Former Senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum stepped in it yesterday when he said (about a choice between rival Mitt Romney and Barack Obama), “We might as well stay with what we have.”
This comment disappointed Santorum supporters, including columnist Michelle Malkin, who wrote, "I remain a Rick Santorum supporter, but I do not agree with the comments he reportedly made earlier tonight about Barack Obama being preferable to Mitt Romney."
Romney answered Santorum during an
interview with Hugh Hewitt:
HH: Well, I’ve got to talk to you about something Rick Santorum said today. He shocked a lot of people when he said that you know, we might as well stick with President Obama rather than elect Mitt Romney if you’re the nominee. That’s a paraphrase. But what do you think of that statement?
MR: Well, I’m afraid Rick is confusing the nature of this race. This race is not about one person. This is a race about the direction for the country. The country is going in a very seriously wrong direction under President Obama. And I’m afraid that Rick increasingly thinks this race is about him. It’s not about him. It’s not about me. It’s not about a personality. It’s about the country. And I’m really disappointed in Rick’s statement. Obviously, he endorsed me three years ago when I was running for president. He had no problem calling me a real conservative, a solid conservative. But now that he’s in the race, it has become all about Rick. And that’s just not right for the party, it’s not right for the country.
HH: Governor Romney, the exact quote from Senator Santorum is “We might as well stay with what we have.” You have talked about the consequences of a second term for Barack Obama. Now one of two people are going to be president a year from now – you or Barack Obama. What difference will it make?
MR: Well, first of all, under Barack Obama, we’d keep Obamacare. If I’m president, we’ll get rid of Obamacare. Under President Obama, we’ll have probably two, maybe even three new Supreme Court justices, liberals, progressives, so to speak. If I’m president, we’ll have strict constructionists on the Court. Under Barack Obama, we’ll have more restriction on fossil fuels, and a higher cost of gasoline. If I’m president, we’ll take advantage of our energy resources. Under Barack Obama, we’ll continue to tilt the playing field towards organized labor. If I’m president, we’ll allow individuals to have a secret ballot to decide if they want a union or not. I mean, my list goes on. You could not have much more differences than those that add up, for instance, to a deficit under Barack Obama of a trillion dollars a year, with America ultimately hitting a Greek-like wall. If I’m president, we will finally balance our budget, we will secure Social Security and Medicare without bankrupting the next generation. It’s a wholly different course if I’m president than if Barack Obama is president.
Romney has an overwhelming lead in the delegate count. Santorum has virtually no chance in overtaking Romney.
Rick, it's time to hang it up!
