Posted on 03/26/2012 4:05:29 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Rick Santorum has shown he is a tireless campaigner and is the number one choice of evangelical voters. Now the former Pennsylvania senator is saying he is open to the idea of filling the nation's number two slot if his fellow GOP front-runner secures the party's nomination. In a Monday interview with CBN's David Brody, when Santorum was asked if he would consider running alongside Mitt Romney as the vice presidential nominee, he gave an affirmative reply.
"Of course," Santorum told Brody. "I mean, look. I would do in this race as I always say, this is the most important race in our country's history. I'm going to do everything I can."
"I've been working every single day," he added. "My wife and my kids, we're just battling our tail, because we know their future and all of our children's future is at stake in this election and I don't want to be the guy who has to sit with my granddaughter, 20 years from now, and tell stories about an America where people once were free. I don't want to have that conversation."
Brody pressed Santorum a little further, asking, "So you're keeping your options open?"
"I'll do whatever is necessary to help our country," responded Santorum.
But in spite or what may or may not happen between now and August, Santorum and Romney are still making their case why one is more qualified than the other to take on President Obama in November. Santorum won Louisiana's primary, while Romney claimed the Illinois primary earlier last week.
Romney still commands a significant delegate lead with 565 delegates, compared with Santorum's 256. The remaining Republican candidates, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, have 141 and 66 delegates, respectively.
Notwithstanding the actual delegate numbers, the Santorum campaign is not showing signs of slowing down in the least. Appearing on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Santorum try to make the case that some of the delegate math was not correct.
"I don't agree with the delegate math that the Romney campaign's putting out there," Santorum said.
However, the next two months will most likely produce a clearer picture, and from the looks of things, Romney will still retain a significant advantage. The upcoming April primaries in the Northeast should favor Romney and Santorum will most likely fare better when the contest turn toward states more favorable to social conservatives such as North Carolina where a marriage amendment is on the ballot.
The former Pennsylvania senator came after Romney on Sunday in a campaign appearance in Wisconsin, calling the former Massachusetts governor the "worst Republican in the country" to take on Obama over Obamacare. Santorum's heated exchange with a New York Times reporter caused him to use profane language. He yelled, "It's bulls**t," saying the paper was distorting his words.
The next round of primaries is scheduled for Tuesday, April 2, when Wisconsin, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., voters go to the polls.
I can’t vote for a Romney/Santorum ticket, because the top of the ticket is still pro sodomy as marriage, pro abortion, pro socialized medicine.
I’ll vote third party, possibly consitution party, unless Santorum eaks out a win.
If you go back to what this is quoting, Romney’s name was not in the question. Otherwise, this is like Newt’s comments that he is in this only for the rush of being the center of attention wherever he goes.
I doubt very much that Biden is ready to retire.
“Rick Santorum has shown he is a tireless campaigner and is the number one choice of evangelical voters. Now the former Pennsylvania senator is saying he is open to the idea of filling the nation’s number two slot if his fellow GOP front-runner secures the party’s nomination.”
“In a Monday interview with CBN’s David Brody, when Santorum was asked if he would consider running alongside Mitt Romney as the vice presidential nominee, he gave an affirmative reply.”
The quotes above are taken from the article — the first two paragrapsh.
So...what’s yer beef?
He’ll keep the rubes in line. That’s how he’d sell himself as VP. Vote for us, rubes.
If you go back to the origninal interview, of which multiple variations have been posted today, Romney’s name was not in the question.
You mean, The Christian Post lied?!
Be reasonable. Who else do you think the reporter meant? Ron Paul? Newt Gingrich?
Mitt Romney has the most delegates at this point in time and I suspect the RNC will coronate him if they have to just to keep us gun+bible clingers at bay!
Seems to me that a person who was seriously in the race to win it wouldn’t even entertain a question about ‘second place’...
Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser....
Romney is a democrat wolf in republican sheepskin.
The core group of anti-Santorum naysayers will keep repeating it until they find something else to jump on.
I'm still hoping Rick gets the nomination but if Mitt gets it and Santorum can help him stop the Marxist—we gotta think about the country.
I would hope Rick is thinking more in terms of a Gingrich/Santorum ticket.
Well, he didn’t say he’d be Romney’s VP.
He said that he’d be willing to serve as VP if that’s what he’s called on to do, for the sake of his country.
Obviously Romney would never consider asking him, after everything Santorum has said about him. So far, Santorum has been causing Romney more trouble than anyone else.
Would you consider the video of the interview from the Brody File on their website as being accurate? If so then the only thing in question is who is the "HE" that Brody is asking about when the question is put to Santorum.
Click the following link for the Video and listen to the question and answer and read the transcript as provide by the Brody File.
Rick Santorum: Of course. I mean, look. I would do in this race as I always say, this is the most important race in our country's history. I'm going to do everything I can. I'm doing everything I can. I'm out there. In the last 10 months, I've had five days off. Two for Thanksgiving, and three for Christmas.
I've been working every single day. My wife and my kids, we're just busting our tail, because we know their future and all of our children's future is at stake in this election. And I don't want to be the guy who has to sit with my granddaughter, 20 years from now, and tell stories about an America where people once were free. I don’t want to have that conversation.
Brody: So, you're keeping your options open.
Santorum: I'll do whatever is necessary to help our country.
P.S. If Romney is at the top of the ticket, I don’t care who his running mate is. I’m NOT voting for him.
The only hope left would be that conservatives can agree on a single write-in candidate.
No Obama. No Romney.
I could see voting for a Gingrich/Santorum ticket against Obama/Biden in November. It would be a superior alternative to a Romney/Anybody, to voting 3rd party, or abstaining.
Exactly. You beat me to the post.
The anti-Santorum bashers get tripped up in their own mesh. The moment it is revealed that Gingrich has said or done the same thing they run with their tails between their hind legs. Indeed, I cannot think of any of the GOP contenders including Sarah Palin who would not accept the VP post for any of the candidates. This is a non-story. Go on. Nothing to read here.
Is Governor Sarah Palin running for the Republican nomination? Was she in 2008 when she was picked by Senator McCain? [crickets]
He would be a VP to someone he describes as a “liar”, as someone you might not want to “risk” over Obama? Someone he says has betrayed the conservative cause and negated Santorum’s earlier endorsement of Romney in 2008?
Why is Santorum saying these things now? Why is he even answering in this way?
He should have said I am in this fight to the end and will worry about those considerations when the time comes. He sounds now, for all the world, like he is preparing to lose when he entertains such a question in this way.
I have supported Santorum but am hugely disappointed in this response.
Make up after you lose...don’t start making up while you’re still in the fight for Pete’s sake!
Now, if Romney wins, I too will support him, but only because he is the last choice against Obama. I did not believe and did not make a statement like Santorum did that we might not want to “risk” Romney against Obama. That was also a mistake by Santorum.
Of course Romney would be a better choice than Obama...by orders of magnitude.
But do not go down that path until you have to...Santorum sounds like a politician with this answer, hedging his bets.
“Why is Santorum saying these things now? Why is he even answering in this way”
Because he doesn’t have the numbers. Better VP than nothing.
Except for a miracle I am hoping for a brokered convention at this point.
Santorum has always sounded like a politician, as far as I’m concerned.
A Romney nominee picking a Santorum for vp would make the Romney ticket look worse, not better.
A candidate like Romney would have to pick someone with qualities opposite his own—Santorum is too similar to Romney.
“Santorum sounds like a politician with this answer, hedging his bets.”
Well Hellooooo...Santorum has been a politician most his working life. Never worked in any main street private business which survives by making a profit in the dog eat dog competitive real world.
Why do we have to keep with the fantasy that Romney’s positions are the exact opposite of his positions?
He simply is not pro abortion, gay marriage, or obamacare.
The chance that he would support Obamacare after making its repeal a centerpiece of his campaign, is nil.
Whatever happened to that little thing called 'verify'...
...we use to hold that idea strongly here.
Except that he set up the template for Obamacare, before he was against it.
However, I seriously doubt Romney will ask him to be his VP and I know Santorum won't be president either
What’s he supposed to say, “No, if I can’t be at the top of the ticket, I’ll take my ball and go home.”?
Can you imagine the outcry here if he refused to help out the Republican nominee, whomever that would be?
Rick will need a job..... sure he’ll take the veep position.
anyone but Obama
At least Newt was Campaigning to Change this country not Mittens Side kick.
Romney/Santorum.
Bleh.
Santorum supporters are delusional. Don’t they get tired of clarifying, justifying and explaining what their guy has said? Let me intrepret what Rick said, “ I’ll take one for my team, if you let me play on your team”. You supporters ARE HIS TEAM and he is panning on taking you with him in the deal. THIS is all because of one issue voters and by golly, they have screwed it up again.
Romney is hardly ideal, but no matter how bad he is, he can’t be as bad as Obama. Heck, I’d vote for literally ANYONE that could beat Obama.... including a democrat which Romney mostly is. Obama even makes Hillary Clinton not look so bad.
Exactly,
VP to someone he describes as a “liar”, Or VP to someone that was “Well if its Mittens we might as well stay with what we got”.
Looks like we are Stuck with Romeny Care or Obama Care
I think this is what you call taking one for the team.
Way to go Santorum. /S
Hey I can’t vote for Mitt!!!!!
Sorry this was for 2nd Division Vet..
Wonder what he has been smoking?
Sorry that post was for 2nd Division Vet..
Alan Keyes is looking better and better
Sorry I did not make myself clear. I meant any of the Republican contenders this time around including those who have since withdrawn and, even Gov. Palin would accept an offer from whoever is the nominee. And now we have confirmation that Gingrich too would accept a VP slot if offered.
But Newt never openly ran around the country claiming that Romney and Obama were the same. Newt has always said he would endorse whoever the nominee was. Newt has always said he would campaign for whoever won the nomination. Santorum, on the other hand is now speaking out of both sides of the mouth. Basically, he lied to you for your vote and now he's giving your vote to Romney.
Santorum is now saying that he's willing to be the VP of the Godfather of Obamacare which makes his "runningmate" uniquely UNQUALIFIED to run against Obama.
But then again, to many of us. No surprise. He endorsed Romney as "The Real Conservative" back in '08.
I never trusted the man. I never even considered for a second voting for Santorum in the primaries for that reason.
2ndDivisionVet, is no "Romneybot. I do not think his post was meant to praise Santorum for his desire to share the ticket with the man he claims is the worst man to run against Obama. To Santorum it's politics.
Let’s put this all into perspective. Here’s what Santorum has said more than once (in fact many times)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu50Hb61jVQ
Hey looky here:
Gingrich: Sure, I’d be Romney’s VP
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2864194/posts
Don’t look now:
Newt Gingrich said today he would be willing to be second on a Mitt Romney ticket.
“No, I wouldn’t say no,” Gingrich said on Fox News Channel’s Your World with Neil Cavuto about what he would do if he was asked to become Romney’s vice president. “I can’t imagine him offering.”
Did Speaker Gingrich also say that Romney was the worst candidate to go against Obama, like Senator Santorum did? If so, share that with us.
Good lord. The twist and spin and justification-gymnastics between the two Not-Romney camps can get amazing sometimes.
>> Santorum Open to VP Slot, Says He’ll Do ‘Whatever Necessary’ to Help Country
Not sure how the two are related.
Doh, I must be taking the infallible one out of context again. My bad.
>> Hey looky here:
>> Gingrich: Sure, I’d be Romney’s VP
A Santorum supporter deferring to Newt for moral validation. Interesting.
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