Romney Campaign Press Release - Santorum: "The Issue In This Race Is Not The Economy"

"If anyone needed evidence that Rick Santorum is an economic lightweight, they needn't look any further than his statement today that the economy is not the issue in this race." —Gail Gitcho, Romney Communications Director

Earlier Today, Senator Santorum Claimed "The Issue In This Race Is Not The Economy":

Santorum: "The Issue In This Race Is Not The Economy." "On Monday morning, as Santorum kicked off a full day of campaigning in Illinois, where he trails Mitt Romney in the polls, Santorum gave critics of his messaging more ammunition. 'The issue in this race is not the economy,' he said." (Jon Ward, "Rick Santorum: 'The Issue In This Race Is Not The Economy'," The Huffington Post, 3/19/12)

Given The Record Levels Of Unemployment, Debt, And Deficits Under President Obama's Failed Leadership, The Economy Is Central To This Year's Election:

February Was The Thirty-Seventh Straight Month With National Unemployment Above 8%. The jobless rate has been above 8% since February 2009, a thirty-seven month span unequaled in recorded history. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 3/19/12)

"The Congressional Budget Office Is Projecting Unemployment Of More Than 8% Throughout This Election Year And Into 2014." (David Jackson, "CBO Projects 8%-Plus Unemployment Into 2014," USA Today, 2/16/12)

Nearly Twenty-Four Million Americans Are Unemployed, Underemployed, Or Have Stopped Looking For Work. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 3/19/12)

CNBC's Brian Sullivan: "At This Rate Of Job Creation It Will Take Us A Decade To Get Back To Pre-Recession Employment Levels." SULLIVAN: "We're going to need three and four hundred thousand jobs a month created to get back to where we were. At this rate of job creation it will take us a decade to get back to pre-recession employment levels." (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," 3/9/12)

"[President] Obama's Budget Projects That The Deficit For The Current Year Will Total $1.33 Trillion, The Fourth Straight Year Of Deficits Over $1 Trillion." ("Highlights Of Obama's $3.8 Trillion Budget," The Associated Press, 2/13/12)

The National Debt Recently Passed $15.5 Trillion — And Continues To Climb. (U.S. Treasury Department, www.treasurydirect.gov, 3/19/12)

A REMINDER: Senator Santorum Is An Economic Lightweight Who Has No Experience In The Real Economy And Whose Proposals Have Been Widely Panned By Conservatives:

The Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Santorum Often Gives The Impression That He Views The Economy As A Secondary Issue..." (Editorial, "Where's The Rest Of Them?" The Wall Street Journal, 2/9/12)

The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin: "Santorum's Strong Suit Is Not The Economy." "As often as Santorum says he is going to migrate back to economic themes, he never seems to make it. That may be because his own economic views aren't very conservative, and his tax plan has more in common with the president's tax philosophy than with libertarians' and Republicans' views." (Jennifer Rubin, "Santorum's Strong Suit Is Not The Economy," The Washington Post, 3/14/12)

Cato Institute's Michael Tanner: "The Tea Party And 2010 Elections Were Largely About Economic Issues And The Desire To Limit The Size, Cost, And Intrusiveness Of Government. And Those Issues Are Not Santorum's Strong Suit." (Michael Tanner, "Santorum's Big-Government Conservatism," National Review, 1/4/12)

Tax Foundation's Will McBride: "[Santorum's Plan] May Be The Worst Idea Of Any Of The Republican Candidates. ... No Other Candidate Has Proposed Such A Grossly Unfair System." (Bernie Becker, "Some Conservatives See Santorum's Tax Plan As 'Welfare In Disguise'," The Hill, 1/7/12)

AEI's Kevin Hassett: "[Santorum's Plan] Is Just The Height Of Economic Illiteracy. It's Inexcusable.'" (Dan Hirschhorn, "Rick Loses Market Value," The Daily, 2/17/12)

The Heritage Foundation's Curtis Dubay: "This Is Not Free-Market Economics." "This is not free-market economics, this is trying to tilt the market toward manufacturing, and it will hurt the economy rather than help it, because resources would be artificially diverted from other sectors of the economy to manufacturing." (Dan Hirschhorn, "Rick Loses Market Value," The Daily, 2/17/12)

Economist And Former CBO Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin: Santorum's Plan Is "Completely At Odds With Tax Reform." "Douglas Holtz-Eakin of American Action Forum makes the point that the tax rate break for manufacturers is not all that different from President Obama's tax credit for manufacturing firms, and a super-duper tax credit for 'high tech' firms. Such schemes, he says, are 'completely at odds with tax reform.'" (Jennifer Rubin, "Santorum's Problem Isn't 'Insiderism,' It's Economic Literacy," The Washington Post, 2/14/12)

Club For Growth's Andy Roth: Santorum's Plan Is "Bad Tax Policy." "Andy Roth from Club for Growth calls the manufacturing-favoritism 'bad tax policy.' He tells me that it suggests Santorum believes that 'government should be limited except when he is in charge.'" (Jennifer Rubin, "Santorum's Problem Isn't 'Insiderism,' It's Economic Literacy," The Washington Post, 2/14/12)