Santorum says "I don't care what the unemployment rate's going to be"

(CBS News) MOLINE, Ill. - Rick Santorum is coming under fire for saying that the unemployment rate and economic growth are secondary issues to that of freedom in his campaign, a statement that rival Mitt Romney's campaign quickly seized on as being tone-deaf to the plight of out-of-work Americans.

"We need a candidate who's going to be a fighter for freedom. Who's going to get up and make that the central theme in this race because it is the central theme in this race," Santorum told a crowd of about 200 voters during a rally here on Monday. "I don't care what the unemployment rate's going to be. Doesn't matter to me. My campaign doesn't hinge on unemployment rates and growth rates. It's something more foundational that's going on."

The event had barely ended when Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul e-mailed reporters to offer up the statement as evidence of Santorum being an "economic lightweight," a charge that Romney has been making in recent days. The former Massachusetts governor gave a speech in Chicago on Monday attacking President Obama's stewardship of the economy.

"Wow. Sen. Santorum may not care about the unemployment rate in this country or the nearly 24 million Americans struggling for work, but Mitt Romney does and is running to get people back to work," Saul said. "If anyone needed evidence that Rick Santorum is an economic lightweight, they needn't look any further than his various statements today. We're not going to turn around this economy by replacing one former senator with zero job-creating experience with another senator with zero job-creating experience. He has proven it once again," she wrote.

Romney himself, in a subsequent appearance at Bradley University, reaffirmed his concern for unemployment.

"One of the people who is running also for the Republican nomination today said that he doesn't care about the unemployment rate; that does bother me," Romney said. "I do care about the unemployment rate. It does bother me. I want to get people back to work."

Santorum sought to clarify his comments to reporters after the event by saying that freedom supersedes the unemployment issue, and he tried to paint Romney's economic plan as a non-conservative approach.

"Of course I care about the unemployment rate. I want the unemployment rate to go down, but I'm saying, my candidacy doesn't hinge on whether the unemployment rate goes up and down," he said. "Our candidacy's about something that transcends that; its about freedom, its not about, you know, Governor Romney's idea that he's going to fix the economy which is something that, of course, we as Republicans don't believe that presidents fix the economy; we believe that we try to do things to create an atmosphere for the economy to fix itself."

Sarah B. Boxer contributed

[seerclearly]

In our country, if you have no money, you are not free. Santorum's really lost his marbles. And I'm not suggesting that you're free if you go to work every day at McDonald's to just barely make rent, either. No, the only true freedom is if you're free to think as you wish, do with your life as you wish, and earn a decent living in the process. Ask any northern European: they think American's aren't free at all, and they have many more government regulations than we do. The reason is that they see that all we do is work work work, and never enjoy life.

[inseeisyou]

Is the anyone that actually disagrees with this? That would rather live as a slave with a job than live free without a job?

Of course freedom is the most important and precious thing a person can have - without it everything else is secondary.

Live free or die, baby!

[SJames6621]

Sanitorium gave us the best reason for taxing the repubs to death.

they can be free from working and eating.

[seerclearly]

Your freedom is worthless if you spend it waiting in the bread line.

[reality_sanity]

Republicans never believed that JOBS where a priority for them to assist in creating.

[hasselton]

Santormum doesn't care about the unemployment rate, which is a fair indication of how many people have not job. He cares about "freedom," which is an abstraction that can't be pinned down.
Romney, on another hand, doesn't care about the poor because they have a safety net, which, I presume, is among the entitlements he would remove;
Who are these "compassionate conservatives?"

[SJames6621]

compassionet to their own pocketbooks. for everyone else, well a comment about consitpation comes to mind. Tough xxxx

[CarolStrick]

I must have missed that freedom that Santorum is insisting upon. I thought he wanted to take back everyone's freedoms? Except his own, of course. Guess this was just his heart talking before his mind could review his statements. Again.

[SJames6621]

Including of course ending availability of birth control. HIs catholic church needs more kids M & F to keep their unmarried priests happy

[ProgressNow]

Of course the economy isn't his concern. Unemployment doesn't affect the top 1%...

[SJames6621]

In a way Rip-Gop, I agree with yoou. But its kind of like betting your whole wad on the lottery.

If he won, it would be the end of America. btw here's what his dear pope did in 2002, cuz he grew up in Germany in the 1930s

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-26/world/pope.holocaust.denial_1_bishop-richard-williamson-bishop-bernard-fellay-holocaust-denier?_s=PM:WORLD

[tsigili]

In truth, Obama has become such a dictator in America, that Santorum has a point.

Obama is the worst dictator this country has ever seen, bar none.

[ProgressNow]

What has he dictated to you???

[bilrobi1]

Be specific.Or are you just parroting Rush?

[PEretired]

FINALLY a politician that makes some sense. This country is going to hell in a handbasket--Afghanistan, $14+ TRILLION in debt, government mandated health care, wholesale loss of individual freedoms, corruption, etc., etc., etc. Unemployment is a problem; but so is business that exploits people, and the environment too. Santorum may not be the answer, but FINALLY a politician who says that we should look beyond our selfish selves to the good of the country.

[bilrobi1]

Afghanistan is winding down. Now which President got us into that and didn't even put it on the books? Health care is patriotic. Also it cost much less to keep the population healthy. We've finally caught up with the rest of the civilized world. Unemployment rate is lower. Business does exploit people,but the conservative want to abolish unions that protect against such practices. and the environment". Are you trying to sell Santorum as a protector of the environment. He's a zealot and not much more. I think The First Amendment is every bit as important as the Second Amendment.

[pandygirl]

Well Santorum just keeps pushing Americans away every time he opens his mouth. He seems to have a habit of opening mouth and inserting his foot almost on a daily basis. Sooner rather than later Americans will wise up and see Santorum for what he really is, a self-serving, careless jerk. He only cares about pushing his agenda on Americans and that's all he cares about. I can't believe this guy wants to be President but he can't even manage his campaign enough to get on the ballot everywhere. Again he is not on the ballot in four districts in the IL primary and his is not on the ballot at all in D.C and DC is winner take all. If he can't run a Presidential campaign, how will he ever run America? America doesn't need this kind of additional problems. We as Americans can't afford to babysit him as Whiner in Chief.

[fredisalive]

this suited klansman is not about freedom! The only freedom that he would like to loose is other peoples freedom not his! I have been alive in this country for 30 years and this rant every 4 years from wingnuts that we are about to loose our freedom if a democrat gets elected or re-elected is starting to really wear thin!

[antoniof123]

God how true I am so sick and tired I will be voting a straight ticket and he is not on it.