Santorum Swings Hard At Romney, Says His Team Is 'All Democrats'

WASHINGTON –- As his lead in the polls slips ahead of Tuesday's crucial primary election in Michigan, Rick Santorum is ratcheting up his attacks on Mitt Romney in an attempt to regain momentum in the Republican presidential primary.

Santorum is unloading on Romney, focusing his energy Friday on delivering blistering attacks in appearances on conservative media outlets. Before noon, he had already gone on Laura Ingraham's radio program to launch his broadsides.

Santorum is counterattacking on the "team" theme that has dominated the news cycle since Wednesday night's debate. Santorum got banged up when he said that it was "a mistake" to have supported President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind federal education law, but that "when you're part of the team, sometimes you take one for the team."

Romney pounced on Thursday, saying that Santorum's team was "insiders in Washington" while his team was "the American people."

Santorum's disgust with this is evident in his response, which was provided to The Huffington Post by the Santorum campaign.

"Mitt Romney has criticized me for taking one for the Republican team and we all know why, because Mitt Romney’s teammates are all Democrats," Santorum said in an emailed statement. "It's pretty clear what team Mitt Romney is on when he passed socialized medicine that included $50 dollar abortions -- bragged about not lining up with the NRA -- appointed liberal activist judges to the Massachusetts bench, and was hanging out at Planned Parenthood events celebrating the pro–choice agenda."

"No wonder working with a Republican President's team is foreign to Mitt Romney," Santorum said.

That's just the beginning. The Santorum campaign provided a long list of attacks that it said the candidate will be leveling throughout the day and into the weekend.

While Mitt Romney was fighting for government run healthcare that raises your healthcare costs, lowers the quality of healthcare and forces you to rely on the government -- I fought to lower costs, raise quality care and give you more choices and control over your own healthcare.

While Mitt Romney was pushing for the Wall Street Bailouts -- I was fighting for the free-market system to work.

While Mitt Romney was fighting against the 2nd Amendment and saying exactly 'he didn’t line up with the NRA' I was working with NRA and getting a A+ rating.

While Mitt Romney was supporting the confirmation of liberal activist judges to the Massachusetts court, I was fighting to confirm conservative justices Roberts, and Alito and Thomas.

While Mitt Romney was signing 189 marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples, I was traveling the country fighting for traditional marriage between one man and one woman.

While Mitt Romney was allowing $50 dollar abortions and hanging out at Planned Parenthood events, I was standing on the floor of the US Senate fighting to end partial birth abortions.

While Mitt Romney was listening to the radical environmentalists about global warming and pushing taxpayer dollars to green energy companies -- I was fighting to open up drilling in Alaska and expand natural gas exploration.

While Mitt Romney was listening to his energy czar, who now works for Obama’s energy team -- I was listening to you and fighting to keep coal fire plants open so energy prices would be lower.

While Mitt Romney was fighting to pass radical environmental regulations on coal fire plants -- I was fighting to keep coal fire plants open so energy prices would be lower.

When he had the chance, at every turn, Mitt Romney supported his teammates -- but the problem is his teammates were the Democrats.

Governor Romney described himself as resolute on that debate stage ... There's no question that he's resolute -- trouble is he's resolutely liberal - and I have, and will continue, to fight for conservatives and all American's.

The Romney campaign said that Santorum's criticisms were a sign of desperation.

"Rick Santorum is a Washington insider who is lashing out at Mitt Romney because he had a terrible debate performance," said Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom. "Back in 2008, Sen. Santorum endorsed Mitt Romney for president because of Mitt’s ‘conservative’ record. Now, Rick’s changed his tune. This sounds like another case of Rick Santorum abandoning his principles for his own political advantage."

Santorum is also attempting to recapture the initiative by announcing his agenda for the first 100 days of his presidency. He is doing so, however, at the unfortunate time of 8 p.m. on a Friday night.

But the former Pennsylvania senator does not have much choice. He has seen his advantage over Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, slowly erode over the past week. The Romney headquarters in Boston has waged a systematic, multi-front campaign that has worked to bring Santorum down while boosting its candidate through positive messaging in the state where Romney was born and raised.

"This Italian kid from a steel town," said Santorum spokesman Hogan Gidley, "he may not start every fight but he knows how to fight back."

This story has been updated to include a response from the Romney campaign.

Also on HuffPost:

 

 

Comments

[AVoiceInThe Darkness]

12:34 PM on 02/26/2012

The tragedy of Figaro unfolds.

[landskroon]

12:12 PM on 02/25/2012

What mr Santorum tells the public anout his opponent is not of any importance. Where he starts to lie it becomes interesting. He is scaring people with "European" influences with LIES, making himself the protector of the American people. He is telling stories about European Infanticide programmes. Next time ask this creepy so called "christian" top give you information about this and other European sins. It will be silent. Poor Americans if this is all that you have to elect, a handfull of liars and cheaters.

[Craig Koebelin]

11:42 AM on 02/25/2012

Rick has uncovered Mitt's liberal secret plan to seize the Republican party and impose his crypto-socialist agenda! But he cannot stop Romney, only Romney can stop Romney, and he is succeeding brilliantly!

[MarkInEugene]

11:39 AM on 02/25/2012

How did everything get to be liberal today? If you support the girl scouts...your liberal, if you support public education...your liberal, if support contraception your liberal, if your right of center...your liberal and now Santorum is claiming Romney is "resolutely liberal"....ridiculous!

Today's extreme conservatives have managed to shift the liberal/conservative continuum so far to the right that now truly liberal ideas are no longer even considered in politics. They've managed to corrupt and vilify all things liberal.

The fundamentalist right is forcing their oppression on far more American's then just gays and woman. They insist on special rights that keep their sensibilities a priority over all others. For example, no one dares question the approximately $492 billion in annual tax revenue lost to religious organizations that could eliminate the deficit.

We pay a heavy price to accommodate the very vocal extreme right.

[j319s]

11:28 AM on 02/25/2012

Ricky claimed that the President wants our kids to go to college so they loose their faith. Funny last week there was an article about unwed mothers where it stated the only group where unwed mother hood is not increasing is college educated woman. It has also been reported that divorce is lower in marriages of college educated people, wages are hire for college educated people, unemployment is lower for college educated people. Seems the colleges are doing a good job in the areas that count. Maybe Ricky should do a little more research into why people are leaving the church he might be surprised that the bs that comes out of the mouth of so called Christians is the main reason people are leaving the church.

[oldgrendel]

11:28 AM on 02/25/2012

Maybe Mr. Santorum should think less about birth control and more about mouth control (although personally, I hope he continues to babble his anit-woman inanities).

[enlighteninglad]

11:27 AM on 02/25/2012

Romney: Resolutely Liberal

Santorum: Staunchly Idiotic

Gingrich: Jovially Pathetic

Paul: Thinly Ignorable

[massimo1]

11:27 AM on 02/25/2012

"Presidentpope - elect Santorum, what will be your first executive order?"

"Witch trials for all non-believers, following burnings at the stake."

[Noah Cross]

11:10 AM on 02/25/2012

Now if Romney wants to win the general election all he has to do is refer back to Santorum's "resolutely liberal" and say, yes, that he does share some "liberal" values, like acceptance of others, respect for women and women's health issues, a willingness to look for smart, elegant solutions in dealing with other nations rather than calling for bombing, and a host of others.

Would be a great way to suck in the last few moderate conservatives and middle of the road independents. But of course it'd never happen.

[PTAOfficerforObama]

11:10 AM on 02/25/2012

My head tells me that Obama would beat Santorum in a landslide. But then I remember that there are people in this country who elected Bachman, Santorum to the senate, and Bush!

[beejer50]

10:51 AM on 02/25/2012

Rick Santorum would make Genghis Khan look like a liberal.

And all this time I thought that the Catholic faith was born from the Original Liberal.

I guess Rick must know something that the rest of us don't.

[blueyesinbhead]

10:33 AM on 02/25/2012

I love to see the differences between the way the Democrats and Repuglicans attack each other. The Democrats attack by using ones record against them. And Repuglicans attack by saying their opponents are closet Democrats.

[Davey Johnson]

10:31 AM on 02/25/2012

Terrible men, terrible human beings. Liars, thieves, hypocrites, scoundrels ... among the worst I've seen in 40 years of observing politics.

[Frank Smith]

10:22 AM on 02/25/2012

The people who knew Santorum best voted him out in a landslide in 06. It was personal, he had already quit on the job to run for president, yet still wanted the title and the salary. It had nothing to do with him being conservative, outside Philly and PGH metro, PA is a pretty conservative state and he won twice. It was principle.

[Larry Scantand]

10:18 AM on 02/25/2012

Rick you poor pathetic soul... you have no clue do you? You are so far off base as to what America wants and needs that you continue spout crazy and stupid ideas...

No independent or democrat will vote for you.

You hate of women and women's rights, as well as the gay community... come out already and embrace your true self, is holding you down.

You need to understand what America wants and change your view rather than try to force your ideals down America's throat and say this is what you want and need... I don't care if you want something else, I am Rick and I am right....

the problem is crazy Rick... YOU ARE SO WRONG... in SO many ways.