[RetSignman]

I think folks should take a look at how sneaky, petulant and underhanded Santorum has been in the South Carolina and Florida debates.

I’ve highlighted two excepts from both debates from transcripts. I’ll supply the links to the transcripts at the end of my observations.

South Carolina: The question is: Who’s the best person to take on President Obama? I would make the argument that a conviction conservative who has a clear contrast with President Obama on the most important issues of the day is the best person — someone who has a clear contrast on health care, a clear contrast on global warming, a clear contrast on the Wall Street bailout — will talk about the one issue — [that huge issue in the last couple of years where government has come in and taken over, and both Newt and Governor Romney have supported that.huge issue in the last couple of years where government has come in and taken over, and both Newt and Governor Romney have supported that.]

(Keep in mind they didn’t have the option to rebut)

Florida: I’ll repeat the question for you. Why do you think you’re the best, most qualified person on this stage to beat President Obama?

SANTORUM: I agree with the previous two speakers that this is a big election. This is an election about fundamental freedom. It’s about who America is going to be.

Are we a country that’s going to be built great from the bottom up, as our founders intended, or from the top down?

I just think I’m a lot better than the previous two speakers to be able to make that case to the American people. I’m not for a top- down government-run health care system. I wasn’t for the Wall Street bailouts like these two gentlemen were.

Governor Romney talks about the private sector and how he’s going to bring private sector. When the private sector was in trouble, he voted for government to come in and take over the private sector and be able to — and to bail them out.

Cap-and-trade — both of them bought into the global warming hoax, bought into the cap-and-trade, top-down control of our energy and manufacturing sector.

If you look at President Obama’s speech the other night, what did he lead with? He lead with manufacturing. He led with manufacturing why? Because the base of his party, the ones that are always the ones — not the base — the swing vote in his party, the ones that Ronald Reagan was able to get — we call them Reagan Democrats up in Pennsylvania. Those are the blue-collar working people of America who know that this president has left them behind. He has a plan for them, and it’s more dependency, not work, not opportunity.

So he went out and tried to make a play for manufacturing. That’s been the center point of my campaign. The center point of my campaign is to be able to win the industrial heartland, get those Reagan Democrats back, talking about manufacturing, talking about building that ladder of success all the way down so people can climb all the way up.

That’s why I’m the best person to be able to go out and win the states that are necessary to win this presidency and govern with the mandate that Newt just talked about.

(Again he attacks Newt and Romney when they can’t respond)

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2012/01/south_carolina_gop_cnn_debate_.html

http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1201/26/se.04.html

Character matters.

[david1313]

This is not helpful. Rick is a fine young man, and yes, I am growing impatient with him. I have said some things in anger I wish I had not. But we need his voters to vote for Newt. I would prefer them to vote because they want to stop Romney, not because we used ‘negative’ techinque just like Romney against him. I hope they will please consider what a Romney nominee will mean, and vote for Newt. Thanks

[skeeter]

He's running for the nomination - what do you want him to do, tell the moderator the other guys would make a better choice?

Exactly what was the matter with what Santorum said?

[kosciusko51]

So Rick had the last word, and he used it to his advantage? That’s a crime and lack of character? This scorched earth policy being used against Santorum is not engendering any support for Newt from people like me who want to see Romney and Obama defeated.

[guinnessman]

That’s what happens when Gingrich and Romney go first.

If you have a beef with anyone, it should be the moderator, who picks the order in which questions are answered.

Paul’s answer came after Santorum, do you have a beef with Paul as well?

[RygelXVI]

Santorum's strong arguments are evidence that he is a compelling candidate for consideration. Thank you for highlighting these passages.

I'm not sure why you added the negative spin, though - I don't think FR is a site intended for attacking conservatives.

[GeronL]

People should just stay home I guess.

[GeronL]

I anyone ‘squeaky’ clean??

Is that really the argument? That is why we should vote for Newt because Santorum isn’t perfect?

lol

Are you kidding anyone but yourself with that line of reasoning?

[Finny]

Ping (if case you haven’t seen this thread yet)

[skr]

Which statement was incorrect?

[Republican Wildcat]

This has got to be the most absurd attack on Santorum - or any individual - I have seen on the matter of character. Is this meant to be sarcasm, I hope?

[Prokopton]

Character matters.

If character really mattered, Gingrich would have been buried months ago.

[BfloGuy]

This is pretty thin gruel as criticism of his character.