Santorum visits Spartanburg, sounds alarm about health care reform

Santorum visits Spartanburg, sounds alarm about health care reform - Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., warned a crowd of about 60 local Republicans Monday night that the country will be irreparably damaged should the party fail to repeal federal health care reform.“If we don't repeal ‘Obamacare,' America as we know it is over,” he told the Palmetto House Republican Women and other members of the conservative faithful during a dinner speech held at the Marriott in Spartanburg. For Santorum, who's considering a bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Monday's speech represented his 10th trip to the Palmetto State since 2009 and a possible re-launching pad for a political career that was rocked by an 18-point loss in 2006.

The former senator, who did not declare his presidential intentions Monday, was at his most enthusiastic when criticizing Democrats and some Republicans for their support of entitlement programs, most recently the federal health care overhaul.

“What these folks are in Washington is no better than a drug dealer,” said Santorum, who lives with his wife and seven children in northern Virginia.

“They give you a subtle narcotic to make you feel better as you do worse.”

He went on to compare protesting union members in Wisconsin to addicts.

“They are acting like their drug is being taken away from them,” Santorum said.

Santorum also devoted substantial attention Monday night to unrest in the Middle East, what he described as kowtowing to dictators by President Obama, an unjust discarding of the concept of “American exceptionalism” by Obama, and a national security policy that does not adequately address emerging threats.
More generally, he said Republicans must be the party to “allow people to believe in ourselves again.”

Santorum's hourlong speech and question-and-answer session Monday came just two days after U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn. delivered a dinner speech at the same Spartanburg hotel.

Spartanburg County Republican Party Chairwoman LaDonna Ryggs took in both speeches and said Santorum and Bachmann “hit some of the same base” and came off as “very intelligent.”

But Ryggs added that the two Republicans' speeches did strike different notes.

While Bachmann was more motivational, Ryggs said, Santorum's speech represented a “call to arms.”

On several occasions, the former Pennsylvania senator called on activists in Monday's audience to make a renewed commitment to becoming involved in the Republican nominating process.

“I know I'm preaching to the choir, but sometimes the choir needs to sing songs,” Santorum said.

Longtime activist Walter McSherry, who said he supported former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani during the last election cycle, stood up during Monday's speech and declared Santorum a strong candidate who is in position to better withstand Democratic attacks than many other potential Republican frontrunners.

Santorum will continue his tour of the Upstate today with scheduled appearances at a Greenville restaurant in the early morning followed by appearances at Spartanburg's Oakbrook Preparatory School and Carolina Pregnancy Center later in the day.