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United States News Title: Watch: Santorum Struggles to Name Rubio’s U.S. Senate Accomplishments Thursday in an appearance on MSNBCs Morning Joe, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), who dropped his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday, was asked name any accomplishments of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), the candidate he endorsed upon departing the race. Host Joe Scarborough repeatedly asked Santorum to name those accomplishments, to which Santorum called the query unfair given how government was divided between Republicans and Democrats in Washington, DC over his tenure as Floridas junior senator. Transcript as follows: SCARBOROUGH: What What What do you list as Marco Rubios top accomplishment that made you decide to endorse him? SANTORUM: Well, I mean, I would just say that this is a guy whos been able to, No. 1, win a tough election in Florida and pull people together from a variety of different spots. This is a guy that I think can work together with people. Thats the thing I like about him the most, that hes someone who brings people together. And at a time with when theres such divisiveness in Washington, I was looking for someone that can win this election and it wasnt a divider, and I think thats the problem I have with everybody else in the field. SCARBOROUGH: So he can win, but hes been in the Senate for four years. Can you name his top accomplishment in the Senate, actually working in the Senate doing something that tilted your decision to Marco Rubio? SANTORUM: You know, heres what I would say about that. My feeling on Marco is someone who has tremendous potential, tremendous gifts. If you look at being a minority in the United States Senate in a year where nothing got four years where nothing got done, I guess its hard to say there are accomplishments. I mean, you tell me what happened during that four years that was accomplishment for anybody? I mean, it was a complete gridlock. SCARBOROUGH: But MIKA BRZEZINSKI, MSNBC HOST: Wait a minute. SCARBOROUGH: Hold on, hold on. BRZEZINSKI: This is disturbing. SCARBOROUGH: The Republicans have been in the majority for the past two years. Can you name one thing that hes passed in the last two years? SANTORUM: OK, Joe, look, the Republicans have been majority for one year and one month, of which, as you know, he was running for president primarily. The first four years he was in the minority and nothing got done. And by the way, what happened this year under the Republican that he is got done? BRZEZINSKI: OK, so whatd he do in Florida? SCARBOROUGH: Well, I can list some things that happened, but Im not defending the Congress. Im not being difficult here, Im just asking you to name one accomplishment you think Marco Rubio SANTORUM: No, Im just saying the problem is SCARBOROUGH: List one accomplishment, just one, just one, that Marco achieved. Maybe a bill that he wrote. Maybe a moment in the committee. SANTORUM: All right. BRZEZINSKI: Like, Jeb Bush ran Florida, Donald Trump built a company. Marco Rubio finish the sentence. SANTORUM: Yes, OK. Marco Rubio was, No. 1, the Speaker of the Florida House, which is not something thats a minor deal. I mean, he was elected by his colleagues to be Speaker of the House. No. 2, you know, he spent four years in the United States Senate being frustrated like everybody else that nothing got done, and then you cant point to him and say nothing got done and therefore he has no accomplishments. The problem is we have a president who doesnt work with people. BRZEZINSKI: Well, maybe he was for something. SANTORUM: And you got no cooperation at all. So this is a bogus argument. You got a completely feckless Congress and you cant say, well, he was there and therefore its his fault. SCARBOROUGH: Its actually not a bogus argument. All Im asking is a simple question; Ill ask it one more time. Dont attack me, because weve been friends for a very long time. SANTORUM: We have. And Im not attacking you. SCARBOROUGH: No, no, no. Let me ask the question one more time. List one accomplishment that Marco Rubio has achieved in four years in the United States Senate. It doesnt even have to be a passed bill. SANTORUM: Well, I know he included something that went after the insurance companies in the most recent omnibus. He fought for that, to stop bailing out insurance companies. Thats one thing Im familiar that I just saw recently. But and again, he was on the campaign trail and accomplished that. The bottom line is there isnt a lot of accomplishments, Joe, and I just dont think its a fair question to say SCARBOROUGH: Can I ask you about you? SANTORUM: over the last four years where nothing has happened and then blame one person because he didnt get accomplishments done. Neither did President Obama. SCARBOROUGH: Well, I actually you know what, Rick, through your ups and downs in the United States Senate, I can list several accomplishments that you have. I want to ask you what happened what in your campaign. We had you on early. You had a great message about blue-collar voters, reaching out to blue-collar voters, and I thought early on that you were going to be a guy to watch. And I actually tweeted yesterday I was mystified that you didnt catch on in Iowa, because youre every bit as effective or more effective in 16 as you were 12. What changed? SANTORUM: The public changed. I think theyre looking not at someone with accomplishments and a track record, but someone who had a who considered someone who is an outsider, someone who could talk on the establishment, in the case of Trump and Cruz. And I think the case of Rubio hes sort of anti- Trump and Cruz. Someone who looks like he has a, you know, a vision for this country that very much was like mine, which I appreciate. Its the reason Im endorsing him. I think his vision is very much in line with my vision and Im looking for someone who can communicate that vision. And lets just be honest, he did a better job than I did. And I appreciate that and thats why Im joining the team. I think hes someone who shares our values, my values, shares the values of working men and women. And, look, I were going to work together and Im going to make sure that we have a great team that can go to Washington, D.C., and get a lot of things done. Poster Comment: Rick Santorum endorsed Arlen Specter in 2004, Rubio is more of the same. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top Page Up Full Thread Page Down Bottom/Latest
#1. To: nativist nationalist (#0)
(Edited)
Meh. Kinda dumb really. The only big thing Rubio did was the Rubio-Schumer Gang of Eight Shamnesty bill. Obviously, Santorum isn't going to mention that but clearly that is what he was thinking of when he mentioned "working together with others". Santorum did too much of that "working together with others" before PA dumped him. Santorum otherwise makes the obvious comments on him being an attractive smooth candidate, young, and left unmentioned his Hispanic appeal and the establishment's emerging deep support for Rubio. Santorum is less interested in Rubio than he is in his own future with the GOP elite and his business interests and contacts. Endorsing Rubio means Santorum gets an automatic pass to stay in the Old Boys Club in the GOPe in the Beltway, might even land a regular gig as an election pundit on FNC later on in the year, given that he won a number of states in 2012 (around a dozen?) against Romney. And FNC is obviously pro-Rubio.
I don't think many conservatives will ever forgive him for that. Si vis pacem, para bellum Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who don't Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. There are no Carthaginian terrorists. President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. --Clint Eastwood
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