Santorum slams media, gives defiant defense of campaign ‘misstatements’ (Drudge attack flops)

Washington Post ^ | 2/21/12 | Felicia Sonmez

[jimbo123]

Rick Santorum appears to be gearing up for a showdown.

In remarks to about 250 supporters in the auditorium of a Masonic lodge, the surging Republican presidential hopeful and former Pennsylvania senator didn’t directly refer to any of his recent campaign-trail statements that have drawn controversy.

-snip-

The audience applauded, as did the man, who earlier in the speech was holding up a sign that read, “Drudge wants Mitt. AZ picks Rick.”

[jimbo123]

Looks like Matt Drudge and Matt Rhoades' attack isn't having the desired effect of flustering Santorum.

[TexasFreeper2009]

just the opposite ... Santorum’s responses the these “controversies” have actually made me like him better, and I am hoping the CNN moderator can’t help himself and asks Santorum something about this a lot in the debate tonight

[cripplecreek]

Misunderestimated is good.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

Has anyone else noted they attacked Rick, and last cycle they always referred to Huckabee as a former Baptist Pastor. I have yet to see anyone in media to point out that Romney was Bishop in Mormon church and thus was a pastor in the mormon religion and that some of the peculiar beliefs that mormons hold that those in evangelical Christianity consider them in the “cult” category rather than Christian?
Hello Matt Drudge, how about that?

[Blue Highway]

Santorum is on a roll and picking up steam. I like how he is fighting now where in the beginning when he was so far off the radar he sounded weak and whiney. He definitely has more of a presidential swagger than he ever did before and I like it!

[Doofer]

“I can tell you, the reason I think we’re doing well in this campaign is because we’re being available to the American public,” Santorum told a mostly subdued crowd that filled only the front portion of the sprawling auditorium.

If this is true welcome to 4 more years of Obama...

[skeeter]

He risks alienating independent voters by keeping the focus on of some of his outside-the-mainstream remarks.

I just love it when the leftwing US news media try to tell us what is 'outside the mainstream'.

[cripplecreek]

I noticed early on that he did well in all the debates despite being ignored by the media.

[CASchack]

Who’s Matt Drudge?

[jimbo123]

Matt Drudge = Matt Drudge + Matt Rhoades + Joe Curl + Charles Hurt.

[CASchack]

I haven’t been to his site since before bloody Thursday. I won’t go back.

[jiggyboy]

As a matter of intellectual honesty, you surely can’t believe that Old Media has looked the other way on Mitt Romney being a Mormon. Google “Maureen Dowd” plus “Mitt Romney” as just one example, but do it on an empty stomach.

[Mangia E Statti Zitto]

I have to disagree with you. I admit the article is somewhat snarky, pointing out that the crowd was small and subdued. However, the quotes from Santorum sound very whiny and angry.

[deoetdoctrinae]

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[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

-—He definitely has more of a presidential swagger than he ever did before and I like it!——

I’ve noticed that too. I think it’s the real Rick.

Previously, he had to break through. It’s hard to do that without looking like a jerk.

[stonehouse01]

If they start bringing up religion then it’s fair game to bring up the Mormon beliefs that Romney embraces. Isn’t he a church elder? Turnabout is fair play.

Santorum’s Christian worldview is perfectly acceptable to most Americans and the Drudge attempt to twist it as “kooky” won’t work.

[Buckeye McFrog]

The GOP establishment can’t come out and stick a knife in Rick’s back because he played good soldier and went along in supporting Arlen Specter. If they backstab him now nobody will ever go along with that again. Instead they are forced to use surrogates.

We’ve just learned that Matt Drudge is a lousy hit man.

[Blue Highway]

yeah I did think he did well debate wise, but the media never talked to him. The first debate was all Romeny and all Perry. Looking back you know who they wanted as front runners so they could lead them to slaughter against Obama.

Santorum was complaining about his lack of time during the debates and I agreed with him, but the media portrayed him as whiney and he sort of came across like that initially. Now he has some cajones and I like it.

[ilgipper]

Mostly because they are waiting until he is the nominee. There is a difference between referencing the one Dowd piece and what the other poster mentioned. Huckabee and Santorum are referenced in virtually EVERY article, tv news piece and internet post as Pastor or social right winger or whatever term fits the moment to spread the message that each is some sort of out-of-step loony zealot. They are not doing this to Romney...at least not yet. If he moves on the general, we will get a heavy dose of Mormon paranoia from the media.

[jimbo123]

We’ve just learned that Matt Drudge is a lousy hit man.

We've just learned that Matt Drudge, Matt Rhoades, Joe Curl and Charles Hurt are lousy hit men. They're all running the Drudge Report right now, it's not just Drudge anymore.