Washington (CNN) - Mitt Romney's campaign unleashed a new attack ad on Rick Santorum in the key battleground state of Ohio calling him "just another Washington insider."
The commercial, which started airing Thursday, emphasizes how Santorum has seemingly shifted positions on whether the government should support clinics that provide contraception and other health services for women.
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In the new spot the announcer first states that while in the Senate Santorum voted for funds for Planned Parenthood and then used an old clip of him saying "I support Title X."
Then the announcer says "Now he says differently" quoting Santorum from the CNN Republican Party of Arizona debate saying "I opposed Title X funding. I've always opposed Title X funding."
Santorum has explained the distinction by saying he voted for appropriation bills that included the Title X money because he supported what else would be funded. He said in the CNN debate "there were things in there I didn't like, things in there I did, but when it came to this issue, I proactively stepped forward and said that we need to do something at least to counterbalance it."
The spot hits Santorum saying "except he gets caught" and then uses this clip from the CNN debate: "I have a personal moral objection to it even though I don't support it, that I voted for bills that included it." What the former Pennsylvania senator then added that is not included in the commercial is that "I made it very clear in subsequent interviews that I - I don't support that," which was met by boos in the audience.
"I've never supported it - and - and have - and on an individual basis have voted against it. And that's why I proposed Title XX to counterbalance," which funded abstinence education, Santorum said.
The ad tries to paint Santorum as unprincipled when it says "Rick does this a lot" and then uses a different snippet of Santorum talking at the debate "It was against the principles I believed in, you know, when you're part of the team sometimes you take one for the team." There he was talking about his vote for the "No Child Left Behind" education reform bill. Now he says that vote was a mistake.
The super PAC pushing Romney, Restore Our Future, also released a new ad Thursday, hitting Santorum on the same themes. Airing in Ohio, Tennessee and Oklahoma, the spot argues "Santorum says he's the principled conservative, but that's not how he voted."
It then uses the same clip the Romney campaign commercial used, saying he had a "personal moral objection" to those funds but voted for bills including the money.
The ad ends with the tag line: "Twenty years in Washington changed Santorum's principles."
– CNN's Michael Waldon contributed to this story.
Also see:
Seattle Times supports Romney as 'default choice' ahead of caucuses
Paul flier hits the other candidates
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Well at least Romney has finally realized he needs to keep the full court press on for the whole game, until the results are in in November.
Rommey is the only Republican candidate that stands a ghose of a chance, come November (and that is not saying much for the GOP).
Why is this liar accusing someone else of lying? I thought this was just the regular way of talking for GOPers. - Just say something, take it back, change your mind, say you didn't understand and then blame the media for twisting your words. Wash, rinse, repeat.
I still find it SEVERELY amazing that this Prez is working hard to get a second term, but if he were a mormon, he could not even qualify to be an Elder based soley on the color of his skin. That is SEVERELY unbelievable.
Romney's values don't match mine..keep twisting the truth money man. We all bote Rick Santorum
Is this 2012 or 1952? What's next? Reinstate slavery??
Vote for me BECAUSE the other guy is bad.
It might work in the primaries but not in the general election.
I don’t know why he is wasting time and money attacking Rick Santorum actually Rush Limbaugh sucking GOP air they should attack Rush
finally.. a spot that starts to show the true Santorm and CNN actually posted a link to it.
Romney is horrible. Why does he want to win by attacking instead of selling his ideas? This kind of politics is not good at all. He should not complain if his opposition from Dems side will attack him incase he becomes the nominee.
Mitt Romney is a man of principals. He is a devoted husband and father. He made his own fortune by working hard. He has given back after he made that fortune. He is not a bitter man. He is a man with a plan and the needed experience in...PALIN So angry with Romney , she must be getting SOME TYPE PROMISE POLITICAL PAYOLA from The fat a ss Newt and now the fat man campaign is falling apart she's HER FREE TICKET TO RIDE POLITICAL FREIGHT TRAIN getting derailed
She's AIR HEAD ADD NOTHING , was TOKEN by Mc Caine..She's JINX ,take her power of the JINX infect obama by endorsing him
................Whereas I am an outsider for Washington, to Ship jobs to China....ha..ha..ha..ha..I even bankrupted KB Toys, and pulled money and shipped jobs to China....ha..ha..
Mitt Romney:
Just Another Washington
Insider Twice-Failed Wannabe...
Willard, your wife is starting to become as classy as Sarah Palin. You are going to have to play defense big time if shrewish Ann doesn't get it that she's making you look like more of a wimp than you already are. Fight your own battles. She's starting to look just like the Arizona Scorpion Eater, too. Who wears the pants (or mom jeans) you or General Ann?
What does Romney have to say about Rush Limbaugh's comments? The coward doesn't have the backbone to stand up for what is right and is not Presidential material.
Yo Mikey, Good Point!!! Mittens, where you at on this, stop Hidding, you SEVERE coward.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I Mitt, highest ranking member of the cult of Lds hereby bow down to the great Rush, I will not go against him, AINT NO BACKBONE HERE!!!!
Here is where this SEVERE coward really shows his true colors & kisses 100% of the woman vote off. This Lds coward shound not even be able to be Prez of a Cub scout pac!!!!!
America needs Mitt !!! Don't matter what the Democrats, Liberals want to say. The truth is Romney a a proven leader, a problem solver, knows his math, and no one can't take that away. Say what ever twisted words you want, he is proven in the battlefield.
No OBAMA 2012 !! Please.....
Dave, Mikey - he has more balls that you and most clan in this post. Most of the people have so much garbage in their background and character they wont run for office, and probably wont take as much risks as he does with so many things.
Put Ohio aside for now and tell your wife she's going to end up doing to you what Sarah Palin did to McCain-she makes you look weaker and weaker every time she complains–you are not liked as it is. She dresses and looks classy until she opens her mouth. With a higher education and better upbringing that Palin, Ann should really know better and care enough about you to make your campaign easier not harder.
Liberals are just uneducated.
Don't try to saddle us with wailing Palin. She was your great white hope in 2008. Miss I can see Russia from my backyard.... What an idiot.
Yo Jarviv, If he has balls then he should talk about Rush remarks & also the FACT that your temple lds cult to this day has 0 , Yes 0, ZERO members of color in the Elders of your so called religion, JESUS must be so proud of you, your CULT & This SEVERE coward
Rmoney calling Santorum an "insider" is laughable. Wall St. owns DC and Mitt is a member of the predatory corporate psychopaths club. That makes him the insider, not Santorum.