Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
Diane Ellis ·
March 23, 2012 at 3:32am
Oh my. This is one way to turn the gift to the Santorum campaign that was Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom's Etch-A-Sketch blunder into a serious liability.
The way this is going to play? All you need to do is take a look at the headlines:
FOX Nation—Santorum: Obama Preferable to Romney
Los Angeles Times—Santorum suggests Obama preferable to "Etch-a-Sketch" Romney
- Comment (90)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (4)
Comments:
Jun '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
Stuart Creque
Funny that Santorum's words are seen as some kind of gaffe... Goldwater said the exact same thing in 1964 when he said the Republican Party should offer Americans "a choice, not an echo."
Against Obama, I'd vote for Michael Bloomberg. THAT'S how dangerous I think Obama is. So, goes without saying that I'd enthusiastically vote for Romney over Obama. Lame Duck Obama is a frightening thought. I need to put that out of my mind quickly, or I'll be too scared to go to sleep.
Feb '11
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
[edited for Code of Conduct]
Edited on March 23, 2012 at 1:53pmOct '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
Personally, I don’t believe this will accrue to Rick Santorum’s benefit. Given that Eric Fehrnstrom’s comment is a major political blunder, which Republican voters does Santorum think this will appeal to? By now, most Romney supporters have come to terms with any concerns they had with Romney’s “flip-flops”. Outside of Ron Paul’s fervent core, aren’t most anti-Romney voters already in the Gingrich or Santorum camps? In Rasmussen’s latest Louisiana poll only 6% are undecided (5%) or prefer someone other than those four (1%). It also makes Santorum look foolish for his full throated endorsement of Romney during the 2008 Republican nomination process. I have a hard believing that a President Romney would govern like President Obama has.
Nov '11
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
Mendel: To judge by the comments on Ricochet, Santorum shares his preference for Obama with a good portion of the Republican base.
How else to explain all the hardcores who would rather stay at home in November than vote for Romney? · 45 minutes ago
So are y'all sayin' if Rick wants to get himself elected he better stop cribbing off my Ricochet comments?
I swear I do think, and I say it right out, that a Romney presidency would be more irretrievably harmul to body politic than four more years of Obama (imagine that!) because Romney would be the death of conservatism, not unlike that other hot-dog-eating fellow.
(And to make things worse, it's so late already that I'll be sleeping peacefully before you will have a chance to write your reply explaining how crazy I am to think such a heretical thought.)
Oct '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
I'm glad newt is still around.
Jun '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
Every politician is guilty of gaffing. But like comedy, it's all in the timing. It's one thing for a campaign manager to embarrass his or her candidate. It's quite another for a candidate to say something so colossally wrong-headed as Santorum has just done. For anyone who has studied this Marxist-inspired political animal Barack Obama it's quite foolish to call Romney "Obama-Lite". Mitt Romney is not and never will be Barack Obama. Thankfully. If Santorum's rash remark was sincere then he just doesn't quite get it. If disgruntled Santorum supporters are encouraged by their candidate to stay home and not vote for Romney in the general election then this nation flies down into the abyss of debt and potential chaos. At this point, I don't really care about Romneycare or Romney's flip pity-floppity positions. I do care about beating Barack Obama in November and about getting as many Republicans, Tea Party folks, social conservatives, Democrats and Independents to see how disastrous another 4 years of Barack Obama would be. Of course, I was a cheerleader in high school. Rah! :-)
Oct '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
DRUDGE They're exhausted. Santorum reduced to waving around child's toy, declaring Obama less risk than Romney? Fitting end to lackluster season ;(
Mar '11
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
Astonishing:
I swear I do think, and I say it right out, that a Romney presidency would be more irretrievably harmul to body politic than four more years of Obama (imagine that!) because Romney would be the death of conservatism, not unlike that other hot-dog-eating fellow.
(And to make things worse, it's so late already that I'll be sleeping peacefully before you will have a chance to write your reply explaining how crazy I am to think such a heretical thought.)
I think there are times when it is better to abstain from voting than to vote for the candidate from your normally preferred party. Not at all heretical.
I disagree that this election is a good time to do so. But that is why we each get our own vote.
And as your comment demonstrates, Santorum's "gaffe" might just be him saying out loud what many of his supporters were already thinking.
Mar '12
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
This incident as well as RoboCalling Michigan Democratic voters cemented Santorum's fate. Sadly there are still enough stubborn voters not convinced over Romney to stay with Santorum, gaffes included.
May '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
Sanatorium jumped the shark.
May '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
Darn auto-correct
Oct '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
stephenfhayes RT @JoyLinFN: Gingrich hits Santorum, says he would vote for Romney if he were nominee even if they have "very substantial disagreements"
Jun '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
"Hmm...let's see now...I can vote for the successful businessman who helped start numerous companies, loves free enterprise and the American Idea, will repeal Obamacare, and strengthen our defense capability - OR - because my favorite candidate isn't likely to win the nomination, I can stay home on Election Day and let the pro-Marxist, anti-capitalist, radical community organizer and friend-of-domestic-terrorists Democrat who has appointed fellow Marxists in his administration; and who believes that rich people are evil and not paying their fair share; and who apologizes for our unexceptional and lazy country to the rest of the world; and who continues to amass debt and is likely to veto any budget cutting proposals by Republicans in the House - stay in the Oval Office for another four years; and also virtually guarantee that Democrats still hold a majority in the Senate."
Yeah...that makes sense.
Mar '11
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
Enoch Powell in the UK famously said that all politics ends in failure and disappointment - this is how I feel now, having voted for Mr Santorum.Of course I will vote for Mr Romney at the general- tis a no-brainier.Even though all of Ricochet's pundits think he will lose.
Nov '11
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
I think you're on the wrong site, the clever juveniles who inhabit Reason.com's comment section are probably missing you.
Edited on March 23, 2012 at 1:56pmDec '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
What a dumb thing to say.
If Santorum can't take the heat from Romney, what would he do when faced with Obama? Does anyone think that race will be gentle and kind?
We are about to see the bloodiest, ugliest and low election campaign that we can remember. Obama will flood the airwaves with accusations and innuendo. And scream racism at the least provocation. Fully supported by a loud, screaming and desperate print and broadcast media.
What Romney is showing is that he unapologetically and with a smiling face is willing and able to systematically dismantle his opponents.
For policy, keep the House and win the Senate. Democracy is about the populace removing the powerful. That is all that matters in November when it comes to the Presidency.
Jun '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
Astonishing:
Mendel: To judge by the comments on Ricochet, Santorum shares his preference for Obama with a good portion of the Republican base.
How else to explain all the hardcores who would rather stay at home in November than vote for Romney? · 45 minutes ago
So are y'all sayin' if Rick wants to get himself elected he better stop cribbing off my Ricochet comments?
I swear I do think, and I say it right out, that a Romney presidency would be more irretrievably harmul to body politic than four more years of Obama (imagine that!) because Romney would be the death of conservatism, not unlike that other hot-dog-eating fellow.
(And to make things worse, it's so late already that I'll be sleeping peacefully before you will have a chance to write your reply explaining how crazy I am to think such a heretical thought.)
Well, there's been a whole host of compassionate Republicans who have appeased and consorted with the Left on Capitol Hill...and conservatism is still alive and well. America and the idea of America will die quicker than conservatism if Barack Obama is permitted to "rule" for another four years.
May '11
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
Can we please stop overreacting to this? He voiced a line of reasoning that some independents may just follow by the time Obama's done giving Romney a death-hug on all the issues they share or have shared some similarities on: climate change, raising taxes, appointing liberals and gay activists to the bench, abortion, and the biggest of them all-Obamneycare.
Did Romney himself not come close to the same line of attack by saying we couldn't succeed by "replacing an economic lightweight with another economic lightweight"? It's obvious any criticism of Romney from now on would be seen as damaging 'our' chances against Obama and not being for the team etc. By the way, a rational argument can be made for looking past the Nov. election to 2016. And that's not heresy...
Apr '11
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
pensworth
By the way, a rational argument can be made for looking past the Nov. election to 2016. And that's not heresy... · 5 minutes ago
Rational arguments can be made for all kinds of things, but I have zero confidence that these "strategic defeats" ever work out the way their backers envision.
I have absolutely no clue what conditions will prevail in 2016, and neither does anyone else. I'll just take a win now, rather than relying on my fortune-telling skills...
Dec '10
Re: Santorum: Obama Preferable to Etch-A-Sketch Candidate
That's probably the one thing that Santorum could have said that will get me to support Romney immediately.