Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
Troy Senik, Ed. ·
February 15, 2012 at 6:32pm
Earlier today, Mollie showcased Rick Santorum's new ad taking aim at Mitt Romney. Knowing the Romney campaign's history, is it any surprise that Restore our Future, the super PAC backing the former governor, is also out with a new ad hitting Santorum? Watch it below:
Alexander Burns at Politico reports that this is part of an ad buy of more than $500,000 in Michigan, $250,000 in Ohio, and an unspecified smaller amount (under $100,000) in Arizona.
What say the members? Who has put up the more effective ad in the first round of jockeying for the Wolverine State?
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Comments:
May '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
Here's the corresponding Romney site: http://romneyfacts.com/
Edited on February 15, 2012 at 6:45pmSep '11
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
That's the best they could come up with? That in all of his time in Congress, and twelve years in the Senate, he voted to raise the debt limit 5 times?
And somehow this is going to make me want to vote for the architect of RomneyCare/ObamaCare?
If that's all the nasty they could come up with, I think it makes Santorum look pretty good. I mean, it's not like he was the bishop of a church that claims to "re-baptize" Jewish victims of the Holocaust or anything crazy like that.
May '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
The attack is not very effective, in my opinion-- of course I'm biased, but I think most people realize a senator's votes can be distorted and taken out of context in many ways. For example, if some pork project is attached to a bill to fund the military, what choice does a senator have? About giving convicted felons to vote, they already hashed that one out in the debates.
Feb '11
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
As a classical liberal who as of last week said he would probably vote Obama before Santorum (meaning I would not vote) I was just starting to come around to put Santorum ahead of Obama (because of his excellent interviews this past Sunday); this ad pushes me back to not voting if Santorum is nominated - but it does not make me want to vote for Romney either.
Dec '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
Troy,
Why gee Troy this is looking more and more like GOOD v. EVIL.
The triangulating RINO with "ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY" (term comes from the phrase 'not for any amount of money!')
V.
Descent Guy who isn't perfect but listens to the people and loves his family and his wife (one is enough for him).
If the people of Michigan have any brains and integrity left, they know who to vote for.
Regards,
Jim
Jul '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
I'll give the first round to Rick, though I think this was an effective spot.
An interesting point about this ad: it didn't attack Rick for his Catholicism.
Apr '11
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
So it begins.
May '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
Right now in Michigan, Gingrich is Romney's best friend. He'll continue to split the votes of the people not satisfied with Romney. You won't hear a peep from Romney's camp about Gingrich, I bet.
Jul '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
I'm really tired of hearing about debt limit votes as a disqualifier for office. The debt limit is the nuclear option, the way to proceed is to soberly and systematically reduce federal spending to a sustainable level. Would I have voted to raise the debt ceiling? If I couldn't get an acceptible package of spending reductions in trade for my vote, probably not. But as a predictor, Obama's votes against raising the ceiling were such a fine indicator.Prudent governance demands we make the hard decisions in the course of the budget process. Campaign on restoring the budget process and retiring Steny Hoyer, et. al., not ten year old debt ceiling votes.
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
If Romney wins, his first act will be to ask Congress to raise the debt ceiling. Hell, if Ron Paul were to win, he would do the same. Short term, there is no choice. This advertisement is intended for the terminally ignorant.
May '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
Romney is coming apart.
Although I've advocated for not raising the debt limit, I do understand that is considered an extreme view, and I know most people won't agree with me. Furthermore, I don't knock my leaders for looking at the short-term consequences and thinking to themselves, there must be another way if we just keep fighting. I just happen to believe we need extreme medicine.
Feb '12
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
Then I recommend reading the Weekly Standard's latest defense of Santorum's fiscal conservatism. I think the article fails to concede that Santorum voted for Medicare part D, No Child Left Behind, and some other nasty Big Government bills that no conservative had any business supporting, but the article still makes a strong point. (Also, Santorum has said he was wrong to support No Child Left Behind and wants to repeal it. Sure would be nice if Mr. Romney said the same thing about some of his errors, wouldn't it?)
Feb '11
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
(sarcasm on) This ad is so compelling! Oooohhh -- Santorum was a US Senator! He voted with his party repeatedly! OMG -- that is so horrible! I can't believe it! (sarcasm off)
I am not (yet?) a Santorum convert -- in a way, I'd still rather vote "None of the above." However, I wonder how Mitt Romney would have voted if he'd been in the Senate... oh, that's right, he lost when he tried to get in... Tell me again why the Romney camp thinks he's so electable?
Jan '11
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
Is the issue about raising the debt ceiling or is it about negative ads? If it's about the later, I say let everyone bring it on! Whoever opposes Obama will have faced negative attack ads already, and he will be the stronger for it in the general election. Part of what we need to know about our nominee is how he can handle this kind of onslaught (i.e. Newt, not very well).
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
MT ~
This same thought crossed my mind. Does anyone really think the (imagined) Republican senator from Massachusetts would have played the role of a Jim DeMint or Tom Coburn during those years? Would Romney have been the lonely voice against raising the debt ceiling? Would he have been the one blowing the whistle on the Bush Administration's spending habits? Heck, would he have even done that if he was the junior senator from Utah?
Jul '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
Mama Toad:
I am not (yet?) a Santorum convert -- in a way, I'd still rather vote "None of the above." However, I wonder how Mitt Romney would have voted if he'd been in the Senate... oh, that's right, he lostwhen he tried to get in... Tell me again why the Romney camp thinks he's so electable? · 3 minutes ago
Because he's not running for President of MA against Teddy.
Here's Ted Kennedy's electoral history..
Mitt got creamed. He also got more votes than any other R Teddy faced, and he did it in a non-Presidential election year.
Any R who wanted to win would prefer to run against Bob Casey in PA over Ted Kennedy in MA.
May '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
William Kristol at the Weekly Standard pretty much takes this ad apart in his article, "Going After Rick." The Romney camp is grasping at straws with this attack.
Aug '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
I maintain that Santorum is cut from the same "progressive" cloth as George W Bush. I am unaware of any major Bush spending plan that Santorum voted against while he was in the senate.
This doesn't make Santorum any worse than most GOP senators during the Bush years but he sure isn't the Tea Party conservative saviour some are making him out to be.
If we're going to nominate a "progressive" why not at least nominate the one who isn't a career politican and can actually get elected, unlike the former senator from PA?
May '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
Frozen Chosen: I maintain that Santorum is cut from the same "progressive" cloth as George W Bush. I am unaware of any major Bush spending plan that Santorum voted against while he was in the senate.
...
If we're going to nominate a "progressive" why not at least nominate the one who isn't a career politican and can actually get elected, unlike the former senator from PA?
Wow. GW Bush a "progressive"? And we should still vote for Romney? I'd take Bush over Romney any day, for all his faults.
As I said, you're grasping at straws now.
Romney not a career politician? He's been in politics since 1992, at least, although not full time. That's because he lost. In 2006, he declined to run rather than lose-- if he had, he'd probably have lost even bigger than Santorum lost that same year. Whether you take Santorum's loss in 2006 as lack of the ability to read the tea leaves and quit, or a testament to the same perseverance that got him here today, is up to you.
Romney more electable? Hasn't that myth been trampled to a bloody pulp by now?
Edited on February 15, 2012 at 8:59pmAug '10
Re: Romney Begins Anti-Santorum Onslaught
Chris Deleon
Wow. GW Bush a "progressive"? And you want us to vote for Romney? I'd take Bush over Romney any day, for all his faults.
As I said, you're grasping at straws now.
Romney not a career politician? He's been in politics since 1992, at least, although not full time. That's because he lost. In 2006, he declined to run rather than lose-- if he had, he'd probably have lost even bigger than Santorum lost that same year.
Romney more electable? Hasn't that myth been trampled to a bloody pulp by now? · 1 minute ago
Chris,
Dr Rahe is the one calling GWB a progressive so take it up with him if you have a problem.
As far as Romney being a career politician, how old was Mitt when he first ran for office in 1994? That's right, 47 yrs old! That means he spent at least 25 years doing something other than politics.
Time to get some new talking points, brother.