Posted on 03/17/2012 11:01:02 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
IN THE SUMMER OF 1989, Rick Santorum and a fellow associate at the Pittsburgh law firm of Kirkpatrick and Lockhart left work to drive to Three Rivers Stadium for the firm's annual softball game. Sitting behind the wheel, Santorum popped in a tape, and on came the reedy voice of a man lecturing as if to a classroom.
“Listen,” Santorum said. “Newt Gingrich.”
“Who the hell is Newt Gingrich?” the co-worker asked.
Santorum explained that Gingrich was a congressman from Georgia, and that he was the guy to listen to if you were considering a future in politics. “At the time,” says the co-worker, “I had no idea that was something Rick was interested in.” As it turned out, Santorum was already telling people he was running for Congress in the upcoming election. The tape was something he had ordered from GOPAC, Gingrich's political action committee, full of do-it-yourself campaign tips for aspiring candidates.
In recent years, of course, Gingrich's tutelage of Santorum has taken on a much more direct nature. Last September, Santorum, at 37 a Republican U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, managed the Senate floor debate as it passed its welfare bill, all the while working closely with Gingrich, now speaker of the House of Representatives and the country's most powerful Republican. Santorum, who prior to his election to the Senate last year served two terms in the House with Gingrich, is in fact known on Capitol Hill as Gingrich's protégé and his point man in the Senate. The two meet weekly for early-morning swims at the House gym.
Much of Santorum's record, thus far, has been a series of tantrums. More than a dozen times in his first few months in the Senate, Santorum took to the floor to trash Bill Clinton for not drafting a balanced-budget proposal...
(Excerpt) Read more at phillymag.com ...
Excert:
‘Santorum’..... would be a little pit bull to take us on on issues simply for the sake of slowing things down, ....’but he couldn’t keep his facts straight’..... It got to the point that...... ‘other Republicans’ would have their staff draft the issues for him’ so that at least he’d have some facts to work with.”
(* BTW we’ve clearly seen this frequently throughout the Primary as he “borrows” from other candidates and then stumbles around as he speaks the.)
The Republican overclass in Pennsylvania—the core group of which is moderate—tried to discourage Santorum from running for the Senate............... “We felt it was presumptuous on his part; he didn’t exactly have much of a record in the House,” ......says a powerful Republican who has worked for Heinz, Thornburgh and Governor Tom Ridge...... “But it was more than that....... Of course, there was his personality....he had rubbed a lot of us the wrong way, and in Congress he’s been a bull in a china shop....... In the end, the problem was that ‘nobody knows what Rick stands for’. .......He kept trying to tell us what a moderate he was,...... I think Rick stands for Rick.”
(Rick will do whatever it takes for the moment to enhance himself before those who are watching or can be helpful to him...that has not changed and he was known for that)
>> Either you are for pro life for conviction or not.
As a life long advocate of Life, I welcome the latent subscribers.
“This is unadulterated garbage, Rats poison taken from sources not quite dissimilar from MoveOn, Huff PO and other anti-Santorum sites funded by Romney and his hit teams.”
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23 posts, until someone posted the obvious...
What does this have to do with Romney. This is Rick Santorum.
rOMNEY HAS A LAW DEGREE, oBAMA AND BIDEN HAVE THEM. lAWYERS ARE A DIME ADOZEN, wHAT IS THE POINT.\
I’m not buying it.
This is EXACTLY how Romney operates.
This stinks of Romney. Wake up please. I’m all for Gingrich. Or Santorum.
But this is baloney.
Post #41 is an excert which those working with him also found they couldn’t get a fix on him. That’s because Rick goes with whatever wind will take him to the next position he wants and play the role it takes to do that.
Ya know Windflier, beng from Pa and knowing the mindset of the people he was raised around in Butler, I see so many similarites in the guy I see still today when speaking with the people from his home town here in Pa.
The people are very “rule” oriented. You stand in lines and you drive in lines, even when there’s ramps onto two lane’s and or three lanes .....they all stay in a single lane of traffic. It never occurs to them to move into the next lane and make way for a smooth flow of traffic.
And that’s how Rick is.....he’s not focused on this country by any means...and never was...it’s all about his next move up the ladder.....and he’s never done that under his own steam but had others “lifting” him up to the next rung.
And he’s only had one wife, too. What a loser.
Please, this is Bullshit! Rick Santorum is Pro life. He walks the walk and talks the talk. HE has a 100% prolife voting record over two decades in the house and senate.
Allot of things could be said about Santorum, being Pro Abortion is NOT one of them!
>> I have no idea why he’s running for president, and no idea what his central message is.
He seems to represent the frustrated “Conservative” voice in America. Big on attitude, low on substance — political drag-netting.
>> Please, this is Bullshit! Rick Santorum is Pro life.
Agreed.
No it’s not Cringing....I’m very glad to see people coming out finally and telling it like it is with Rick. I’m from Pa. and know how the guy operates....these folks are calling it right...I know Santorum supporters don’t want to hear this stuff...but it is as this article speaks of. And that’s just how Rick is.....so keep you’re eyes open because he is still doing the same things now.
We had heard people wouldn’t speak out in Pa. because they stand to get the gravy if Santorum can pull this off. Favors could be had as well. So I’m very pleased they spoke out at last!!!
I didn’t say a word about his position on abortion....however it’s from his own mouth, and other than this article, that he was not always against abortion.
Remember that he said the ONLY thing he didn’t have in common ‘with moderates’ was his opposing abortion...and that was later on when he ran for congrees he took that stand. He admitted this on a video.
I hear ya’.
Go Newt!
This is Romney probing for a weak spot. Even though Santorum may not be the best known candidate, he has a rock solid image of being a social conservative and boy scout. That makes it very difficult for Romney to attack. He spends millions trashing Santorum but it only gets him a win by the skin of his teeth.
That is completely the opposite situation with Newt. The millions he spent, combined with Newt’s baggage, took Newt down until he could be managed and Romney could count on a win whenever he spent the money. With Santorum it’s flip a coin. He could spend and spend and still not be sure of a win. So he has to attack people’s perception of him first. Romney tries to tear people down to make himself look better in comparison. He’s done that to Newt. He tried to do it to Ronald Reagan. It looks like he’ll keep trying with Santorum.
But there is a danger to doing that. People know that Romney spends and spends trashing people so they tend to discount it now. Plus, social conservatives have no love for Romney’s liberal past but he needs them to vote for him. If he is seen as trashing someone who is a known champion for social conservative causes, that, along with his anti-social conservative past, will keep him from ever having their vote.
I am awake, you can read my post above of my thoughts. This thing is going too far for Rick Santorum. People showing up at these caucuses with children and babies thinking that this man is some kind of purist. I am sorry, it’s worrisome to see good people getting pulled into his act of being pure. We don’t need another lawyer like the Clintons, the obamas..it’s not the kind of leader in which we need. He is not experienced enough. The religious right is going down a road with a not so good destination. Part of Newt’s base will not support him/he is getting cross over democrats/ those will go back in Obama’s camp-please understand that his base is not solid. If it were Newt would not be gaining more donors who are wanting him to stay in. Think about it, Newt’s supporters are fully committed to him even as the bias media ignores Newt.
Gingrich / Santorum is sibling rivalry.
Romney is causing this. Romney is the problem.
Why don't you back it up to the story-saying that he was pro choice until he entered politics. The concern to some of us is that he has portrayed himself as Always being pro life. So, no, it's not bull for us to have a concern..he's made this to seem he has always been pro life..
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