Santorum hammers Romney over felon voting rights

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, left, speaks as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney listens at the South Carolina Republican presidential candidate debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Monday, Jan. 16, 2012.

/ Pool,AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Monday took GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney to task for opposing voting rights for felons who have served their time -- and for what Santorum cast as a flip-flop on the issue from his time as Massachusetts governor.

During the Fox News/Wall Street Journal-hosted Republican presidential debate ahead of the January 21 South Carolina primary, Santorum spun a question about the place of attack ads on the campaign trail into a back-and-forth with Romney over whether or not felons should be allowed voting rights after they have been released.

The candidate, who is making a hard push to emerge as the race's consensus anti-Romney candidate, appeared to have prepared the line of attack in advance.

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When asked if the GOP field should abandon negative attacks against their opponents, Santorum claimed to have maintained a largely positive campaign before quickly turning to Romney with a direct question.

"Governor Romney's super PAC has put an ad out there suggesting that I voted to allow felons to be able to vote from prison," he said. "I would ask Governor Romney, do you believe people who have -- who were felons, who served their time, who have extended, exhausted their parole and probation, should they be given the right to vote?"

Romney, in response, attempted to address the more general question about the role of super PACs in politics. But Santorum was not having it.

"I'm looking for a question -- an answer to the question first," Santorum said, cutting Romney off.

"We have plenty of time," Romney responded. "I'll get there. I'll do it in the order I want to do."

Santorum pointed out that he had yielded Romney his own time in order to ask him the question, and reiterated his demand: "I'm asking you to answer the question, because that's how you got the time. It's actually my time."

The former Pennsylvania repeated his question, noting that "This is Martin Luther King Day. This is a huge deal in the African-American community, because we have very high rates of incarceration, disproportionately high rates, particularly with drug crimes, in the African-American community."

"The bill I voted on was the Martin Luther King Voting Rights bill," he continued. "And this was a provision that said, particularly targeted African-Americans. And I voted to allow -- to allow them to have their voting rights back once they completed their sentence. Do you agree with that?" he prompted.

"I don't think people who have committed violent crimes should be allowed to vote again. That's my own view," Romney answered.

Santorum was ready with a cross-examination-style response.

"You know, it's very interesting you should say that, Governor Romney, because in the state of Massachusetts, when you were governor, the law was that not only could violent felons vote after they exhausted their sentences, but they could vote while they were on probation and parole, which was a more liberal position than I took when I voted for the bill in the Congress."

Santorum continued: "If, in fact, you felt so passionately about this that you are now going to go out and have somebody criticize me for restoring voting rights to people who have -- who have exhausted their sentence and served their time and paid their debt to society, then why didn't you try to change that when you were governor of Massachusetts?"

Romney, who appeared blindsided by the question, reiterated the fact that, as governor, he presided over a largely Democratic electorate.

"I had an 85 percent Democratic legislature," he said. "This is something we discussed. My view was people who committed violent crimes should not be able to vote, even upon coming out of office."

He pivoted quickly to the question of super PACs, reiterating candidates' legal obligations not to involve themselves in super PAC actions. He reminded the audience that "there have been some attacks on me, I mean, that have just been outrageous and completely inaccurate and have been shown to be inaccurate."

"That's the nature of the process," Romney said.

Santorum was not satisfied with the response.

"I need to respond to this. What the governor said is he didn't propose anything to change that law, and what he's saying is that the -- the ad that says that I said that -- or I voted to allow felons to vote is inaccurate. And it is inaccurate," he said. "And if I had something -- the super PAC that was supporting me -- that was inaccurate, I would go out and say, 'Stop it.'"

[WhiteLotusBlooming]

Typical christian what can I say the say that millions of men that are minorities can not vote or even live in their own ghettos. If I could get my right back I would only vote for a black man or a man that supports the felons having the rights back. Because these racist know that we can not live out here .I believe its come back one day hopefully some bright minds get together and make sure people understand loud and clear we got a scum bag problem in America that we have more scum bags wearing suits than we do in prisons. Try being latino and growing in the south .http://fathersandmenthatareexfelonsonblogger.blogspot.com/

[hopetrumps]

All good Christians and other truthseekers should google "tract mormon"---there's loads of excellent tracts explaining "mormonism"----It's one thing to have a different religion, but it's another thing to distort the truth as Mitt Romney does so consistently--if he isn't telling an outright whopper he's twisting truth so ugly that it bleeds---truth is, Mormonism is based on a "prophet" that came AFTER Jesus Christ like Mohammedanism and is filled with wild and fantastical stories and theories about reality--Good Christians and all men of good will: print those tracts out and distribute them before good people are fooled before they vote!

[thebob-bob]

Where's Willie Horton when you need him??

Fear, Hatred, Distortion, Distraction and Division is all Republicans have to offer America.

[doninva]

How is a bill granting black criminals the return of their voting rights NOT racist? I object to ANYONE who is a convict, on social services, or otherwise NOT pulling their weight, contributing as a productive citizen, having a say in the future. With RIGHTS come RESPONSIBILITIES. Such as fulfill your duty to not mess up things for your community. I say take MORE peoples right to vote away, to many people are voting who are only voting for more free lunches.

[Quivley]

Santorum is FLAWED and speaks often with a forked tongue. He reminds me of a cross between a spoiled child and a playground bully.

[nearl451]

Santorum,like many social conservatives, lacks the ability to think in shades of gray.

[RealiteBites]

These Republicans are such hypocrites - claiming the Constitution's all about upholding individual liberties ... but yet these fools like Rick Santorum want to keep people disenfranchised?

I know the Supreme Court held that it's not Unconsitutional for convicted felons to be permanently deprived of their right to vote - but so was Separate but Equal at one time ... the Court's not always on the right side of history ...

That actually makes flip-flopper Romney seem sort of okay in my eyes ... that he supported this voting rights bill ... but the rednecks'll probably hold it against him ...

[Buckeye2151]

"The bill I voted on was the Martin Luther King Voting Rights bill," he continued. "And this was a provision that said, particularly targeted African-Americans. And I voted to allow -- to allow them to have their voting rights back once they completed their sentence. Do you agree with that?" he prompted.

I find it interesting that everytime Santorum makes a derogatory comment about minorities that it is always aimed directly at African-Americans.

I guess he things the way he directed the question today will help him in the African American community. Even when he is trying not to offend, he ends up offending every African American I know.

The man is nothing but a racist.

[dzaffina]

what about tom delay?

[spitbucketbaptismo]

If a convict has served his time, paid all his fines, served all his parole/probation, and had the sentencing judge sign off on all that, that convict has regained his liberty and rights. Well except the right to keep and bear.
There are now an inordinate number of upstanding Americans that are ex-felons. Where in our Constitution does it state that after making amends for a crime, you lose your right to vote?