Posted on 02/09/2012 8:18:13 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
ATLANTA -- A day after his defeats in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota, Mitt Romney pounded Republican presidential rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich on Wednesday as big-spending Washington insiders whose careers show scant evidence of fiscal restraint.
The Republican Party, he said, "lost its way" by borrowing and spending too much, particularly on the pet projects "earmarked" by members of Congress, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Santorum and former House Speaker Gingrich deserve some of the blame.
"Under Newt Gingrich, earmarks doubled," Romney told reporters here on an airport tarmac. "Rick Santorum was a major earmarker and continues to defend earmarks."
By Romney's count, Santorum voted to raise the debt ceiling five times -- $3.5 trillion, all told - and government spending rose by 80 percent when he served in the House and Senate.
"Republicans spent too much money, borrowed too much money, earmarked too much, and Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have to be held accountable," said Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts.
Romney's rhetorical blast was part of a familiar pattern. He has repeatedly tried to ignore his GOP opponents and focus instead on President Barack Obama, only to be reminded by a rude defeat that other viable contenders could still block his path to his party's White House nomination. On Tuesday, he was set back again by Santorum's decisive victories in the Missouri primary and Colorado and Minnesota caucuses....
(Excerpt) Read more at standard.net ...
How much earmarked federal money did you spend on the Big Dig, Mitt?
Bull poop!
Romney is a cult leader, Obama our drug president... they use these wound tactics... it can be used against them and is all we need while we stay where we are at. This is why NOT attacking them is not the solution, the drugs is for the pain. Non lethal solutions as used against sand gnats of Afghanistan is all the treatment these losers need. It’s how their handlers handle them, and it’s who we will be then.
Aha. The McCain strategery. Attack “earmarks”. That’s bound to work.
As for the Big Dig, this is an excellent lead. It’s like the Titanic. THey think they can handle anything. Give them a big engineering project they will fail and sink with. The Big Dig is just the Titanic of Romney’s.
Wall st journal delegate tracker.
http://projects.wsj.com/campaign2012/delegates/
They’re projecting delegates but considering the spread in Missouri I think its a pretty fair indicator of where the official count will go.
That is correct. Nada.
Blasting "earmarks" is just shallow and reflective of the fact that Romney cannot run on his own merits.
scant evidence of fiscal restraint.
OK
___________________________________________
From the Congressional Record:
Senator McCain on the GAO Report
On Sept. 19, 2000, Sen. McCain, speaking in opposition to the Conference Report on the 2001 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill advised the Senate of details from the GAO’s report. As recorded in the Congressional Record, Sen. McCain stated,
“The GAO now determines that $1.3 billion—and some of those I will read: $974,000 for the Utah State Olympic Public Safety Command; $5 million for the Utah Communications Agency Network; $3 million to Olympic Regional Development Authority, upgrades at Mt. Van Hoevenberg Sports Complex; $2.5 million, Salt Lake City Olympics bus facilities; $2.5 million, Salt Lake City Olympics regional park-and-ride lots; $500,000, Salt Lake City Olympics transit bus loan, and on and on; $925,000 to allow the Utah State Olympic Public Safety Command to continue to develop and support a public safety program for the 2002 Winter Olympics; $1 million for the 2002 Winter Olympics security training; $2.2 million for the Charleston Water Conservancy District, UT, to meet sewer infrastructure needs associated with the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. What the Olympic games supposedly hosted and funded by Salt Lake City, which began in corruption and bribery, has now turned into is an incredible pork-barrel project for Salt Lake City and its environs.” — Sen. John McCain in the United States Senate, Sept. 19, 2000 - [Page S8731-S8748 - Congressional Record.]
Romney seems to be doing blanket attacks on both Newt and Santorum, since they have flip-flopped so much.
Santorum & Gingrich need to start calling attention to Romney's scorched earth tactics and how they are damaging the GOPs chances against BO. Because its clear that defeating the farce in the WH is by far the main reason people are going to the polls this Nov.
They won't much like the fact that its Romney's personal ambition that is making Obama's re-election more likely.
Santorum & Gingrich need to start calling attention to Romney's scorched earth tactics and how they are damaging the GOPs chances against BO. Because its clear that defeating the farce in the WH is by far the main reason people are going to the polls this Nov.
They won't much like the fact that its Romney's personal ambition that is making Obama's re-election more likely.
I strongly dislike earmarks, but they make up a miniscule portion of the budget. Romney has bigger spending demons with Romneycare and his weak reaction to entitlement reform.
There are two explanations for that comment:
1. An incredibly uninformed person.
2. A blatant lie.
Keep spending money Romney. You’re just turning people off and soon it will be a Gingrich vs. Santorum race.
Look for the blowup next debate.
I cannot abide Romney, but in all fairness, he was not an elected official from Utah during the Olympics, nor has he been at any other time. Blame all the Olympic pork barrel spending (and there was plenty) on Hatch and Bennett and our Congressmen. Did Romney send lobbyists? Undoubtedly. It was his job as head of the Olympics to try and get funds wherever he could. But, they could have said “no” and didn’t. That’s their failure. One of the reasons I can’t wait to help dump Hatch out of office like we did Bennett and Cannon.
As for him touting the Olympics as some huge financial success for Salt Lake City. It was for those who were invested in certain industries and areas. For the average joe on the streets, it was just a pain in the behind. We certainly didn’t see our taxes and services change positively because of it. And they’re still patting themselves on the back. Yesterday, they had a 10 year anniversary “let’s light the torch one more time” ceremony.
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