Rick Santorum Draws Contrast With Rivals Ahead Of Iowa Caucus 2012

CORALVILLE, Iowa -- Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum said the party needs to offer a sharp, clear contrast with President Barack Obama if it hopes to reclaim the White House next November.

Santorum urged activists in Iowa on Thursday to ignore the pundits and vote for the Republican candidate who can make the clearest break with policies put in place by Obama. He held himself out as that candidate.

Santorum also dismissed his higher-rivals who are flooding Iowa's airwaves with commercials, saying money won't decide who wins the caucuses on Tuesday night.

"I've never dabbled on the dark side," said Santorum, referring to his rivals' past support for health insurance mandates.

The former Pennsylvania senator opened his campaign day with a town-hall meeting in Coralville, in eastern Iowa. He's held nearly 360 such meetings in the state.

Santorum attacked Hillary Clinton's book, written when she was First Lady of the United States, It Takes A Village. "I don't think this country was founded on the proverb that it takes a village to raise a family," he said, adding that he wrote a book in response called It Takes A Family. "It's great reading if you're having trouble sleeping at night," he quipped about his book. He said that abstinence was considered a "bad thing" by the Obama Administration. He added that the administration "is at war particularly against poor children."

Santorum then moved to the economy, saying that he believes on election night the economy will immediately improve. He added that the administration is "at war with anybody who creates anything--except motion pictures in Hollywood."

He repeated his position that families containing undocumented immigrants and American citizens should be broken up. "While its difficult to break up families, these people have broken the law," he said. "I don't see that as harsh, that's how justice works."

Comments

[barkingcat]

10:53 AM on 12/30/2011

Santorum is clearly at the end of his rope if he's trying to provoke a fight with Hillary -- he's provoking a gunfight, but armed with only a pair of nail clippers.

[David01]

10:46 AM on 12/30/2011

This is why Santorum has no chance whatsoever in the general.
Hillary can beat him in the popularity game without doing anything or saying anything. He can only hurt himself by criticizing her.
Someone gave him bad advice.
The reason these folks are saying all this bullsh*t is because they have to say something, anything, to get into the news cycle, given that the caucus is days away. The ones who are fading have to say something outrageous. Santorum is actually surging, so what he should be doing is saying more sensible stuff.

[ElizabethRoo]

10:31 AM on 12/30/2011

Hillary Clinton is so much better than you Rick, and on all levels.

[elbzee]

10:15 AM on 12/30/2011

I've always considered Santorum certifiable. While he claims Obama to be "at war with poor children" and "at war with anybody who creates anything--except motion pictures in Hollywood," methinks he's gone to war with both reality and sanity!

[DogsPhotosFood]

09:52 AM on 12/30/2011

Does this guy have an skeletons in his closet?

[centsable]

10:35 AM on 12/30/2011

Until he polls higher then 11%, the press won't dig.

[nypapajoe]

09:52 AM on 12/30/2011

This fool is advocating more of the same Bagger corporate greed and corruption! He's a no body that has been resuscitated by some Iowa Baggers to spark some more controversy regarding Obama, but what if anything has this puppet put forward that will in any way improve our economic and unemployment calamity? Not one of these lobbyist of the wealthy elite has introduced anything that will save our democracy, not one! These are all millionaires that just want to enrich their portfolios! Who can refute that!

[kevinbr38]

08:36 AM on 12/30/2011

Mrs. Clinton was/is absolutely correct. it does "take a village"
When I was growing up in Detroit in the 60's and 70's the entire city was my "village". It was occupied by my parents and their many friends, all of whom I referred to as Aunt and Uncle, our extended family, the congregation of the church we attended, and the teachers that I had in school. All of these disparate groups were in some way in contact with one another with one goal in mind; to watch out for and nurture their children.
The only remotely factual statement to be found in Rick Santorum's mutterings is that the economy will improve on election night.
While it obviously won't improve at that one particular moment in time it will indeed be further along the road because democrats will have taken back The House, and gained a larger majority in The Senate. That President Obama will be reelected goes without saying.
In what alternate universe does he live anyway, where he thinks that a person who could not even hold on to his senate seat could be elected President?

[atlasusa]

08:12 AM on 12/30/2011

Rick Santorum's FOREIGN policy experience is contemplating the Menu at INTERNATIONAL House of Pancakes.

[vietveter]

09:28 AM on 12/30/2011

P O W ! Z A P ! Z O W I E !

Nailed jr with that one.

She is a little out of your league, kid

F&F

[rgilley]

07:44 AM on 12/30/2011

"Santorum takes on Hilary Clinton".
That's too funny. In a debate with santorum Hilary would be bored. She's much smarter, more experienced, and has about ten million more supporters than Santorum. Who btw has very little chance of even being nominated let alone becoming the President.

OBAMA/CLINTON in 2012!!!!

[modelaford]

07:05 AM on 12/30/2011

Don't go there Rick....she may be a democrat...but. She is beloved by a lot of people...definitely more than I can say about you. She would chew you up and spit you out before you got one sentence out of your mouth.

And yes, sometimes it does take a village to raise a child. I'm sure your 3 year old gets a lot of medical attention for her problems. You can't have as many kids as you have, without having help from your doctors, your teachers, your church, your family and friends. Yes, it does take a lot of people to help raise kids these days. Many single moms need a lot of help...when their deadbeat husbands leave them for another woman....like Newt....and Joe Walsh....and the single moms have to work several jobs to feed their kids. You have to have empathy and compassion for parents these days...something you obviously have a difficult time doing.

[Know-some-secrets]

06:50 AM on 12/30/2011

The AP article notes that "Santorum attacked Hillary Clinton's book, written when she was First Lady of the United States, It Takes A Village." That' is so so 2008 of him. Hillary is history in terms of presidential politics...

... and she didn't really write the book any way, if you believe revelations from its publisher Simon and Shuster and Barbara Feinman, the talented ghostwriter who was not even credited. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Takes_a_Village#Ghostwriter_controversy

[StewII]

06:25 AM on 12/30/2011

Rick is out of touch with reality.

[1differentdrummer]

06:12 AM on 12/30/2011

Take on Hillary? Seriously.

[rgilley]

07:46 AM on 12/30/2011

Santorum would be like Wyatt Erp showing up at the ok coral with a Bowie knife. lol

[kevinbr38]

08:12 AM on 12/30/2011

Her only problem in debating him would be trying to stay awake.

[luapmi2]

06:08 AM on 12/30/2011

Imagine my delight when the photo shown of Hillary disproved my long held belief that she NEVER washes her hair.

Kudos to whoever convinced her to try shampoo!

[OldBear]

06:08 AM on 12/30/2011

Wrong target RS if you get Hillary's attention you will wind up a street cleaner in Iowa.

[Yeoman Roman]

07:03 AM on 12/30/2011

"Wrong target RS if you get Hillary's attention you will wind up a street cleaner in Iowa. "

I am not sure how that can happen, but it is funny to think about.

Rick has already risen to his level of incompetence.

He is unemployed right now isn't he?

[OldBear]

01:08 AM on 12/31/2011

Funny was my point, thanks. Yes he is unemployed after being "put on leave" by FOX during the primaries.