Boston Eyes Rick

Romney campaign goes out of its way to highlight McCain hitting Santo on earmarks with media email.

McCain: "Senator Santorum and I have a strong disagreement – a strong disagreement that he believed that pork barrel projects were good for America. I think it’s wrong for America."

Read the email below.

JOHN MCCAIN CRITICIZES RICK SANTORUM ON EARMARKS

 

“Senator Santorum and I have a strong disagreement – a strong disagreement that he believed that pork barrel projects were good for America. I think it’s wrong for America.” – Senator John McCain, 1/5/12

 

Senator John McCain: “Senator Santorum And I Have A Strong Disagreement – A Strong Disagreement That He Believed That Pork Barrel Projects Were Good For America. I Think It’s Wrong For America.” “I want to talk about the problems in Washington. In case you missed it, the latest poll shows the approval rating of Congress at 9 percent…and it’s because we have taxed too much, we have spent too much, and we have borrowed too much. And we have let spending go out of control. And one of the reasons, one of the reasons, why we have mortgaged our children’s and our grandchildren’s futures is because of the pork barrel, earmark corruption in Washington. Believe me, earmark spending is the gateway to corruption. And that was practiced when Republicans were in the majority. Senator Santorum and I have a strong disagreement — a strong disagreement that he believed that earmark and pork barrel projects were good for America. I think it’s wrong for America and so does Senator DeMint and so does Senator Lindsey Graham, who have been staunch fighters against earmark and pork barrel spending and I know you’re proud of them.” (Senator John McCain, Remarks, Charleston, SC, 1/5/12)

 

·         Click Here To See The Video: http://youtu.be/Kj-WCu-ipwQ

 

Senator John McCain: “He was an avid earmarker and a staunch defender of porkbarrel spending … I just don't think he can portray himself as a fiscal conservative. We all know that earmarking is a 'gateway drug' to corruption.” (Steve Holland And Michelle Nichols, “Santorum Coming Under Closer Scrutiny In New Hampshire,” Reuters, 1/5/12)

 

·         Senator McCain Noted Senator Santorum’s Earmark For A Polar Bear Exhibit Saying “The Polar Bears Are Living Well … That's The Good News.” “Santorum's efforts to obtain taxpayer funds for spending projects for his home state of Pennsylvania have long been an issue. McCain specifically cited the $500,000 that Santorum engineered for a polar bear exhibit at the Pittsburgh zoo as an example of wasteful spending. ‘The polar bears are living well,’ McCain said wryly. ‘That's the good news.’” (Steve Holland And Michelle Nichols, “Santorum Coming Under Closer Scrutiny In New Hampshire,” Reuters, 1/5/12)

 

Senator John McCain: “I respect all of the candidates. And I respect their willingness to run. It is very tough to do that. It is a grind that is hard to describe unless you have been part of it. I respect Senator Santorum. He and I had very strong differences on earmarking and pork barrel spending. I believe that earmarking is a gateway drug to corruption. Senator Santorum supported it and engaged in it as much as he possibly could. I strongly disagreed with it. That was a fundamental difference we had in the Senate. But I still respect him.” (CNN’s “Starting Point,” 1/5/12)

 

·         Click Here To See The Video: http://youtu.be/LHyQlXJOBJc

 

McCain Noted He Had “Strong Differences” With Santorum On Earmarks And “Pork-Barrel Spending” After An Event In Manchester On Wednesday. “And their battle royal over earmarks came up as the Arizona senator signed autographs after endorsing Romney at Manchester Central High School. Praising Romney's ability to hit the ground running on economic issues, McCain noted that he himself and Santorum had some ‘very strong differences’ on earmarks and ‘pork-barrel spending.’”(Maeve Reston, “John McCain Endorses Former Rival Mitt Romney In New Hampshire,” Los Angeles Times, 1/4/11)

 

CNN: “McCain, A Fierce And Longtime Opponent Of ‘Pork-Barrel Spending,’ Joined Romney For A Rally In Charleston And Set About Attacking Santorum's Record Of Securing Earmarks.” “McCain, a fierce and longtime opponent of ‘pork-barrel spending,’ joined Romney for a rally in Charleston and set about attacking Santorum's record of securing earmarks. Romney was silent on the matter, and let McCain do the talking. ‘Earmark spending is the gateway to corruption, and that was practiced when Republicans were in the majority,’ McCain said, flanked by Romney and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Romney's leading backer in the Palmetto State.” (Peter Hamby, “McCain Takes Aim At Santorum In South Carolina,” CNN, 1/5/12)

 

The Washington Post: Senator McCain “Dove Into The Republican Primary Fray, Slamming Candidate Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) For The Former Senator’s Support Of Congressional Earmarking.” “No sooner did Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) endorse Mitt Romney for president than he dove into the Republican primary fray, slamming candidate Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) for the former senator’s support of congressional earmarking.” (Felicia Sonmez, “McCain Blasts Santorum On ‘Pork-Barrel Spending’,” The Washington Post, 1/5/12)