Romney Campaign Press Release - Rick Santorum: "Often Wrong, But Never In Doubt" - Volume Two

More Exaggerations And False Statements By Senator Santorum

"Rick Santorum's complicated relationship with the truth goes beyond his false statements about Governor Romney's record. Senator Santorum can't seem to get his facts straight on his own record, either. Americans are tired of the same old exaggerations and falsehoods that come from career politicians." —Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Senator Santorum Has Previously Called Himself "Often Wrong, But Never In Doubt":

Santorum, Admitting What Others Know: "Often Wrong, But Never In Doubt." "'Often wrong,' [Santorum] called himself in one column. 'But never in doubt.'" (David A. Fahrenthold, "Rick Santorum's Inquirer Columns Offer A Window Into The Candidate's Mind," The Washington Post, 2/22/12)

Santorum Claimed His Prolific Earmarking In Congress Was Done In A Transparent Manner, Which Is Completely At Odds With The Facts:

FactCheck.org Characterized Santorum's Claims About Transparency In The Earmarking Process As "Not True." "Santorum said that when he was in Congress the members would 'publicly request' earmarks in an 'open process.' That's not true. The rules requiring public disclosure did not pass until 2007 — after Santorum left office." ("Fact-Mauling In Mesa," FactCheck.org, 2/23/12)

The Washington Post: "Santorum Oddly Accused Romney Of Misrepresenting The Truth About Earmarks When It Was Actually He Who Was Wrangling For Credibility In This Case." (Josh Hicks, "Rick Santorum's Defense Of Debt Ceiling Votes," The Washington Post, 2/24/12)

During Santorum's Time In Congress, Earmark Requests Were Secretly Submitted By Members And Inserted Into Bills That "Did Not Carry The Sponsors' Names." "Santorum, however, is the one misrepresenting the facts. Members of Congress did not have to publicly disclose their earmarks when he was in Congress. The requests were privately submitted to the relevant appropriations committees. Even earmarks that were inserted into spending bills did not carry the sponsors' names. Public disclosure was left up to the individual members, many of whom took credit for projects in their districts or states. That lack of transparency changed in 2007, when the House and Senate passed legislation requiring the disclosure of earmarks. Santorum was defeated in his bid to win reelection to the Senate in 2006." ("Fact-Mauling In Mesa," FactCheck.org, 2/23/12)

Santorum's Claim That He Has Campaigned In Every State Is Belied By The Fact That He Hasn't:

Santorum Says He Hasn't "Blown Off Any State" Except Alaska, But "Of Course, Santorum Did Not Compete In Every State. "'In every state, we've been campaigning and campaigning hard,' Santorum said. 'We haven't blown off any state, we've gone to every state. Well, I didn't go to Alaska, but there was a reason for that.' ... Of course, Santorum did not compete in every state, choosing not to campaign in Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Wyoming as well as Alaska. He did not campaign in Virginia, but he — along with Newt Gingrich — was not on the ballot in that state." (Shushannah Walshe, "Santorum Admits 'Lowlights,' Says If Campaign Is About Math 'We Are In Very, Very Tough Shape'," ABC News, 3/11/12)

Santorum Has Made Bizarre Claims About Euthanasia In The Netherlands That Were Not Backed Up By "A Shred Of Evidence":

FactCheck.org On Santorum's Netherlands Claims: "Grossly Mischaracterized ... Santorum's Statistics Aren't Close To Being True, Either." "Rick Santorum grossly mischaracterized euthanasia practices in the Netherlands during an appearance at a faith conference. He overstated the rate of euthanasia and falsely claimed that the elderly are being killed against their will and wear 'do not euthanize me' bracelets ... Santorum's statistics aren't close to being true, either." (Michael Morse and Eugene Kiely, "Santorum's Bogus Euthanasia Claims," FactCheck.org, 2/22/12)

The Washington Post: "There Appears To Be Not A Shred Of Evidence To Back Up Santorum's Claims About Euthanasia In The Netherlands. It Is Telling That His Campaign Did Not Even Bother To Defend His Comments." (Glenn Kessler, "Euthanasia In The Netherlands: Rick Santorum's Bogus Statistics," The Washington Post, 2/22/12)

The New York Times Headline: "Dutch Puzzled By Santorum's False Claim Of Forced Euthanasia" (Robert Mackey, "Dutch Puzzled By Santorum's False Claim Of Forced Euthanasia," The New York Times, 2/22/12)

Santorum Says He Was Punished For His Conservative Views While A Student At Penn State, But He Has Also Claimed He Lacked "Strong Convictions" Then And That His Professors Actually Helped Him:

Santorum On Persecution On College Campuses: "I Went Through It At Penn State. ... I Went Through A Process Where I Was Docked For My Conservative Views." "He said on Sunday that conservatives often feel persecuted on college campuses. 'I've gone through it,' Mr. Santorum said. 'I went through it at Penn State. You talk to most kids who go to college who are conservatives, and you are singled out, you are ridiculed.' 'I can tell you personally,' he added, 'I went through a process where I was docked for my conservative views.' He did not elaborate." (Katharine Q. Seelye, "Santorum Says Religion And Conservative Principles Are At Risk," The New York Times, 2/26/12)

• Santorum Previously Claimed His College Years "Brought No Epiphany" That Brought Him To Conservatism. "In fact, Santorum now says, those years brought no epiphany that turned him on to politics or to the conservative movement. 'That's just sort of the way my life is,' he says. 'I don't really sit down and plan anything. It just sort of happens.'" (Eric Konigsberg, "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Santorum," Philadelphia Magazine, 12/95)

• "Santorum Was Not Yet Politically Impassioned, And What Political Orientation He Did Have Was Quite Moderate." (Eric Konigsberg, "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Santorum," Philadelphia Magazine, 12/95)

• One Penn State Professor Was Responsible For Getting Santorum Involved In Political Campaigns And Encouraged Him To Start A Republican Organization On Campaign. "[Santorum] had never paid much attention to politics. The only candidate he even recognized was a moderate Republican, running for Senate, whose famous name was on the ketchup bottle. 'He wanted to work on the John Heinz for Senate campaign, but there wasn't any campaign organization on campus,' says his former professor, James Eisenstein. 'I remember what I said to him: I said, 'Well, start one.''" (Scott Horsley, "Santorum: A Talent For Politics, Honed In College," NPR, 5/5/11)

• Santorum Played Racquetball With Another Of His Professors And Asked Him For Career Advice. NPR's SCOTT HORSLEY: "Robert O'Connor was another poli-sci professor who taught Santorum in a couple of courses and also supervised him in two independent projects." O'CONNOR: "I even played racquetball with him once." ... HORSLEY: "Back then, there was little hint of the strong social conservatism he's now known for. According to O'Connor, Santorum even asked him once if he'd have a brighter future as a Democrat." (NPR's "Morning Edition," 5/5/11)

• Santorum Has Called His Time At Penn State One Of The Best Experiences Of His Life. "Santorum took the stage under a banner that read 'Rick Santorum -- Class of 1980,' and called attending Penn State one of the best experiences of his life." (Brad Groznik, "GOP Candidates Speak," The Daily Collegian, 1/20/06)

Santorum Mischaracterized President Obama's Position On Setting Higher Education Goals — A Position That Appears Identical To The One Santorum Held:

The Washington Post: "Santorum Clearly Mischaracterized Obama's Comments On College, Which Actually Mirror Santorum's Own Views." (Glenn Kessler, "Santorum's Misfire On Obama, Colleges And Religion," The Washington Post, 2/28/12)

Santorum "Completely Misstated" Statistics About The Impact Of College Attendance On Religious Behavior. "Santorum also completely misstated the results of research on the impact of college attendance on religious behavior. The relevant studies suggest that going to college actually increases religious attendance (albeit with perhaps a bit more skeptical mind)." (Glenn Kessler, "Santorum's Misfire On Obama, Colleges And Religion," The Washington Post, 2/28/12)

PolitiFact: "We Rate The Claim False." "Santorum claimed that Obama 'once said he wants everybody in America to go to college.' We found 18 statements from Obama about people attending college. In the vast majority of the 18, Obama talked about making college a possibility or included the option of attending community colleges or vocational training instead. ... We rate the claim False." ("Rick Santorum Calls Barack Obama A 'Snob' For Wanting 'Everybody In America To Go To College'," PolitiFact.com, 2/27/12)

Santorum Wrongly Claimed The Federal Debt-To-GDP Ratio Went Down While He Served In Washington:

Senator Santorum: "During The Time I Was [In Congress], The Debt-To-GDP Ratio ... Actually Went Down." ANCHOR: "You voted to raise the debt ceiling five times." SANTORUM: "Right, but during the time I was there, the debt-to-GDP ratio of the federal debt to the growth actually went down." (WKAR's "Off The Record," 2/17/12)

The Truth: Between 1991 And 2006, The United States' Gross Federal Debt Increased From $3.6 Trillion (60.7% Of GDP) To $8.5 Trillion (64% Of GDP).  (White House Office Of Management & Budget Website, www.whitehouse.gov, 3/2/12)