Santorum Goes After Romney, Gingrich, Paul

Two days after rattling Mitt Romney at the Myrtle Beach debate, Rick Santorum shifted his aim from Romney to other challengers in the race while speaking to a group of about 100 at The Beacon Drive-In in Spartanburg. 

Santorum, who is battling former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for votes within the social conservative block, took major issue with Gingrich's stance that he, not Santorum represented conservatives' best chance to put together a winning campaign against Obama. Gingrich has made repeated jabs at Santorum's 2006 loss to Bob Casey, including one at a town hall just before Monday night's debate. 

"Evangelical voters would like to have a nominee who knows how to win a general election. And somebody who set the all-time Pennsylvania record for the size of their defeat has a harder case to make," Gingrich said Monday. 

On Wednesday, Santorum went on the offensive. 

"The arrogance of Speaker Gingrich to suggest that I don't have the experience to run a campaign, to win a national campaign, having won four elections in four heavily Democratic districts and states, having defeated two incumbent Democrats, having organized across very diverse constituencies, and to be successful in doing so," Santorum told the crowd. "When he ran in one of the heaviest Republican, suburban districts in Georgia, with diversity being non-existent in his electoral plans that he had — makes him more qualified than me?"

"So let's talk about who should be in this race," he added. "And here's what I'll say, everybody who wants to be this race should be in this race, and I'm not going to be someone who is going to point my finger at someone and say, 'I'm better than you. You should get out.' That's not how South Carolina is going to decide this race."

Santorum also went on to make a remark seemingly pointed at Gingrich's personal life, while also jabbing at Romney's reputation for changing his stances on issues like abortion and gay marriage. 

“The only person I ever sat on the couch with is my wife, and that matters,” Santorum said to hearty applause. "Judgment matters. When the winds are blowing what you've seen is Romney and Gingrich, they put their sails up and go. I attack against the wind. I stand up for the values I know are true." 

Santorum called Ron Paul's libertarian view of the constitution one that advocates for "freedom without responsibility," that was morally permissive in regards to things like prostitution and drug use. He then moved back to Romney's record. 

"I get a big kick out of Mitt Romney, who talks about all of his private sector experience, and some will say 'Well, why did you support Mitt Romney last time and not this time?' Because he tried to tell me he'd amended his ways and was a conservative. Then I found out in 2008 that he hasn't amended his ways at all when he stepped up and said, 'I, too, am for the Wall Street bailouts.'" 

Jim Bob Duggar, a celebrity from TLC's "19 Kids And Counting" was at the Beacon to support Santorum, and also did his best to not only try to coalesce conservatives, but to attack Romney. 

"It's (Santorum's values) such  stark contrast to Mitt Romney who says he's  a conservative, but he put forth a socialist health care program in Massachusetts, which included a provision where any pregnant woman can walk into a clinic and get an abortion for $50," Duggar said. 

"I ask that Christian conservative, family values people looking for someone to represent them support Rick Santorum."