■FACT: Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), who sponsored the measure, on the purpose of his amendment: “Basically what this amendment does is ensure that ex-felons, people who have fully served their sentences, have completed their probation, have completed their parole, should not be denied their right to vote.” (Sen. Harry Reid, Remarks on the Senate Floor, 2/14/02) Rick Santorum voted to increase the debt limit five times, adding $3 trillion to the national debt.
■FACT: Santorum voted to increase the debt ceiling in 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. Together, these five votes boosted the federal debt limit by nearly $3.5 trillion. (H.R. 2015, Roll Call Vote #209, 7/31/97; S. 2578, Roll Call Vote #148, 6/11/02; H. J. Res. 51, Roll Call Vote #202, 5/23/03; S. 2986, Roll Call Vote #213, 11/17/04; H. J. Res. 47, Roll Call Vote #54, 3/16/06; Mindy R. Leavit, “The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases,” Congressional Research Service, 9/9/11) Rick Santorum voted for billions in wasteful pork, including the “Bridge to Nowhere.”
■FACT: Club for Growth: “Santorum was a prolific supporter of earmarks, having requested billions of dollars for pork projects in Pennsylvania while he was in Congress.” (Club for Growth, 2012 Presidential White Paper #4, Rick Santorum)
■FACT: New York Times says Santorum’s earmark record shows he used his “prowess as a Washington insider.” “The announcements flowed out of Rick Santorum’s Senate office: a $3.5 million federal grant to Piasecki Aircraft to help it test a new helicopter propeller technology; another $3.5 million to JLG Industries to bolster its bid to build all-terrain forklifts for the military; $1.4 million to Medico Industries to upgrade equipment for its munitions work. … But an examination of Mr. Santorum’s earmark record sheds light on another aspect of his political personality, one that is at odds with the reformer image he has tried to convey on the trail: his prowess as a Washington insider. A review of some of his earmarks, viewed alongside his political donations, suggests that the river of federal money Mr. Santorum helped direct to Pennsylvania paid off handsomely in the form of campaign cash.” (Michael Luo and Mike McIntire, The New York Times, 1/15/12)
■FACT: Santorum voted for the 2005 highway bill, which included hundreds of earmarks, including the “Bridge to Nowhere.” (H.R. 3, Roll Call Vote #220, 7/29/05)
■FACT: Santorum voted for the Bridge to Nowhere again. Santorum “voted for the 2005 highway bill that included thousands of wasteful earmarks, including the Bridge to Nowhere. In fact, in a separate vote, Santorum had the audacity to vote to continue funding the Bridge to Nowhere rather than send the money to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.” (Club for Growth, 2012 Presidential White Paper #4, Rick Santorum)
■FACT: Santorum admitted he voted for bridge, and defended vote: “People say that I voted for ‘The Bridge to Nowhere.’ I did. I went with the federalist argument, which is, ‘Who am I in Pennsylvania to tell Alaska what their highway priorities should be?’” (William Petroski, Des Moines Register, 12/29/11)
■FACT: Rick Santorum: “I’m not saying necessarily earmarks are bad. I have had a lot of earmarks. In fact, I’m very proud of all the earmarks I’ve put in bills. I’ll defend earmarks.’” (Fox News’ “Hannity,” 2/26/09)
■FACT: To watch Rick Santorum’s defense of earmarks, click here. Rick Santorum is “the ultimate Washington insider.”
■FACT:“Then in 1990, he challenged the seven-term Democratic incumbent in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District and won. Santorum was 32 years old at the time.” (Jeff Brady, NPR, 11/21/11)
■FACT: “[T]he reality is that Santorum became the ultimate Washington insider.” (Manu Raju and John Bresnahan, Politico, 1/6/12)
FACT: psycho-freep cherrypicked a bunch of votes to make his his point and ignores the systematic analysis done by the National Taxpayers Union. Newt has plenty of examples of these kinds of votes in his portfolio also. Rick is not perfect, but has a better record overall.