, but I'd vote for a pet rock any day over a leftist.
thats ok 123 your count will be lost Obama 2012.
If you people weren't scared @!$%#less of Romney, you wouldn't be spending so much time reading about him.
hey we don't read remember
republicans self implode how fun as they should they wanna bankrupt the country for the americans to vote for these ingrates u reap what u sew
yes just look at the last election I warn them of the tea party..
My cat is planning to enter the GOP primary. After hearing all the antics that are going on, he thinks he can get the nomination.
hahahaha
obama 2012 all the way thankfully
how can you vote for some one that has sworn to secrets in his cult over the constitution
The authors shoud act to hastily control their split infinitives.
An Obama/Romney general election debate cycle is going to be like watching the Harlem Globtrotters beat up on the Boston Shamrocks...
At least an Obama/Paul general election would give us some honest debates.
yea we can call it the dumb down ..talk of the century..of Paul
When will this republican primary end, this is like a horror movie someone get the delegates necessary so when I turn on the news I don't get twenty different opinions and spins on the same information. Dear lord this has become tiresome
I'm still expecting Chuck Barris (the Gong Show) to host the next Republican debate. It would be soooooooo appropriate. While they debate really really important national issues like porn, female contraception and Etch-a-Sketches.
Gingrich probably thinks President Obama should apologize for this gaffe.
Talk about handing your opponents the joke with which to make you a punch line. Santorum said it best (for once), "...the Etch-A-Sketch candidate" and "...the Etch-A-Sketch tour of America". Santorum might not gain momentum from this, but Obama's camp had better find a way to use this. It will stick, and 3/21/12 will be the day Romney lost the presidency.
DirtySouth -
Oh, they will use it...and a lot more. The Obama campaign is in cruise control right now. All they do is respond (when necessary) to Mitt's own gaffes and BS. The Republican Party itself has created this candidate with historic unfavorables. The Dems are just sitting back watching this fun . They do take Romney seriously, but they also know just how flawed a candidate he really is.
lets vote for republicans so only rich children can go to school any takers people high five anyone
What school are you talking about? Republicans would like people to have a choice in where their kids go to school. Take some notice of what Jindal is doing in LA. Obama is against vouchers, but sends his own kids to private school. Way to help out the common citizen.
sorry Louisiana is far behind in learning in the whole US of A...why do you think the republicans win..the poor and ignorant don't vote
As for Santorum and Gingrich they're really reaching deep down into the bucket of desperation on this one! When you're so far behind in a race I suppose you have no choice but to take cheap pock shots at the leader. Gingrich isn't really a viable candidate anymore and Santorum is such an 'extremist' conservative a conservative Christian like me wouldn't even vote for him. He's Mr. control freak with a capital "C".
Eh, you can try all you like to turn this on Santorum and Gingrich, but I don't think that line will fly. Now, not only have two of Romney's Republican opponents said we can't trust Romney, but this etch-a-sketch comment came from Romney's own staffer.
That makes three prominent Republicans, including like I said someone working for Romney, who have made public comments like this.
You betcha it's gonna stick. Maybe tomorrow it will look different, but right now it seems like this integrity issue is hitting critical mass.
Remember, Romney is the candidate about whom an integrity joke was told during CPAC convention... and everyone there got it without explanation.
Romney: Bush saved U.S. from another Great Depression
“I keep hearing the president say that he’s responsible for keeping America from going into a Great Depression,” Romney said. “No, no no. That was President George W. Bush and Hank Paulson that stepped in and kept that from happening.”
hey remember Enron ..look it up..that was his first mistake of doing nothing..yes i said it Bush..remember the lights getting turn off on old people in California ..oh you just poop out of a rock huh
Keep in mind that TARP was from Bush and Paulsen... In one of the debates, Mitt-the-Flipper was dead against it.
This man is pure 100% s#!t.
George W. ....unfunded tax breaks, unfunded Medicare prescription drug program and two unfunded wars....Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke..bailed out AIG...an international company that has more presence and employees around the world than in the U.S. Their Financial Products unit in London is recognized as the epicenter of when all those financial products of mass destruction detonated. Of course Romney would say that. His platform has similarities. Iran and Syria would Willard's modern day Iraq and Afghanistan.
To some degree, that is true. The Bush Administration did move to avoid a credit seizure, which potentially could have had Great Depression like ramifications, and they pulled it off.
Now, Flipper Mitt, don't get mad at Insanitorum; it was your own main man that coined the truth about your campaign and about who you really are. I can just see your bumpers stickers now.
"Vote for Mittens - the Etch A Sketch Man!
Ok, let's run down the GOP hopefuls:
- Sketchy
- Frothy (google santorum if you've been asleep for 6 months)
- Newty
- Polly
We need 3 more for a really demented version of "Snow White"
wait I just had a better one for Santorum!
Ahh...don't wanna get reported...I'll quit while I'm ahead.
LOL..... is this all you libs have ????? must be real hard ti find something real bad like 6 trillion added to the debt or 5.00 dollar gas or the green scandal or fast and furious or screwing up the war or unemployment over 8% or attacking religion or that we have 57 states now .....lol
mental midgets like you always label someone as a liberal when they wouldn't vote for the candidate that you like. But, like a true moron..go ahead and vote for Mitt..after he gives huge tax breaks to the richest in America..I'm sure there will be some crumbs tricking down to you at your minimum wage job.
Rick Santorum needs to grow up and quit playing with his Etch A Sketch!! He is just a sore loser and he needs to do the right thing and start supporting the Republican front runner. So does Gingrich and the others. Mitt Romney can't do any worse than Obama has in the past three years. As far as I am concerned Sarah Palin doesn't stand a rats chance in hell of ever being President!!! Lord help us if that did ever happen!!