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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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If by some long shot Willard gets elected, every time there is even a minor earthquake his positions on all of the issues will be reset.
I have no love for either the democrat or the republican political parties - I vote for the PERSON who I think I can trust to keep the nation's best interest in mind. But it seems that all the republican candidates are religious whackos, and none of them have convinced me that they are the person I would want in the white house. Yes, I have had issues with many of Obamas decisions, and he has not been as strong of a leader as I had hoped he would be - but overall he has made a positive impact over the past four years. He is far better than either Bush Sr. or Bush Jr. and definitely a much better choice than any of the current republican front runners.
I am with you. I am an Independent. The two party system reminds me of high school kids....rah, rah, our team is best, and we don't know why, and we don't even care....rah, rah...but you are losers and we are winners .... rah, rah....and we are right and you are wrong....and to hell with the truth or facts .....rah, rah...because all we really care about is WE WIN!!!! WOOHOO....and if the USA goes to hell in a handbasket we do not actually care because we can always blame the other guy....rah, rah....
If you vote a straight party line ticket you are an idiot. If you vote for someone because they are your party, or your race, or your religion even then you are the same kind of idiot that will NOT vote for someone because of their party, or race, or religion.
Discover the facts and vote for the person and what you can know about them and not what the media wants to make you think. The media is so corrupt now that you cannot trust them either.
The only truthful thing that Santorum has said all campaign.
Tricky Rick would rather have Obama than Romney?
Which merely goes to show once again we live in a one party system and you can't trust any of them to do anything except what their Corporate Masters tell them to do!
At what point is enough enough and we throw all these Bums out?
Santorum is a religious fanatic and nut. Being a Christian does NOT mean imposing your or even Christ's values down other people's throats. Neither does being a Christian mean I am to allow you to do that to me.
Santorum tries to make "religious" points by saying he will ban pornography. I already have banned pornography from my life, and banning pornography is NOT WHAT GOVERNMENT is for. I do not PAY a mechanic nor a politician to tell me what my morals should be. Fix my car, or protect the borders, but leave my social life alone. I have my pastors, local community and state to help me with personal or local problems.
Santorum disgusts me now. Santorum, like Obama, has never had a job in the real world and has lived off the government teet his entire life, and raised 7 welfare kids while doing so. Yeah, welfare kids because Santorum does not know what it is to actually have to WORK for an income.
Romney, is not perfect, but who is? Romney is not a Christian in my opinion, but I am not looking for a mechanic based on his religious beliefs either. Romney KJNOWS how the economy needs to work, and whether or not he can get things back to where government is out of the way instead or being in the way is still not known. But if anyone can turn this economy BACK into a free market style where innovation and opportunity and effort are rewarded instead of maligned I believe it is Romney.
Yeah, I like Ron Paul the best, but his foreign policy ideas are too risky.
Being a Constitutional Law Professor isn't a 'real job'?
Someone,
As an Obama supporter (mostly) I do like Ron Paul. The only major problem with his ideas is that we would all have to start from scratch and on equal footing and that's just never going to happen. There has been too much exploitation and cheating to get to the top.
Paul should have ran for a state or local office first and put his ideas into action there by going from bottom to top rather than the other way around. He's just too radical.
if you are a obama supporter you much be rich. you must be able to afford high gas prices and high health insurance costs
No stop. I just want fairness most of all.
Mitt's (Willard's) changing tunes
Mitt likes government bailouts but doesn't. He praised Bush and Hank Paulson for their efforts but told Detroit to go bankrupt because he hated bailouts.
Santorum is done. When he was losing his bid for re-election in the senate, he became more and more shrill and unfocused. Same thing is happening here. Failing to understand that even a warm turd would be more qualified to be president than Obama shows he, like Obama, is incapable of doing the job.
You are so right. Somebody speaking their mind is anathema to our American values right? Perhaps you would be more comfortable in a country where people can't speak their mind?
Oh boy, all the ammo these clowns are giving to Obama. I can see the first debate now, Mitt talking about something, Obama hands him a Etch a Sketch, and says, "you might need this." That act alone would win Obama his second term.
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Whether or not republicans like Romney or Santorum one thing is for certain they like either one more than obuma. Santorum just slit his wrists for making that statement. Who would vote for that guy knowing he's a turncoat to his political party if he loses the nomination?
Oh I see, somebody that speaks their mind is a turncoat? You do realize we live in America where you can speak your mind?
If he prefers obuma over a republican nominee then he is a turncoat to his party. What if hillary clinton did the same thing after the 2008 primary? She would be the same thing just the democratic version. Well "speaking his mind" just cost him any chance of winning the nomination. Do think that statement will earn him republicans votes? If you do you're delusional.
This is the first thing Santorum has said that I agree with! Of course, we would be even worse off than the other two with a Santorum in the office.
At last a GOP candidate helped the economy- Etch-a-Sketch announed it's sales increased 1500% yesterday LOL
Smartest thing any republican has said in months....
Got to love how the left gloms on to this instead of listening to the outright lies Obama is telling like denying he had anything to do with Solyndra. Funny how people can be so easily manipulated by the propaganda that tells them what they want to hear.
Funny how Willard's own advisor started this right?
You mean like the WMD lie that has cost this country billions of dollars not to mention how many lives have been lost?
Swish, swish, swish. Oh, look, the GOP just erased itself. Maybe they can start over?
I honestly don't think Mitt Romney even wants to be President. He grew up a millionair with every thing available to him. He never had to work hard. Never went hungry. Never did without anything. He had the best schools, the best clothes lived in the best places, drove the best cars vacationed all over the world. He has lived one of those lives like few people know. He has always been a millionair. He raised his children in millionair mansions and they have never known want. They spend all the time in the world together because none of them ever have to go to work. Would you give up all that, that kind of family time and life of leisure to be a working stiff President. I wouldn't. I don't think Mitt really wants to its just so many people are telling him he is deserving of this job because (he is so rich).
You are wrong. Mitt NEVER grew up! He just left childhood, with a silver spoon.
And you are jealous, envious, covetous trailer park offspring that is full of greed and hate for anyone else that actually had anything.
Romney EARNED what he has because he GAVE AWAY all the money he inherited and that is FACT. Try learning some facts before spouting off your own idiotic opinions.
hahaha ya right! He gave away all the money he inherited? hahahaha You must be really gullible! hahahah
Sanitarium is seeing the light, finally. He knows he's a bad choice and knows Mitt, the Moron, is worse!
To: Thermen Merman
If by some long shot Willard gets elected, every time there is even a minor earthquake his positions on all of the issues will be reset
I've been reading your posts for some time now and you are a funny person as well as highly intelligent and perceptive. Mittens is the second largest joke second only to Sanitorium.Keep those good posts coming!
Ricky, you just blew your chance for being selected as Mitt's running mate.
Goodbye Rick!!!!
yea the only people who end up in poverty , hopeless forever. Are those who become dependant on the federal government, that fall into the left wing poverty trap
Do you really think all of the poor southern white trash are liberals? LOL
dont make it so obvious, that the extreme left are the hard core racists
I am here to tell you that there are VERY few liberals in the south, and yes MOST people in the south are poor....
that's a pretty foolish statement. santorum is not going to be the nominee, so he's basically telling his supporters to stay home on election day. that's not going to help the gop win back the white house. selfish.
Thank God. The last thing we need is to go back to the failed policies that wrecked the economy.
I suspect that you are as drunk as Matt Bush. Only someone that deluded would support Willard.
what in my statement made you believe that i was a mitt supporter? i vote obama, but thanks for the pre-emptive attack. you sound quite pleasant.
no one possibly could be worse than berry...even jimmy carter could beat berry
You would really think all of the junior-high name calling would get old even for you after awhile. Unless of course you are in junior high, and still think making up funny names for people is clever.
after that scam with the pipes yesterday, would pinberryo be better?
While I agree there is not much difference between Obama and Romney there is one important one. Obama is the biggest hypocrite lying cry baby and inept president in the history of the USA.
their is a big gap between obama and romney the media & romney's oponents are slanting it that way to their benefit. once he is announced the winner all the good will come out and the republican party will make him look like a real strong candidate.
Wow!!! Talk about a flip flop. Now Santorum is supporting the Democrats!!!!! Show us your true colors.
Loving this!!!!!!!!!
no thats only the super poor and the super rich, generally speaking
The super rich have always been predominately Republicans. That's why they are so against taxing themselves.
really? you better check your precious polls, or the red state blue state map...
Just twist and turn!!
At the debates all Obama has to do is hold his hands like he has an etch-a-sketch and twist. Smile too.
lol. Obama 2012
wow rob99you must be one of those evil rich people like romney apparently you can afford high gas prices and rising health costs