Posted on 01/13/2012 11:20:42 AM PST by VinL
With Newt Gingrich breaking out of the pack as the conservative alternative to front-runner Mitt Romney in South Carolina, he came under attack Friday from an old friend and colleague in Congress, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.
Santorum had largely avoided political attacks against Gingrich, whom he once considered a political mentor. But on Friday, the glove came off as Santorum took the former House speaker to task for being insufficiently conservative on climate change, free markets and health care.
"Conservative alternatives don't go out and attack the capitalist system as he has done. Conservative alternatives don't promote global warming, don't argue for individual mandates for the federal government on health care," Santorum told reporters before a town hall meeting in Rock Hill.
He also hit Gingrich on his tumultuous career in the House leadership, contrasting it with his own time in the leadership of the Senate.
"When I was in the leadership of the United States Senate, conservatives came to me to get things done in Washington. When Newt was in the leadership in the United States House as speaker, three years into his term, conservatives tried to throw him out," Santorum said. "If you're looking for the conservative alternative, look for the person who has a conservative record."
He added that Gingrich has never run a statewide race or demonstrated his ability to appeal to swing state voters.
His remarks make clear that Santorum increasingly sees Gingrich, rather than Texas Gov. Rick Perry, as the major obstacle in his path to become the conservative alternative to front-runner Romney in the state's upcoming primary on Jan. 21. The former Massachusetts governor is viewed by many conservatives as too moderate and too prone to flip flop on issues, like abortion rights and health care.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
It’s a food fight!
All Santorum is doing is helping Romney with this sort of attacks. It’s becoming clear Gingrich is the one with the best chance of beating Romney in SC.
Is Santorum even on the other ballots for another day?
He would be a great VP with Newt. If he can’t get the lead he should think about that. Rick Santorum frustrates me. As a Pennsylvanian I recall that he wasn’t all that much of a tiger campaigning, which was disappointing because otherwise he’s good. I’d like him to have the lead. To beat Romney, but...gahhhh, he needs some gusto.
This needs to be said over and over. Gingrich was kicked out of the Speaker's chair in 1999 not over ethics, but because he kept caving to Clinton over and over and helped Clinton run up what was then a post WW2 high federal spending level of 21% of GNP. Who's to say Gingrich won't once again fall under the thrall of big government spending as president, like W. Bush did, with his Medicare drug plan, etc. We've been down this road before with Newt and he lost the Speaker's chair in a conservative rebellion. And now here goes Gingrich again trying to out OWS the OWS on venture capitalism. Give us a break. Santorum is the true conservative between Gingrich and Santorum. GO RICK!
You don't see this as some serious baggage for a candidate in the GOP Primary? Newt has done nothing to explain these issues away other than to laugh off his Pelosi pic as stupid. I have yet to hear if Newt is still a Global Warming guy or not. As a matter of fact, he is releasing another Al Gore style , like the Contract with the Earth, in 2013 that has chapters written by radical environmentalists. Is he or isn't he an enviroweenie?
It's obvious what's really going on here, then.
“Conservative alternatives don’t go out and attack the capitalist system as he has done.”
Hey Rick, sounds like you are feeling the Bane.
People like you deserve a nominee named Romney and a President named Obama. What a load of nonsense.
EVERY candidate has hit Newt on your "facts", right? /s
Don’t know how to help you if you don’t listen to the news. Newt has done well to acquit himself on all you charges. But saying them over and over again is not very helpful. If you don’t buy into his explanations that is fine, but you need to stop saying he has not addressed your issues. He has.
The facts are nonsense? Sorry if history is so absurd to you. And why the assumption that Gingrich is the one best able to prevent a Romney nomination? So far, Santorum’s the one who’s gotten closest to beating Romney in a nominating election. Gingrich keeps coming in 4th.
Santorum has to seperate himself from Newt. If he wants a real chance at being the nom,anyhow. its the same say way Palin should have seperated herself from McCain about 2 or 3 years ago.
Santorum just did hit Gingrich on the facts of his ouster as Speaker as shown in the article. It’s been mentioned a few times in the debates too. But it should be front and center in displaying the unfitness of Gingrich’s claim to be the true conservative in this race. Santorum has a much better conservative record than Gingrich—and isn’t playing the role of the OWS candidate in the GOP field by attacking capitalism.
No, every one of these idiots is giving fodder to 0bama for his re-election campaign.
As someone said on TV last night, David Axelrod is just drooling over everything “our side” is doing.
0bama’s re-election is looking more and more certain. And he can keep his $1 billion and use it to help re-elect other pathetics dems; he certainly won’t need it to smear our candidates as our people have done so already.
Who’s to say Gingrich won’t once again fall under the thrall of big government spending as president,
*************
Perhaps the fact that there is NOT ONE Establishment Big Government insider who is supporting Newt- in fact, the entire Establsihment is against him. Respectfully, doesn’t that suggest anything to you?
Who voted to increase taxes by $2.3 billion to pay for an Amtrak trust fund? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted against repealing the Clinton 4.3 cent gas tax increase? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted to strike marriage penalty tax relief and instead provide fines on tobacco companies? Big Gov’t Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted to allow gas tax revenues to be used to subsidize Amtrak? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted twice for internet taxes? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted twice for internet taxes? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted against a flat tax? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted against hiring additional 1,000 border partrol agents, paid 4 by reductions in state grants? Big Gov’t Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted to give welfare benefits to naturalized citizens without regard to to the earnings of their sponsors?
Who voted to allow illegal immigrants to receive earned income credit before becoming citizens? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted against increasing the number of immigration investigators? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted to mandate discounted broadcast times for politicians? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted to impose a Federal mandate on states to force them to allow convicted felons to vote? Big Gov’t Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted for Federal funding for anti-gun education programs in schools? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted twice to make it illegal to sell a gun without a secure storage or safety device? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted against creating independent Board of Governors to investigate IRS abuses? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted to require a union representative on an IRS oversight board? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted for minimum wage increases SIX TIMES? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted for Sonia Sotomayor, Circuit Judge? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted to give $25 million in foreign aid to North Korea? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted to require that Federal bureaucrats get the same percentage in payraises as uniformed military? Big Gov’t Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted against increasing defense spending offset by equivalent cuts in non-defense spending? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted to allow the sale of supercomputers to China? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
Who voted for the START II Treaty? Big Government Conservative Rick Santorum.
The few people endorsing Newt predicts what kind of president he’d be? Maybe they’re just as snowed by this phony as you are. Once again-—1999, Gingrich loses the Speaker’s chair in a CONSERVATIVE REBELLION for caving to Clinton spending priorities. THAT speaks to me much more about what Gingrich will be then a few worthless endorsements by people looking for a job.
You are dead on. Romney wins SC and it’s all over.
Santorum needs to think marathon, not sprint. He is still of the mindset that you go all-in in one state and pray for a bump. Because Romney is one state away from effectively sealing the nomination, Rick needs to change his mindset.
He needs to understand that it is infinitelty more important strategically to have the front-runner lose.
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