Santorum: Romney "deliberately" misrepresenting health care record

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum.

/ AP Photo/Eric Gay

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum went on the offensive Thursday night against his rival Mitt Romney, accusing the former Massachusetts governor of "deliberately" misrepresenting his record on health care - though he declined to call Romney a liar outright.

In an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan, Santorum demurred on a question regarding the continuing controversy surrounding Rush Limbaugh by pivoting to Romney's history on health care.

"What I'd like to talk about, which is offensive, which is Governor Romney out there for almost a year telling the people in the Republican primary that he never advocated that Romneycare would be a federal model," Santorum told Morgan. "That he never advocated for an individual mandate, that government at the federal level require people to buy insurance, and now we find on several occasions, just in the past week, article after article, interview after interview, where Governor Romney did just that in 2009. Now, to me, that's offensive."

"For someone to go out and deliberately misrepresent his record, what he did at a very critical time, when people were making decisions on the issue of health care, for him to go out and recommend that to President Obama and then tell the voters on debate after debate that he never did any such thing, not only is his policy bad, not only did he recommend the wrong policy for the country, that he didn't tell the truth about what he did," Santorum continued.

Romney has faced criticism from Republicans for the health care law he signed while serving as governor of Massachusetts in 2005 - particularly because the legislation, like President Obama's health care law, includes an individual mandate. The administration has said Romney's health care law in Massachusetts served as a model for his.

The former Massachusetts governor has maintained that he thought the individual mandate was right for Massachusetts but that health care should not be mandated on a federal level, although a 2009 op-ed Romney penned for USA Today, recently unearthed by the website BuzzFeed, seems to suggest he may have thought otherwise.

"Healthcare is simply too important to the economy, to employment and to America's families to be larded up and rushed through on an artificial deadline," Romney wrote in the article, according to BuzzFeed. "There's a better way. And the lessons we learned in Massachusetts could help Washington find it." 

Santorum on Thursday accused Romney of "serially" telling people "that he did not do what we now know he did repeatedly."

Morgan prompted: "I mean, unless I'm mistaken, I think not telling the truth repeatedly is lying, isn't it?"

"Well, I'll let you frame that one and take responsibility for it. I just -- I said all I'm going to say on this," Santorum said.

[ellensmithee]

Romney told a lie? What else is new. Some people like listening to liars. Sadly, those idiots vote.

[NewtsArmy931]

I think this clip has a better record!

JFK Mitt or Jimmy Carter Rick, really?

http://youtu.be/D3EJwdpEgP0

[TJphoto]

Notice how he does not offer any solutions. Maybe it's because he likes things just the way they are. Here's one idea, just give everyone in this Country the same deal that Congress has for themselves. Will that work for you Rick?

[uisignorant]

Rick (Mr. Rogers) the whiner.
Please just shut-up and go home.

[prohb]

As much as I can't stand Santorum he is correct.

Romney is a serial liar.

[DF68]

Romney offers healthcare.

Santorum offers last rites.

Not a hard choice.

[nancy_naive]

Yeah, but if you're a stillborn, he might sleep with you.

[jimbom121]

But Romney is now taking away healthcare, so what is the difference between the 2?

[facinfun]

here's a hint, Frothy Rick; Show me a Catholic who doesn't practice birth control and I'll show you a Parent!

[Larnan5]

And what do you propose Sen. Santorum? Ban contraception, limit health care, cut back social security and medicare, forget about "snobbish" higher education and limit women's rights to privacy and choice. For independents Romney is still the best bet. You are running on a program that has no relation to this century. There is no path to return to the old days were men ruled and women were their "paper dolls".

[jimbom121]

Isn't Romney now proposing doing the same things that Santorum is proposing?

[bolafson]

jimbom121: You are probably right about Romney. He has proposed just about every solution possible for each issue.

[rlbybee]

Those statements are false by Santorum what he is saying by Romney! I listened to the tapes they were playing where Romney supposedly was advocating Romneycare on a federal level, and that is just plain false. I am so sick of tired of people spreading lies about this good man, and Santorum is the one I am sickest of all right now. He needs to get his facts straight. On top of all that is his downright anger and disgust at everything that he does not agree with. He presents himself at least 3/4 of the time in a disgusting and angry manner. I cannot stand the man, and we do not need him as president of our great country with the nasty attitude he carries with him all of the time.

[jimbom121]

What did he say then? He said twice that it should be a model for the country.

[bolafson]

jimbom: "a model for the country": He was talking about what each state could do, not the feds.

[kingkrabby]

If you are dumb enough to think "Obamacare" is bad. Then you are smart enough to vote for a Republican.