Santorum scored a direct hit on a raw Romney nerve when he went after RomneyCare in tonight’s primary debate in Florida, arguing that it would be difficult to debate the issue of “top down” government healthcare with Obama with his record of imposing “top down” government health care in Massachusetts. That left a mark:
I found Mitt’s peevish admonition, “First of all, it’s not worth getting angry about…” to be a vain and transparent attempt to exploit the (fair or unfair) perception that Santorum comes off as whiny in debates. He should save the snide put-downs for Obama, who really is a whiny, thin skinned SCOAMF.
See The Right Scoop for a longer, better version of this exchange.
MORE:
Another great moment for Santorum: “Lets stop with petty personal attacks!
UPDATE:
Philip Klein: The Washington Examiner: Santorum wins debate, but Romney beats Newt:
I was busy with other things tonight, so I only listened on and off to part of the debate on the radio (on a one-hour delay), so I haven’t had an opinion on who did best. Klein thought it was a bad night for Gingrich, a strong night for Romney, but Santorum ran away with it. Based on the YouTube videos I’ve seen, that certainly sounds about right:
… there were at least two problematic moments for him (Romney). The first came when he claimed to have never seen an anti-Gingrich attack ad that actually ends with him approving the message. And the second, much more significant moment, was when Rick Santorum scorched him on his health care record.
Santorum didn’t just offer a grazing attack of Romneycare like many other candidates have in prior debates. He got very specific. He noted that it was top-down government control — from the mandate forcing individuals to purchase health insurance to the expansion of Medicaid. And when Romney tried to wiggle away, and defended the individual mandate making the same arguments as President Obama, Santorum pinned him down, explaining all the problems with the health care system in Massachusetts under the law. Romney’s response to Santorum’s passionate case against government-run health care was to say, “It’s not worth getting angry about,” which was a dagger in the back of conservatives who have spent the last several years fighting a government takeover of the largest (and most personal) sector of the U.S. economy. It was a clear reminder to conservatives of why they’ve been so reluctant to get behind Romney to the point that they’d be considering the deeply flawed Gingrich.
Besides sticking it to Romney, Santorum had strong answers on almost every question — on Latin America, on not throwing away too much money on the space program, and on why rights are God-given rather than granted by government.
Can we please give Santorum a second look?
One more clip: Santorum: Faith Is An Important Part Of This Country:
Michelle Malkin: Confirmed: Romneycare = Obamacare:
I repeat: RomneyCare and ObamaCare share not only the same ideological architects, but similar waiver programs in part set up to benefit Big Labor.
***
Industrial-strength nose plugs can’t cover the stench.
RedState’s Erick Erickson thinks Mitt won the debate, but Santorum had the best night- if that makes any sense:
Mitt Romney won the debate. He and Gingrich behaved like petulant children, but Romney got under Newt’s skin in a way Newt did not get under Romney’s skin and Newt came off looking the lesser of the two. Additionally, Mitt Romney finally offered up a bold and clear answer on his wealth with a strong defense of capitalism and self-made men. There was no apology and no defense. It was precisely what he needed to do.
Though he may have won, Rick Santorum had the best night of any candidate and though Romney won on points, Santorum won on style and substance. He offered up the strongest attack yet on Romneycare, pointing out how if Romney is the nominee we cede an important line of attack on Obamacare. He rattled Romney in a way Newt did not. He acted like the adult in the room. He got himself some supporters from Newt Gingrich I’m pretty sure.
Michelle Malkin’s thoughts: Fly Them To The Moon, Please:
Big gainer: Santorum.
Big surprise: Paul’s likeability factor, even if he is completely on the moon when it comes to Israel, jihadists, and national security.
Big, unchanged reality: Big Government Romney, Big Government Gingrich, and Not As Big A Government As He Voted For When He Was in the Senate But Still Too Big Government Santorum.
The journey/march/slog (towards a brokered convention??????) continues…
Meanwhile….to motivate you to the polls:
ABC News: President Obama: I Want Second Term ‘Badly’
Hat tip: Brian B.
Linked by Ushanka, thanks!
January, 26, 2012 at 11:54 pm
hi nd.
romney wins the exchange imho.
the 70 pages romneycare bill is not a govt takeover of healthcare.
there are no more freeloaders in massachusetts so taxpayers don’t have t pay for the healthcare of those who can afford to buy hc insurance but choose not to.
also: as mitt noted, romneycare immunizes him from mediscare.
January, 27, 2012 at 1:31 am
Look, I don’t think he came off that well by making the same argument Obama makes about the individual mandate.
January, 27, 2012 at 9:49 am
I thought it funny Romney saying it wasn’t worth getting angry over as he obviously was getting angry. While Santorum spoke Romney’s eyes were beginning to water and he blinked rapidly to stop the swell of tears.
This was Santorum’s best debate but is likely too little too late. Then again, considering how often I have been wrong – maybe he has a shot.
The Romney fix was in. Had Newt been on the ropes (as Romney was during the exchange with Santorum) there is no way Blitzer would have let the moment pass.
January, 27, 2012 at 9:50 am
[...] Video: Santorum Hits Romney On RomneyCare (nicedeb.wordpress.com) [...]
January, 27, 2012 at 10:02 am
That was a very bad moment for Romney. He really comes off like a bully, sometimes. It looked to me like he was trying to ridicule Santorum. It looked petty and small.
January, 27, 2012 at 11:50 am
there are no more freeloaders in massachusetts so taxpayers don’t have t pay for the healthcare of those who can afford to buy hc insurance but choose not to.
Yeah, and wait times to see a doc are now how many days long?
Bloody brilliant, that is.
January, 27, 2012 at 12:53 pm
I take your point regarding Romney trying to ridicule Santorum. Still, I think it was Romney experiencing anger. He should have been a liberal. He has adapted the art of accusing others of his own failings. Case in point – throwing mud at Gingrich then assuming position on the high road when Gingrich returns the favor.
January, 27, 2012 at 1:19 pm
But John, Romney is a liberal, just like his daddy was, just like his kids will be – it runs in their blood, apparently.
Is he as liberal as, say, Obama? No. Or Hillarious? No. Or even Huntsman? Maybe, maybe not. But the point is, given enough time, he would take us over the same cliff any of the aforementioned will, just at a slower pace.
Not exactly the legacy I would want to leave my grandkids, but hey, if he’s the nominee running against all that is evil in this government we have now, he’s got my vote.
January, 27, 2012 at 11:07 pm
[...] Video: Santorum Hits Romney On RomneyCare (nicedeb.wordpress.com) [...]
January, 27, 2012 at 11:16 pm
Hey Unreliapundit, you are really making the rounds trying to carry water for Mitt for brains aren’t you? Do you not remember that Mitt LOST to the big loser McCain last election? How much does Karl Rove pay you anyway?
January, 28, 2012 at 6:22 am
” I found Mitt’s peevish admonition, “First of all, it’s not worth getting angry about…” to be a vain and transparent attempt to exploit the (fair or unfair) perception that Santorum comes off as whiny in debates. He should save the snide put-downs for Obama, who really is a whiny, thin skinned SCOAMF.”
I must kill you that most of the GOP aren’t disgusting, disrespectful racists like you! gwb was an awful excuse for a president. Yet, I never advocated attempts to publically disparage him, even when he led us into unwarranted war that killed millions of innocent Iraquis and thousand of our fellow citizens. He was bad at his job, but never did you witness Dems heckling his SOTU speeches. Rarely was he depicted as an oaf, although I do remember seing a doctored photo of gwb as a chimp. Not cool.
Being from the far left, a fact I am proud of, I can see from decades of observation, that both far right and far left need their demons. We feel compelled to demonize each other for things that simply do not exist in reality. You are much better at teeling me what the left demonizes about the right that is fantasy, so Ill leave that job to others here. But this bizarre notion that the man in the WH, duly elected with 69,500,000 votes, a fact uncontested, is somehow intentionally bringing about the planned destruction of your America is, well, unfounded, unbalanced and frightening. He clearly has policy you dislike-hate is a better word-but that doesnt make him a Muslim sleeper agent or a commie or a marxist or whatever todays invective may be.
January, 28, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Uneverknow you are a profoundly confused and/or uninformed person. You play the race card with no awareness at all of what a joke it’s become.
http://nicedeb.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/obama-media-sycophants-renew-their-race-cards-just-in-time-for-2012-election/
You’re not even self aware enough to know how your opinions are being manipulated by the Mandarins in the media.
Yes, I loathe this President for what he’s doing to the country, but it has nothing to do with the color of his skin. That must make it easier for you to support someone whose policies have been such an unmitigated disaster.
Sure, those of us in the party of Lincoln, Frederick Douglas and MLK for most of his career – the party that ended slavery, fought the Democrat KKK, fought for civil rights, unlike most Dems who fought against it –we’re the racist ones. Because we believe everyone should have equal opportunities but not equal outcomes – we’re the racist ones.
Hey, I got news for you. If you’re from the far left, as you say you are, you are a Socialist. Our current President is a crony Socialist. Sorry, we don’t like Socialists, here, because we know that Socialism and corruption are destroying our capitalist system. Most of this country rejects Socialism because we know that Socialist policies are failing everywhere.
It’s true we have witnessed some of the most vile and disrespectful behavior towards a sitting President. President Bush was attacked in the most violent, and unhinged manner on a regular basis not only by leftists like you, but by sitting congressmen, as well.
You once saw a doctored photo of Bush – really? Are you kidding me? The right can not even begin to compete with the slime that was thrown at President Bush by the likes of you.
http://www.zombietime.com/zomblog/?p=621
http://www.zombietime.com/zomblog/?p=612
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/06/04/assassination-fascination/
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2011/06/30/msnbc-double-standard-you-can-call-president-murdering-fascist-if-
Democrats heckled Bush during speeches. Harry Reid called him a liar:
http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/democrats_heckled_bush_during_speeches_harry_reid_called_him_a_liar/
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/04/leading-democrat-bush-the-worst-president-weve-ever-had/
Leftists like you booed and heckled and pelted his limo with eggs on inauguration day, 2001 as President Bush and the first lady’s motorcade approached the White House.
They booed and heckled him on his way out, as well.
Democrats regularly insulted President Bush in ways that you’d never see a Republican insult Obama, however much he deserves it. Mitch Daniels’ SOTU response was gracious, and respectful.
Obama hasn’t gotten even 1/100th of the kind of negative treatment Bush got on a regular basis.
Maybe you weren’t paying attention, maybe you’ve forgotten, or maybe you’re feigning ignorance. All I can say is, get a damn clue.
January, 28, 2012 at 5:09 pm
UNK: The fact that he has nicknames like “Duh-1″ (he’s clueless) and Obhammud (he favors Islam over any other organized religion) has nothing to do with his ideology, but since you brought it up, yes, it is fair to call him a marxist or a socialist because he has spent so much of his time as president either appointing avowed communists (like Van Jones) or pushing a socialist agenda/ideology (like ObamaCare). And the fact that his party is full of people like Debbie Wasserman Schultz, (a socialist), Bawney Fwank (a socialist) and Dennis Kucinich (an idiot) doesn’t help him when he tries to portray himself as “centrist.”
Where either of these things relate to the color of his skin, I can’t tell. Maybe you could enlighten me/us about that. But they do have to do with fundamentally changing this country from a somewhat socialist system to a full-blown, European-style socialism that deprives the “99%” of any incentive to succeed at anything except becoming a state drone manipulating others’ lives. And his brand of socialism is the scariest of all because it is National Socialism, better known to knuckle-draggers like me as “Naziism.”
Thanks but no thanks. I’ll depend upon me and let the chips fall where they may, and oppose those who wish me to bow to the god of state.
January, 29, 2012 at 8:34 pm
reliapundit, Zip from the website “Weasel Zippers” lives in Mass. and says he has to prove he has insurance, else pay a $2,500 fine. Actually, the fee would be $2,500 for himself plus $2,500 for his wife. Sounds like extortion to me.