Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum ripped into one another at Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate in their last joint appearance before a chain of make-or-break contests.
Romney was helped out in his attacks by his GOP rivals, which left Santorum, who has surged in the polls recently, playing defense most of the night.
The cozy seating around a communal table did nothing to stop the bickering that dominated the two-hour debate.
Ron Paul called the former Pennsylvania senator a “fake,” while Santorum and Romney went head to head on who can genuinely call himself a fiscal conservative. Newt Gingrich largely tried to stay above the fray and train his attacks on President Obama, but ended up falling off the radar for much of the debate.
From the start, all eyes were on Romney and Santorum, who are battling it out ahead of Tuesday primaries in Michigan and Arizona that could decide whether Romney remains the presumed front-runner in the race for the GOP nomination.
And the two didn’t disappoint. Both went after each other relentlessly — on earmarks, healthcare, federal spending and government bailouts — interrupting each other as they worked to shoot down each other’s argument.
Romney held his ground, but failed to generate the bold, stand-out moments his supporters hoped he could resurrect after strong debate performances helped him flip the tables on Gingrich in Florida.
And Santorum found himself on the defensive, appearing uneasy at times as he fended off attacks from the three other candidates on his record in Congress.
Asked why he was running an ad of his calling Santorum a “fake,” Paul didn’t miss a beat.
“Because he’s a fake,” Paul said to laughs.
Santorum, sitting next to him, gave a tight smile and jokingly patted his arms. “I’m real, Ron,” he replied.
“Congratulations,” Paul said with a smirk, before attacking Santorum’s record.
“I find it really fascinating that when people are running for office they’re really fiscally conservative,” he said. “When they’re in office they do something different.”
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3 Responses
Santorum is the ONLY candidate who REALLY threatens the secular status quo.
He says what the majority of Americans are thinking, but are afraid to articulate for fear of geting into trouble with the establishment elite who rule the country.
That’s why all they are all determined to get rid of him, before it’s too late.
But Ron Paul just sat there like a doofus when it came to going after Romney just like he always has.
mark levin,
Haven’t you been listening to your namesake? Paul and Romney have formed a nonagression pact.