Rick Santorum says America might be facing its most important election since the days of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. That is how severe Santorum views the damage Barack Obama has done to the country. The former Pennsylvania Senator participated in the Iowa GOP’s “Chairman’s Speaker Series” event Tuesday evening. Talking to a crowd of 100 likely caucus goers in Cedar Rapids, Santorum spent the better part of an hour condemning Obama’s policies.
His voice rose almost to the point of shouting at times. “It offends me,” Santorum declared. “It upsets me when the President of the United States says that our country was not a great country until people like him, people that believe in government, say that they’re going to do things for you. That doesn’t make us great. That makes us like every other country.”
The delivery was a great departure from Santorum’s last major speech in Iowa. During the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition event in March, Santorum delivered a very low key dialogue that focused almost exclusively on abortion. The life issue never came up Tuesday evening.
Instead, Santorum launched a blistering attack on President Obama. He claimed that during Obama’s budget speech a few weeks ago, the President stated that America was not a great country until Medicare, Medicaid and unemployment insurance began to be offered.
“Barack Obama said that America was not a great country before 1965,” Santorum added. “The President of the United States of America said, in a prepared speech to the nation, that America was not a great country until government took care of people. Now I can tell you that my grandfather, when he came to this country in 1925, didn’t come to this country because of Medicare, Medicaid and unemployment insurance. He didn’t come here because the government was going to take care of him.” (Watch the video below)
For the record, Obama’s actual statement was, “We are a better country because of these commitments. I’ll go further – we would not be a great country without those commitments.” Santorum did not relent during a half-hour question and answer session with the audience. He delved into great detail while responding to each question, usually offering a scathing rebuke of Obama. The topics included national security, energy, deregulation, China, and Iran. Santorum’s answers included an accusation that Obama sided with the enemy during Iran’s Green Revolution two summers ago.
“What did the President of the United States do,” Santorum asked the crowd. “Did he side with the revolutionaries like he did in Egypt? Did he side with the revolutionaries like he’s done in Libya? Did he side with our enemy? Did he side with the people who are killing our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan? Yes. That’s what he did. And as a result, that moment passed.” (Watch the video below)
Santorum’s rhetoric scored with many of those in the audience. TheIowaRepublican.com spoke with a handful of attendees who said they could see themselves supporting the former senator in the 2012 Iowa Caucus. Santorum has made several campaign appearances in eastern Iowa over the past few days and believes his message is resonating.
“I’m straight forward,” Santorum said. “I’m someone who is a passionate, conviction conservative who has walked the walk and taken the arrows and fought the good fights, been in the foxholes. I think I understand why I believe what I believe and I think I can communicate that to a broad audience. I’m not too sure that’s the case with everybody else.”
Santorum showed he is well-versed on many topics, ranging from the Constitution to foreign policy to the budget. His social conservative credentials are as strong as any candidate. However, it is Santorum’s willingness to confront liberal Democrats that many Iowa Caucus goers will appreciate. The former Pennsylvania Senator says he will make a final decision on whether or not to run for President within the next nine weeks. (2 Videos)
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