Mitt Romney’s campaign is going up huge with an anti-Rick Santorum campaign. The theme of it, per Buzzfeed, is that Santorum has been … da-dum … a U.S. Senator:
The Pennsylvania Republican will “be defined by two things,” the advisor said.
The first is a comparison to Barack Obama: “He’s never run anything,” said the advisor. The Pennyslvanian’s experience is limited to roles as a legislator and legislative staffer. “The biggest thing he ever ran is his Senate office,” he siad.
The second is a challenge to Santorum’s Washington experience.
“They’re going to hit him very hard on earmarks, lobbying, voting to raise the federal debt limit five times,” said the advisor.
I continue to enjoy Romney’s sheer contempt for the electorate. Raising the debt ceiling and voting for earmarks are things that everybody does in Congress, including Republicans. Whereas supporting abortion rights, establishing universal health care, and calling yourself progressive are not things that Republican governors normally do.
Today Romney surrogate James Talent assailed Santorum for having supported the prescription drug benefit, which was also supported by most Republicans, including Talent himself!
The best touch from the Buzzfeed story is this ultra-dickish quote from a Romney adviser:
“The expectation is that Santorum, just given his personality, is going to whine like crazy about this,” the advisor laughed.
What I love is not just the line but the fact that the adviser laughed. Or did he sneer? Cackle?
In all probability, Romney’s campaign against Santorum will work. What’s Santorum going to say – that Republicans always vote for the debt ceiling when there’s a Republican president, and that opposition to it is nothing but disingenuous partisan posturing that both sides used until last year, when it got out of hand and Republicans almost crashed the world economy with it? If the debt-ceiling issue became the vehicle for persuading the Republican base to nominate the least sincerely conservative candidate in the field, that would really be poetic justice for the tea party.
