Posted on 02/16/2012 8:10:10 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Mitt Romney's campaign and his super-PAC have begun ramping up their ad buys in Michigan to hit Rick Santorum where they believe he is weak -- by painting him as an unreliable conservative, a big spender, and too much of a social conservative to win. They need to undermine his credibility in a hurry if they want to reverse his momentum and bring Santorum back down to the second tier. Santorum will have to find a way to defend himself while getting outspent, a task that Newt Gingrich couldn’t manage, and maintain his credibility as a national candidate.
In that, Santorum got some help yesterday from … Mitt Romney?
Mitt Romney, whose campaign is preparing a multi-million dollar wave of negative advertising to persuade voters that Rick Santorum should not be president, says he is open to the possibility of choosing Santorum to be his running mate should Romney win the Republican nomination.
Romney appeared on Fox News Wednesday morning and was asked, “You and Rick Santorum, we haven’t seen you go head-to-head yet…In the big picture, could you see a scenario where you two team up?”
“Oh, I think it’s always possible to have people come together in our party, whether it’s Rick and I, or others in the party, who knows?” Romney responded. “It’s a little early to tell something like that, but we have similar views on issues — very different backgrounds.”
Romney’s “very different backgrounds” description of Santorum points to an argument Romney plans to use through the February 28 primaries in Michigan and Arizona and on through Super Tuesday on March 6. Santorum has no executive experience — “hasn’t run anything,” Romney will say — and is not qualified to be president. Romney, on the other hand, has run private businesses, the 2002 Olympics, and the state government in Massachusetts during his one term as governor.
Well, here’s the problem with that argument when made at the same time as suggesting the opponent as a valid running mate. The position of VP/running mate exists for the sole explicit reason of replacing a President in a hurry, should the President die or become unable to carry out his/her duties while in office. (Even the one official duty of the VP, President of the Senate, puts the VP in position to act as the President’s proxy.) If the “different backgrounds” issue is a disqualifier for the top of the ticket, it’s a disqualifier for the bottom of the ticket as well.
In that very real sense, Romney has essentially stepped on his own message. At the same time he’s painting Santorum as unqualified for the Presidency, he’s trying to have it both ways and play to Santorum’s growing voter base by praising him in public by teasing out the possibility of a Romney/Santorum ticket. Romney sees the need to do this because of Santorum’s high favorability ratings, whereas with Newt Gingrich he could just goad the former Speaker into a public fight and drive up his negatives even further. However, this suggestion undermines the message Romney is using in Michigan, and it’s not a good moment for him to do that, considering his polling status in his native state.
Would Romney really consider Santorum for the bottom of the ticket? Possibly, but it wouldn’t make much sense for either man to have the other at the bottom of the ticket. Romney wouldn’t accept it anyway, although Santorum might, but there are other options for both. Santorum won’t gain anything by putting a Northeastern Republican on the bottom of the ticket (unless it were Chris Christie, perhaps); both would do better by picking a Tea Party favorite. Bobby Jindal is probably the best choice for either, although Susana Martinez or Nikki Haley could work.
Lying POS Romney.
Lying POS Romney.
That's a winning strategy...try to convince people you are lesser of two evils.
Why not Palin for veep?
FAIL- desperate!
I read several FR threads stating that Willard had already wanted Christie Kreme as his running mate.
In stead of using lots of words to say the following, I am cutting to the chase: Romney is scum.
Mitt Romney...says he is open to the possibility of choosing Santorum to be his running mate
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BULLS**T!!! Lying scumbag. I’m telling you, I’m not a Mormon but I always perceived them as morally sound and honorable people. Mitt Romney has destroyed that perception. I can’t stand him. I will seriously consider a Third Party candidate if he is the nominee; possibly whomever comes out of the online nominating convention called Americans Elect.
He’s just trying to stir trouble now.
Mitt Romney’s problem is ...
everyone thinks he is lying.
Liberals and Moderates think he is one of them, and thus support him and just think he is lying when he goes around calling himself a conservative.
Conservatives think he is a liberal or a moderate at best, and thus this he is lying when he goes around calling himself a conservative.
We have finally found something that Liberals, Moderates, and Conservatives all agree on! Mitt Romney is a liar!
Mitt, translated: "Unlike ME, Rick is unwilling to support gay marriage, and he kind of hates killing babies."
Notice that Mitt uses left-wing duckspeak to describe Rick's crime--social conservatism. Like "a woman's right to choose," the term is deliberately vague. Because most voters dislike gay marriage and baby killing, but the MSM has been working on them for years to suggest that "social conservatism" is some sort of extremist hate crime.
At the same time, of course, he tries to tar Rick with more knowledgeable conservative voters by claiming that he's like him as his VP.
Mitt translated: "Down, Rick. Get in your proper place, at My Royal Feet."
okay, I have marked your words as showing you have too little understanding of the constitution to understand the eligibility requirements.
Mark Levin I can easily understand endoring Romney because he did it at the very last minute, and very reluctantly -- he made it plain that the only reason he was endorsing Romney was because he wanted McCain to lose. But for a supposed "conservative" like Santorum to have embraced Romney so willingly that early in the game? Thompson had dropped out about a week before, but Huckabee was still in.
SANTORUM SUPPORTERS!! Please see the handwriting on the wall here - Romney and Santorum are in many ways fellow travelers in big government! Santorum voted to raise the national minimum wage SIX TIMES. He fought against efforts in Congress to cut the food stamp programs. He happily voted to use OUR tax dollars to increase funding for HeadStart. NO WHERE on his campaign website does he say that individual and employer mandates won't play a part in his vision for health care reform. Newt, on the other hand, makes it a point to pledge that mandates of any kind, whether for employers or regular Joe Americans, are OFF THE TABLE.
Santorum is mostly a social conservative who likes big government as long as it's his kind of big government. HIS RECORD DEMONSTRATES THAT TRUTH.
Newt Gingrich has on his website a detailed plan -- much more detailed than Santorum's, and I've compared the two -- as to HOW he's going to cut goverment and return individual freedoms to Americans. As far as I know, Gingrich has NEVER supported Romney, let alone as passionately as Santorum did in Feb. of '08 and again three years ago with Laura Ingraham.
Santorum supporters, please READ Newt Gingrich's campaign website and READ THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL with regard to Romney and Santorum.
GODSPEED NEWT GINGRICH.
Birthers will and have attacked Jindal, Rubio and several other candidates including Mitt although few have been willing to also attack Santorum on similar parental grounds (dad born in Italy, eventually naturalized) as Romney (dad born in Mexico but only ever U.S. citizen).
Having chosen to endorse Romney after he so generously donated to her campaign, Haley is seen as a Tea Party sellout and backstabber and is not particularly popular right now.
Martinez just assumed the governorship in 2011 and has 2/3rd approval. Does that remind anyone of another popular female governor offered a running mate spot? If she's smart, she'll learn from history, pass on any offer and complete her first term.
not yet! not another promising female governor who has yet to serve a full term... don't ruin her... let her bake a while longer...
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