As Rick Santorum finds himself the new target of criticism from the Republican presidential field, one line of attack might sound familiar to the former senator from Pennsylvania -- one he used in 1994 against a Democratic opponent: GOP candidates Ron Paul and Rick Perry on Monday went after him for his record on spending while in Congress.
Paul's remarks came in a televised appearance on CNN in which he called Santorum a liberal; Perry's comments were made both on the stump and in a Web ad.
Santorum's first TV ad against then-Sen. Harris Wofford during his 1994 campaign for Senate charged the Democratic incumbent with wasteful spending.
"He's wasting your tax dollars, running up the deficit and then passing the bill on to your children and mine," Santorum said in the ad. Here's a portion of the TV spot, featuring Santorum's youngest son:
Perry's online ad targeting his rival splices together TV clips of Santorum saying, "I'm very proud of all the earmarks I've put in bills," and "I'll defend earmarks." Watch the Texas governor's Web ad:
Santorum has been defending spending on pet projects since Perry launched an Iowa radio ad that blasts him for supporting Alaska's "Bridge to Nowhere" and claims that he "personally demanded more than $1billion of earmarks in his 16 years in Congress."
Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.
Leave A Comment