Late Surge Puts Rick Santorum in the Spotlight
Email
Scott Olson/Getty Images
ABC News’ Shushannah Walshe and Michael Falcone report:
INDIANOLA, Iowa- Rick Santorum was greeted with another scene he hasn’t seen much of since entering the race , an event packed with almost as many press as voters.
Gone was the usual one to two hour town hall, instead replaced with a short stump, some handshaking and then reporters and cameras chasing him outside to the pick-up truck he rides in from stop to stop.
He was not ready to boast about his new place on the leaderboard in Iowa telling reporters, “I know a candidate a few weeks ago who was acting like that” adding he still has “a lot of work” to do.
Outside of the Indianola Public Library he was swarmed while doing an interview with CBS News’ Jan Crawford.
Without mentioning Mitt Romney by name he said he’s “always scratched my head at suggestions that the guy that can win, that the guy who ran as a liberal could win.”
He then went into a line that will clearly be repeated over the next three days as he tries to get voters away from the Iowa frontrunner.
If Santorum does well here it’s an attack that is sure to be repeated in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
“(He’s) never run as a conservative and won anything. Why would you think that he can attract votes from communities that I grew up in. I grew up in a Southwestern Pennsylvania steel town, a blue collar neighborhood, son of an immigrant and those are the states that we have to win and I think that’s what people in Iowa are looking for,” Santorum said.
The former Pennsylvania senator said “there is more than a little narrow issue called jobs. It’s a huge issue, but there is more to being a president and there is more to that issue than what your economic plan is.”
He said he can win Iowa on Tuesday.
“We didn’t come here to lose,” Santorum said, wearing a new gray Rick Santorum for President sweater vest. “I mean I came here to win and I think you see from the pace of the campaign we are putting everything in and if you had asked me that days ago when I was sitting at five percent in the polls you probably wouldn’t have asked me that so I think the fact that you are asking it gives you some sense that we are doing well.”
The day after the caucuses on Tuesday he will make his 13th trip to New Hampshire.
On Friday, he noted his numbers in the Granite State “are pretty much where they were in Iowa equidistant out from the primary so…I think we will do better than people expect.”
He said his campaign office in Bedford, New Hampshire is “full of people making phone calls.” “I have said from the beginning if Iowa gives us the little bit of a spark then we got a lot of tinder on the ground in New Hampshire and South Carolina,” Santorum said. “We’ve got a lot of folks in Florida calling us and have been calling for weeks and we’ve got folks in Nevada working.”
Best Commencement Speeches of 2012 
Joe Biden Recalls Death of Wife, Daughter
If Santorum won the nomination he would face constant accusations of hating gays, gay marriage and everything else God abhors. Liberals absolutely hate people of faith like Santorum. We already know that the liberal media (redundant, I know) outlets are going to campaing for Obama (again). This time they’ll really go after Santorum as a “hater”. Unlike Obama, who, of course, doesn’t “hate” on anybody unless they disagree with his failed economic policies, Obamacare, etc., etc.
Posted by: s | December 31, 2011, 4:56 pm 4:56 pm
Our candidate here needs to be asked about ndaa section 1031 indefinite detention
without trial. The President just made this law of the land. So ABC all the candidates need to be asked. Are you up to it. This is Freedom being taken from us. Just like
the robbery of social security under the guise of a tax cut. Sorry, the curtain has been pulled back, now and all of us can see who is the great Oz.
Posted by: deadwrestler | December 31, 2011, 5:59 pm 5:59 pm
Surge?
He had almost as many reporters as voters! That isn’t a surge, that’s false, media pushing.
Posted by: Jason | December 31, 2011, 6:56 pm 6:56 pm
Deadwrestler (5:59 PM); You wouldn’t have to even ask Ron Paul what he thinks of it would you.
Posted by: newcountryman | December 31, 2011, 7:42 pm 7:42 pm
Sanatorium is not going anywhere. LOL
Posted by: Jim Bob jr. | December 31, 2011, 8:24 pm 8:24 pm
Obama just signed a bill – that allows the american military to arrest american citizens without warrant and hold them indefinately.
The bill was passed with bipartisan support and signed by our democratic president.
Everyone one of the presidential candidates, Republican and Democrat alike – supports this direction for the country.
The only exception to that rule is Ron Paul. He’s the only one that envisions a country where rule of law is respected. Where the U.S. sets an example as a country of laws.
Frankly Ron Paul’s baggage isn’t even important. If we keep voting for people like Santorum then we’ll deserve our fate.
I’m going to support Ron Paul and my support won’t waver. There is no need, and no justification for removing the judicial system from our systems of checks and balances. Obtaining a warrant is a necessary step – and in no way was blocking the pursuit of terrorists.
We don’t have a crisis of terrorism, we have a crisis of character, as a nation.
Posted by: Rocko | December 31, 2011, 9:19 pm 9:19 pm
We’ve had these candidates like Santorum come and go – and it’s obvious the ‘pick’ that we are supposed to pick is Romney. But with Romney flailing, we’ve had various second choices – anybody but Ron Paul will do.
Right, sure….sorry but only Ron Paul stands against government abuse of power. The rest are big government devotees.
Posted by: Rowdy | December 31, 2011, 9:23 pm 9:23 pm