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Subscribe to RSSThe Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd talks about Rick Santorum's comments to a crowd of supporters, in which he said President Barack Obama is better than Mitt Romney.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Rick Santorum today suggested it would be better to stick with President Obama over a candidate that might be "the Etch A Sketch candidate of the future” -- a shot at chief rival Mitt Romney.
"You win by giving people the opportunity to see a different vision for our country, not someone who’s just going to be a little different than the person in there," said Santorum. "If you’re going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk with what may be the Etch A Sketch candidate of the future.”
For the second day in a row, the former Pennsylvania senator brought an Etch A Sketch on the trail as a prop to remind voters of Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom's response to a question about whether Santorum is pushing Romney too far right to win over moderate voters in a general election. "Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes," Fehrnstrom said Wednesday on CNN. "It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again."
The comment gave plenty of ammunition to Santorum and Newt Gingrich, both of whom have made the well-known children's toy a staple of their stump speeches.
Speaking at the USAA headquarters here, Santorum showed optimism about his chances in the delegate rich state of Texas. He told the crowd the primary would not be over by the time the Lone Star State votes on May 29.
"It's the second-biggest delegate prize, and you're going to have an important role. This race will not be over when Texas is coming around," he said.
Santorum's viability hinges on picking up a majority of the 155 delegates that will be up for grabs here. When asked about his path to the nomination, Texas plays a key role.
Still, the GOP hopeful avoided calling on Newt Gingrich to leave the race, though senior campaign advisers have said the former House speaker remaining in the race is cutting into their vote totals and that they would like to receive the former House speaker's support.
Santorum said his campaign has been in contact with both the Gingrich and Romney campaigns, though he declined to give specifics of the conversations.
"I’m worried about being a candidate. I’m not worried about anything else right now,” Santorum told reporters who asked about the nature of the conversations.
Accompanying Santorum on the trail today was billionaire-backer Foster Freiss, who is a chief contributor to the pro-Santorum Super PAC Red, White and Blue Fund. They will attend a fundraiser in Dallas on Thursday afternoon.
*** UPDATE *** The Romney camp responds with this statement from the former Massachusetts governor: “I am in this race to defeat Barack Obama and restore America’s promise. I was disappointed to hear that Rick Santorum would rather have Barack Obama as president than a Republican. This election is more important than any one person. It is about the future of America. Any of the Republicans running would be better than President Obama and his record of failure.”
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end the corporate bull@!$%#ting machine
The republicans are full of S--T! Important we keep President Obama in office.
you must be rich like romney you must like high gas prices & rising health costs
"I will cut the Deficit in half by the end of my first term." "Pass the Stimulus and unemployment will not go over 8%." "Shovel ready jobs." "Solyndra was not my administrations idea, per say, but a joint bi-partisan...." Talk about BS
Dahly and pl,
Stop believing rhetoric and look at reality. From 2001 through 2008 healthcare costs increased at a rate of 12% per year since Obama took office they have increased at 8% per year lower than the projected 9% for 2011. The rate of growth as a %of GDP is around .05% per annum over the last 3 years as opposed to .075 for the Bush years. The stimulus package directly created or saved 650,000 jobs and indirectly saved or created 350,000 more. The cost was $247,000 per job for direct jobs this includes material costs et al for building projects. This is a reasonable cost for the benefits accrued from the projects created and the tax revenues coming in over the employees life and those same employees not requiring unemployment or public assistance. When you improve a bridge, road or railway there are savings in transportation, gas and often state revenues for tolls which need to be factored. The stock market has recovered from a low in Jan 2009 of 8000 to about 13,000. The US auto industry has had a robust recovery an industry which would be dead as a doornail if the policies of any GOP candidate were followed especially Romney at a loss of at least 750,000 associated jobs. As far as predicting the economy no one truly knew the depth of this recession worldwide and the effects places like Ireland, Italy and Greece would have nor could any sane person believe that the rightwing was crazy enough to force US into an imminent default and a drop in our bond rating in some bizarre political game which cost billions and perhaps much more as our % on borrowed funds increases due to these morons. As to gas prices there is little anyone can due if you aren't willing to Nationalize all energy companies and make strong regulatory laws prohibiting market manipulation goals of Wall Street oversight and Consumer protection Agencies blocked in the House and in Senate by republicans.
If any Republican had accomplished so much he would be worship with the old actor at the revival meetings and snake handlings.
jkh
uh berry, at this point carter was ahead of reagan...62 -38. today rassmuusen has you behind romney by 5...beweeee you got some fibben to do!!!
At last, the real Rick Santorum emerges: a self-aggrandizing, sanctimonious and insufferable iconoclast (i.e., a "my way or the highway" guy) who has no sense of what a cohesive political philosophy looks like. Oh yeah, and bitter, too.
I've been a Republican for 38 years and I have never seen anything like this. A "Republican" who urges people to vote for the Democrat if HE can't be the Nominee? Reagan must be rolling over in his grave, along with a convention of other famous Republicans like Barry Goldwater, whom Santorum would like to forget -- if he ever remembered. Barry Goldwater was a fiscal conservative but a libertarian on social issues, which at least has a consistent philosophy: a small federal government that leaves you alone. Contrast that with the self-serving hodge-podge thinking of an iconoclast like Santorum, who claims to wants a small federal government but nonetheless campaigns for one big enough to intrude into peoples' lives.
Santorum's a traitor to his party, and should be thrown out of it.
Well stated. Traitor, in deed! I hope every endorsement of Santorum ends immediately. He has shown his true self.
Hey Saintorum! You have to be the most absolute stupid GOP Candidate ever! Talk about GAFFES! That one is the paramount gaffe of gaffes! Stupid remark from the big cheesy grin!
evr notice why you never see senate races in the main strem press??? its becauce the repubs are just crushing the libs in 8 out of ten races
Should take back the White House and Senate in November. Get rid of Harry Reid and the real "party of no" and this country might have a chance.
Notatalltrubro and Blametheotherguy,
That statement is an absolute lie. There are now 9 toss up states which will decide the Senate balance and the GOP is favored in exactly 2 in current polling Rehberg in Montana is a slight favorite. Missouri is a statistical tie with the seat probably retained by McCaskill if Obama wins and lost if the GOP choice wins the general. Maine has little polling until choices become firm. Virginia Kaine has a 5 point lead on old McCaCa, In New Mexico Heinrichs the Dem. is +7, In Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren leads Scott Brown in polling on March 12th by +5 and Brown has an approval of slightly less than 45% and a large Democratic registration avantage will help Warren in a presidential year. Wisconsin GOP candidate is not yet chosen the Dem Tammi Baldwin she is favored by at least 7+ against all but Tommy Thompson who is no guarantee to win the primary he may be too moderate and unexciting. The recall movement is also energizing the Democratic base and there will be enormous union support for Baldwin. GOP looks solid in Nevada with a +7 with 11% undecided. Ben Nelson is the incumbent in Fla and the state is currently Polling has Obama ahead +5-7 over Romney +12-20 over Santorum Rubio as a VP appears worth about 2%.
What the hell you are looking at I don't have any idea but I would suggest not getting your info from Rush or Sean or The Family Research idiots. You really should stop making crap up some people actually know whats going on in the country.
jkh
Obamas actions are mostly of a previous era moderate Republican. So its between the 1% Conservative/Centrist/Liberal Candidate with offshore accounts and Wall Street "experience" or a generally Rationale Centrist spending democratically into more debt but may have prevented a Great Depression v2.
The 1% Candidate spends mostly his and big-donor money tearing down others as a way to build himself up. He promises of a better day if elected.
The other has acted to clean up a royal mess and restore some lost balance. All the while being torn down by the other side with little help supposedly elected to serve the people. They of the same party of promises and policies that mostly led to the "Wall St. Got Drunk" mess. They of the words of Jobs-Jobs-Jobs to get the vote morphing into culture wars, rights retractions, and contraception debates having gotten the vote.
Hummm - which one will our short memory public vote for to "lead" U.S. ?
Obama is about as close the center as the south pole is to the equator.
Center all depends on point of perspective. We voted Democrat and got Republican-lite. That is Obama's formula, same as at Harvard. He does not act to stereotype. Mostly others do.
Skup,
I assume you were not alive in the 60s and 70s. Obamas politics are those of a 1970s moderate Republican and to the right of many progressive Republicans. In fact Romney's father, George was far more liberal than Obama. If you think Obama is a leftist you would have thought Rockefeller or John Anderson to be Maoists. None of the Socialist/ communist spewers of today knows what a radical looks like.
Bobby Seale is a radical H Rap Brown is a radical Abbie Hoffman was a radical Jerry Rubin and David Dellinger were radicals. Tom Hayden is a leftist, Gene McCarthy and George McGovern and Hubert Humphrey were liberals Bobby Kennedy and Ted Kennedy were liberal. Barrak Obama is a stone centrist he is only seen as liberal because of the rightward drift of the Democratic Party and the Radical extremism of the current GOP. Richard Nixons economic policies were far to the left of Obama's. Nixon faked two National economic emergencies and instituted wage and price controls and took us off the gold standard abandoning the Breton Woods Agreement of 1944 and allowing currency to float touching off the inflationary spiral of the 70s and 80s. If Obama tried such a thing the militias would be rowing across the Potomac.
jkh
Saintorum proclaims himself to be a Christian yet espews hatred in just about ever word that comes out of his mouth. What a two faced hypocrite..
so many christians are. Santo is a self serving religious mess.
Too bad the old Reagan "Trust but Verify" is never applied to religion. Some of these religious faux patriots and Constitutional experts should take a look at the Jefferson Bible to see what their main man thought about christianity. His correspondence on religion and its practice with John Adams are also instructive.
jkh
" I am for and against every issue on any given day, it depends, maybe" - berry 2012
A complete joke, all the way 'round. More proof that religion makes you an idiot.
Where was this cultist, Romney, born? I believe his birth certificate is a fake.
The only you accomplish with remarks like this is placing yourself in the same category as the people who claim Obama wasn't born in HI.
Skup,
Perhaps satire?
jkh
Can you imagine all the stammering these guys will do when they have to debate Obama. I just cringe when I hear the all the half/un-truths these guys spout about the President. They will be debating..... ouch, the smartest person in the room.
man is Santorum getting desparate...BTW, this MSNBC site is so freaking left I can't believe it. Every story has some leftie slant to it. Whatever happened to unbiased reporting? And we Americans are so dumb and lazy, we just absorb their brain washes as gospel. Wake Up America! We're losing our identity daily. BTW @JSW, smartest guy in the room? Obama is a great speaker, but smart? That's a stretch! At least Romney ran a very successful business. What did Obama run? Wasn't like a community center in Chicago? Ohhhh, impressive!
Thank you, Rick, for explaining so clearly why your people have already long-since lost this election. And with their proven track record, likely the next as well.
How funny. I think maybe Santo is on to something. Neither he nor Romney are exciting. Maybe another 4 with Obama wouldnt be so bad given the likes of these two.
I hope Santorum realizes what a fool he has made of himself with these comments. He is the true "Etch-a-Sketch" candidate as evidenced by his endorsement of Romney in 2008 as the only conservative choice to run on the GOP ticket. The link is below. Is he that desperate for votes that he would say that Obama is a better choice than any of his rivals? I hope whatever supporters he has will drop their support of him immediately. He is not interested in putting America back on track. He is interested in his own ego. This video clip of him promoting Romney speaks volumes. What has Romney done in the last 4 years that has made Santorum now bash him (other than beatting him in securing the GOP nomination) and what has Obama done in the last 4 years that now makes Santorum think Obama is a better choice?? Perhaps, you should switch political teams, Rick. You are an idiot for your comments, and people will show this at the polls.
Here is the link:
What a complete bonehead! I want to take this time to thank Mr. Santorum for exposing the man that he is. Can you say political suicide. I know that this is a left-leaning webiste but to think that I actually considered voting for this idiot at one point. Mr. Santorum, you have just surrendered my vote. Good luck with that...
Stop the presses:
Santorum finally makes a truthful and rational statement
finally!!!!
finally!!!!
Something rational coming from a GOPPER candidate..
"Obama would be the better choice."
Now, you Teaturds don't flame the Libs... one of YOUR brightest, sharpest, and most faithful-to-the-conservative-cause made this statement!
YOU CAN BELIEVE IT! Santi-man is right!
He is about as bright as Obama, and he is an embarrassment.
Thank you Rick for giving the liberal flock more firepower.
Dipsh!t.
Just because you are a loser, does not make the loser we have now any better.
You should be banned from the Republican party.
You people that support the traitor obama must have a mental disability if you want him back for another 4 years , why wait drop your pants now and bent over so you can take it in the ass right now cause we all will be getting it up the ass if he is elected again
this statement is insulting to people with mental disabilities, homophobic, and means nothing.
The GOP are "economic terrorists" waging an economic war on 99% of the people they are supposed to serve. The Democrats are not much better.
Neither party it seems will be happy until they have destroyed the 99% and have all of their money.
It is up to the 99% to root out the corruption, perversion, greed and stop the rape of this country. We need to get back to one citizen one vote. The 1%, corporations, and this now corrupt Political and Supreme Court system is in position to overrule the will of the populous of this nation i.e. the 99%. We are well out of balance and fairness.
Don't forget . . . most of the congress men and women are in the 1% and mean to stay there at any cost. They believe they have the tools, the Armed Forces, and the National Guard, and personal armed security teams at their disposal. All paid for by the 99%.
Beginning to look a lot like the Middle East?
This country is headed toward a very dangerous period of time . . . God bless at least 99% of the USA!
Granted it doesn't rankwith "no pale pastels" of the Reagan era for remarks, and "etech A sketch" is so 1960 compared to Ipads and the Samsung Galaxy Tab where youcando more thanjust sketch. But we realize that we are talking about Republicans here,and they are alway sstuck in the past, refusing to emrace new technology.
We are not sure how Mr Romney matchs Obama though: Obama cares about the poor and seeks to make their life better. He didn't axe the Kosher meats to elderly Jews despite calls reduce budgets like Romney did in Massacutsetts.
It's true Obama extended the Bush tax cuts. He was willing to give Repblicanideas a fair trial. And everytime youhear Romney ttalk to people about theeconomy and commplain-what youreallyhear is a confession that republican ideas don't work-because if they did there'd be no cause for complaint. Every time Romneyopens hismouth about the economy-what he reallysays is "Republicani deas have been tried, tested and failed.
In that sense Santorum is right. Obama agisnt the advice of his own party,tested out the republcan ideas one more time. America is an expimental country- it learns from trying and doing not armchair theory. If you want to talk about "social engineering" as Repblican have and do, we have already had it.
We tested Republican theory with actual practice.
Listen closely to Romney's speechs: every complaint is confrmation of what Demcrats already know and could have told you. Republican presriptions don't work.
Obama listened and gave ear. And we have confiration from the master of Republican ecomoics himself, Mitt Romney.
And agian Santorum might be right:after all if Romeye's plan is premised on the bush tax cuts extension again we are certainlydestined for more failure; whereas, Obama has pledged a differentpath in ending extension.
To adopt Romney's plan-is desinged failure-right out of Jon Paulsons "designed to fail" securites handbook. And Romney's designed to fail orpoations that fund his super pacs-two week after the moneyarrives the corporation folds up shop.Inspiring confience,isn't it?
Santorm maybe onthoe something. Re-Elect Obama!
I am very disappointed in the fact that our choices for president are so limited we have a president that couldnt balance a checkbook let alone the American budget.
and the worst choices for republican party in the history of America!
We need to stop pokeing fun at contenders and find better onesif we stop trying to make fools out of everyone who runs.
maybe togother we can find a proper person for the job and I am thinking female as well as male for potential candidets
Santorum must have pissed off every Republican out there by his idiotic comments about sticking with Obama over Romney! I thought Newt was the one with the greatest vendetta against Romney, but Santorum has taken this a new level. As much as Gingrich dislikes Romney and would love to take revenge on him, he would never, ever say that Obama would be the same or better alternative to Romney or any Republican.
I used to defend Santorum in the beginning from lots of hateful remarks coming from the left, then I stopped when he started to focus primarily on social issues. Now as of today, I can't even stand the man. The longer he stays in the race, the more people will turn on him. He lost me completely for sure, he needs to go home and sleep with his etch a sketch since he can't seem to part with it. Very pathetic and desperate!! What a shame!