Romney Campaign Press Release - Rick Spendtorum, Part 1: Bringing Home the Bacon

"As spending and debt started spiraling out of control, Senator Santorum joined in the fiscal irresponsibility, getting in line for his share of the pork. We cannot solve the problems in Washington with someone who helped cause them." —Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesman

Senator Rick Spendtorum "Was A Great Pork Senator":

"Santorum Spent His 12 Years In The Senate Working Hard To Bring Home The Federal Bacon To The State." "Santorum spent his 12 years in the Senate working hard to bring home the federal bacon to the state; Toomey has always disdained that sort of pork barrel politics even when he was representing the Allentown area in the House from 1998 to 2004. When Toomey says, as he did today that Romney stands for 'the principles of limited government' that means something." (Jonathan S. Tobin, "Who's The Real Conservative? Ask Toomey," Commentary, 3/23/12)

"Fiscal Conservatives [In Pennsylvania] See Him As A Big-Government, Pork-Barrel Spender." (Robert J. Vickers, "Pennsylvania GOP Leaders Believe Rick Santorum Isn't A Good Fit For The Presidency," Harrisburg Patriot-News, 1/9/12)

Liberal Senator Arlen Specter Assisted In Building Santorum's Clout By "Putting Him First On Earmarks." "Perhaps most important, Specter has leveraged his perch as a subcommittee chairman on the Appropriations Committee to deliver federal dollars to Pennsylvania to help Santorum. 'When I'm putting him first on earmarks, that shows that he's the guy who's got clout,' Specter said, adding that he helped Santorum secure a major job-training grant and that last year they jointly announced earmarks for defense companies in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley." (Jonathan E. Kaplan, "Specter To Repay Santorum," The Hill, 5/18/06)

Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell: Santorum "Was A Great Pork Senator." RENDELL: "I mean, you know, Rick, over the course of time, some things he did very well. He was a great, I hate to say this, Rick, he was a great pork Senator. As governor, when I called Rick Santorum and I said 'we need this,' he got it. He was a great pork Senator. But above and beyond that, above and beyond that, people are amazed that he could be considered a serious presidential candidate." Q: "So you never got from him on the telephone when you'd call him about an appropriations project, you never got stuff about you've got to watch out for the deficit, we've got to spend less..." RENDELL: "No. And I pick my spots Mike, because, you know, I made sure the projects were good ones. But when they were good ones, Rick went to work and he got them done." (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," 3/13/12)

Senator Spendtorum Is "Proud Of All The Earmarks" He Obtained:

Santorum Brought Over $1 Billion In Pork-Barrel Spending Back To Pennsylvania. "In all, Taxpayers for Common Sense estimated, Mr. Santorum helped secure more than $1 billion in earmarks during his Senate career, which stretched from 1995 through 2006." (Michael Luo and Mike McIntire, "Donors Gave As Santorum Won Earmarks," The New York Times, 1/15/12)

• Santorum: "I Have Had A Lot Of Earmarks. In Fact, I'm Very Proud Of All The Earmarks I've Put In Bills. I'll Defend Earmarks." (Fox News' "Hannity," 2/26/09)

Santorum Has Even Admitted He Is "No Longer A Deficit Hawk ... I'll Tell You Why. I Had To Spend The Surpluses." "Confronted with projected deficits until fiscal 2007, senior GOP lawmakers are backing away from long-standing rhetoric about the government's duty to live within its means. 'I came to the House as a real deficit hawk, but I am no longer a deficit hawk,' said Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). 'I'll tell you why. I had to spend the surpluses. Deficits make it easier to say no.'" (Hans Nichols, "Leadership Lines Up With Deficit Doves," The Hill, 2/5/03)