A Long History of Political Brawling for Santorum - “He was a bully who was not a potent enough force to be a bully.”
From The New York Times:
"[Rick Santorum] would attack people in a smug way that was harder-edged and more insulting than was necessary, said Mark Salter, the former chief of staff to Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican, adding that lawmakers in both parties shared this view. “He was a bully who was not a potent enough force to be a bully.”
From the start of a legislative career that included two terms in the House and two in the Senate, Mr. Santorum earned a reputation for throwing haymakers with no regard for custom, sacred cows or his own newcomer status.
But in general, Mr. Santorum has tried to be more conciliatory in this election (a “good guy,” in wrestling parlance). He has not attacked Republican rivals in debates or campaign ads, he said — mostly true, although he has had almost no money to buy any ads. He spoke of working with Democrats in the Senate and winning elections in Democratic-leaning Pennsylvania. He urged compromise when possible. “The American people expect us to act like adults,” he said at a campaign stop in Perry, Iowa, on Monday, “not spoiled children.”
Former colleagues from his years in Washington, though, still remember his belligerence. One of Mr. Santorum’s first acts in the Senate was to attack Mark Hatfield, an Oregon Republican, for opposing a balanced-budget amendment that Mr. Santorum advocated, even suggesting that Mr. Hatfield, a veteran lawmaker, be sacked as chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
The late Senator Robert C. Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat and one of the most devout traditionalists in the chamber, was appalled by Mr. Santorum. After the younger man accused Mr. Clinton of speaking “bald-faced untruths,” Mr. Byrd delivered a blistering speech in which he derided his colleague’s “insolence” and “rude language” and suggested that Mr. Santorum might be better-suited to “an alehouse or beer tavern.” He lamented that he had lived long enough “to see Pygmies stride like colossuses” in the august chamber.
"[Rick Santorum] would attack people in a smug way that was harder-edged and more insulting than was necessary, said Mark Salter, the former chief of staff to Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican, adding that lawmakers in both parties shared this view. “He was a bully who was not a potent enough force to be a bully.”
From the start of a legislative career that included two terms in the House and two in the Senate, Mr. Santorum earned a reputation for throwing haymakers with no regard for custom, sacred cows or his own newcomer status.
But in general, Mr. Santorum has tried to be more conciliatory in this election (a “good guy,” in wrestling parlance). He has not attacked Republican rivals in debates or campaign ads, he said — mostly true, although he has had almost no money to buy any ads. He spoke of working with Democrats in the Senate and winning elections in Democratic-leaning Pennsylvania. He urged compromise when possible. “The American people expect us to act like adults,” he said at a campaign stop in Perry, Iowa, on Monday, “not spoiled children.”
Former colleagues from his years in Washington, though, still remember his belligerence. One of Mr. Santorum’s first acts in the Senate was to attack Mark Hatfield, an Oregon Republican, for opposing a balanced-budget amendment that Mr. Santorum advocated, even suggesting that Mr. Hatfield, a veteran lawmaker, be sacked as chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
The late Senator Robert C. Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat and one of the most devout traditionalists in the chamber, was appalled by Mr. Santorum. After the younger man accused Mr. Clinton of speaking “bald-faced untruths,” Mr. Byrd delivered a blistering speech in which he derided his colleague’s “insolence” and “rude language” and suggested that Mr. Santorum might be better-suited to “an alehouse or beer tavern.” He lamented that he had lived long enough “to see Pygmies stride like colossuses” in the august chamber.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 4:03 PM
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