Combs: Santorum "Only Real Conservative" in Race
Comptroller Susan Combs, the state's chief financial officer, endorsed Rick Santorum in the 2012 GOP primary for president today, telling the Tribune the former Pennsylvania senator is "the only real conservative left in the race."
"He has the intestinal fortitude to change the federal government. The direction of the country needs to be changed," Combs said.
Previously Combs had endorsed Gov. Rick Perry, campaigning with him in Iowa before that state's first-in-the-nation caucuses. Reminded that Perry has endorsed Santorum's rival, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, as the conservative the country needs, Combs said, "Respectfully, I ...
Comments (25)
Lincoln Avant via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Stick to being engaged as the comptroller and addressing the financial side of our budget shortfall.
Karen Spivey-Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Gee, and I thought Combs had a brain. Apparently not if you is enduring Santorum. Yikes. He is too extreme for me!
Luisa Inez Newton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Wish the Texas GOP would wake up & realize Americans are tired of conservatism being defined by their hyper-fanatic religious views. This is the 21st century, for which NO GOP candidate is prepared!!!
Debbie Mason via Texas Tribune on Facebook
We in TX need to take our state back from them.We have a Gov who does nothing for us. They keep taking and taking from us the tax payers and our children. We need to vote them out and put dems in office,the GOP has had TX for many years now and TX keeps falling behind in everything.
Mike Openshaw via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This reflects character- and concern for people, not just a political career:
"A middle-aged black woman had fainted dead-out, flat onto the concrete floor (it was a bit muggy; raining outside). A lot of candidates would have looked out, stopped talking, asked people to go see if she were okay, and then perhaps continued speaking once it was clear that responsible people were seeing to her well-being.
Not Santorum. He stopped his remarks dead in his tracks, just before reaching a planned crescendo:
'Oh -- well everybody, thank you and God Bless,' he quickly mumbled, already leaving the podium. And then he leapt down the stairs and rushed to the lady's aid, just about the fifth person to reach her side."
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/03/09/santorum-this-morning-gingrich
Rudy Gonzales
Susan Combs doesn't know what she's talking about by endorsing Rick Santorum. Santorum is a radical religious extreme hell-bent on taking America down his religious road to world domination. What's wrong with today's election process is not every state is treated as equal. Not every person has representation. And the Senate's representation equation is skewed. Every politician should be required to visit every area of the country and voice their views, so that everyone can see them up close and personal. Now we have Santorum saying he ran the other three out of Kansas. Shades of Dorothy's comment. We can hope Kansans are more educated than Rick Santorum thinks they are in November. lost his senatorial seat decisively and now is trying to push religious extremism down our throat. She is easily impressed and chose her fringe candidate as other have chosen their own. Neither Giulianni nor Santorum would stand up for America. Both are war-mongering backwards looking extremist seeking TEA party backing. In the same vein as Romney she chooses her topics and does 180's on freedom for women. By milking "Today's rhetoric" she now considers herself pro-life to flow with the polluted stream. Jim Hightower reminded us that "Politicians are like baby diapers, They need to be changed often and for the same reason". Combs is like Perry. A career politician who has over stayed their welcome. She is more interested in building her political resume to run for office. She and Perry should both be retired as every other career politician in Texas!
Audrey Fisher via Texas Tribune on Facebook
She would never get my vote. After she screwed up the Energy Tax Program and then blamed it on everyone but her own office - competency is obviously not her strong suit. She wonkered on about being "surprised" at the turnout, while her office kept telling everyone to act early - they did and down went the phone and Internet. As for her endorsement: All you need to do is Google Santorum - which is the best descriptor. That and If a woman is raped: well deal with it, look at it as a "blessing", you, Susan, as a woman - is that how you think all woman would look at being raped, really?
Jon Perry via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Cato’s Gene Healy explains why Santorum’s voting record is alarming:
By voting for the No Child Left Behind Act, he helped give President Obama the power to micromanage the nation’s schools from Washington; and by supporting a prescription drug entitlement for Medicare, he helped saddle the taxpayers with a $16 trillion unfunded liability.
Santorum voted for the 2005 “bridge to nowhere” highway bill, has backed an expanded national service program, and his compassionate conservatism has the Bono seal of approval: “On our issues, he has been a defender of the most vulnerable.” Rick Santorum: He’s from the government, and he’s here to help.
Santorum’s 2012 campaign platform even includes a pledge to “re-direct funds within HHS, so it can create public/private partnerships … for the purpose of strengthening marriages, families, and fatherhood.”
If you liked what the feds did to the housing market, wait till you see what they can do for your marriage.
It is not just Santorum’s voting record that frightens libertarians; it is his outward hostility to the libertarian movement. On one occasion Santorum stated, “I am not a libertarian, and I fight very strongly against libertarian influence within the Republican Party and the conservative movement.” On another occasion, speaking on the ascendancy of the tea party, Santorum declared, “I’ve got some real concerns about this movement within the Republican Party and the tea party movement to sort of refashion conservatism, and I will vocally and publicly oppose it.”
It is this vocal opposition that causes pundits to fear that Santorum’s libertarian problem will become a libertarian voter exodus during the general election.
As Philip Klein notes, “Nobody expects the Republican presidential nominee to be a libertarian purist, but it helps if he or she at least has a libertarian streak. In Rick Santorum’s case, he’s actively hostile toward libertarianism, and that’s an obstacle not only to him winning the nomination, but also to having a chance in a general election against President Obama.”
In an odd twist of libertarian fate, it is Santorum’s general election run that could most resemble Barry Goldwater’s landslide 1964 loss.
Santorum would be to the Republican party what George McGovern was to the Dems in his 1968 butt whipping.
Absolutely, I WILL NOT under any circumstances vote for Rick Santorum. And now the same holds true for Susan Combs
John Burton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Maybe she will offer the Santorum Campaign advice on faith-based data security.
Debbie Mason via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Jon Perry you said President Obama and "The No Child Left Behind" That was President Bush "The No Child Left Behind". But he left all children behind. I will never vote for any GOP-TP . I am sick of their thinking they have the right to lecture us on morals,values,faith and religion and use it against us. I just keep hoping people in Texas will vote them out. And across the USA. We need to take Texas back and put in people who are for the people. My vote will go for President Obama. And then come the election after that I will look at anyone but the GOP-TP.
Chris Thornton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Rick Santorum is the most Conservative candidate left in the race. I'm voting for Ron Paul in the primary. But given the choice between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum I would vote for Santorum.
BTW - in case y'all didn't get the memo Texas is a RED state. That's why Republicans control the House AND the Senate AND the Governor's mansion. The Democratic party has been taken over by Communists, Socialists, and Marxists. And as long as that is true the Democratic Party will NEVER "take back control" of TEXAS.
Peter Stern
Sorry, Susan Combs is a Fascist and an affront to women's rights if she supports Rick Santorum. Maybe since she's been kissing up to a Rick [Perry] for so many years it's hard for her to stop. Both Ricks have a hard time supporting women and both say they want less government control over our lives, but their actions tell a different tale.
Peter Stern via Texas Tribune on Facebook
You've been drinking a little too much of that Texas well water. Socialism started with the Bush administration and banks. Obama continued via the automotive industry. But if Democrats are socialists then Republicans are neo- Fascists.
Mimi Purnell via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Well, it's official! Susan Combs is as brainless and uncomprehending about or of the issues facing Texas as is every other freeking Republican office holder
Neil Moyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Ah, but she's got front row tickets to the Austin F1 race, thanks to pissing away $250million of our taxes...
Leigh Williams via Texas Tribune on Facebook
"The Democratic party has been taken over by Communists, Socialists, and Marxists." Glad to know that. All us Democrats have been complaining that there's no Left left in the country. In reality, of course, the current Democratic party is almost exactly like the Republican party of the 1970s.
Diane McLoughlin
In 2006, Senator Santorum was singled out as one of THE most corrupt politicians in Washington (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.)
Although enjoying a high degree of education himself, in an (insulting, patronizing) attempt to pander to those less well off, Santorum in recent days has pooh-poohed higher education as being something for 'snobs'.
Rick Santorum demonstrates that he is unfit for higher office - he doesn't have a clue what the Constitution stands for. He says John F. Kennedy's touting separation of church and state makes him want to 'vomit'. This strongly suggests Mr. Santorum would be more than happy to have his particular brand of church shoved down the throats of Americans who don't happen to subscribe to his particular religious views.
One might note that of the four Republican Presidential candidates remaining in the race, three of the four lost their last political races, including Mr. Santorum, who lost by the widest margin of any incumbant governor in history.
Twelve-term Congressman Ron Paul is the true conservative in the race. Ron Paul is the best positioned candidate for beating President Obama, polling even better than Obama himself amongst Independents. His economic plan has been vetted by economists who have indicated that his is the best plan for generating economic growth while dealing with the deficit. It has been described as having the power to be the most potent 'job insource' generator in history.
BurningFeet
Oh, great, Mitt Romney in a dress. I absolutely despise this new version of the 'going crazy' Republicans, who only lately and conveniently have discovered that birth control is a communist plot and that the earth is just "probably" flat. I prefer my Republicans to be crazy, right out of the box, with absolutely no inkling of sanity. No Combs, no way.
Peggy Venable
Susan is doing a great job promoting transparency in government. She is launching a tour of the state focusing on state spending. It is a fascinating presentation...she's got the facts and figures, along with challenges to local officials. Her http://www.fastexas.org/ website is very helpful to taxpayers and elected officials. She also points out that over the last decade, education spending has grown five times faster than student enrollment. Has that appeared in any news article bemoaning "cuts" in education funding? If it has, please show me where!
Mike Openshaw via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Susan Combs endorsement of Rick Santorum is nothing but a cold-blooded calculation having everything to do about her personal political ambition. Every bit as much as David Dewhurst's endorsement of Mitt Romney is. And they are BOTH based on the same calculation that Mill will win through. Susan is trying to build up some credentials- at no real cost- among the conservatives, while David is trying to tie into the winning side- and its power of the dollar- for his current race. Neither cares about anything but their own ambitions.
Neil Moyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The inmates have taken over the GOP asylum!
EM Reese via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Guys - I am fifty, and this is not better than my childhood. The illegitimacy rate for women under thirty is MORE THAN FIFTY percent. Blue Collar white illegitimacy is now beyond the point of their return. We are rapidly losing the middle class and Belmont is coming down. We need more religion not less, but not a violent, uncaring religion. I am from a Yale family, and I am NOT better under feminism than my mother or grandmothers were prior to it. Feminism is for a mature woman only, mostly cutthroat or apathetic. Nice women, and upper middle, middle, blue and poor who are less mature are cow poop. I think it is nice that Rick and Karen Santorum love their retarded child, a child I am certain most of you would have thrown in the trash. I think a lot of gay is a self-esteem issue. I think Rick, Dave and Greg need to stay put and this time try and see if they can run your state a little differently. I am tired of the liberal Yasgur's farm crowd that gets me an abortion, a condom and a joint.
EM Reese via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Since I have friends which are aquaintences of some of your politicians I will not comment further on the Texas wildfires or executions or gun laws or education.
EM Reese via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Neil, I am tired of Hitlerish idiots who are only out for their rotten selves. You would not see me be in any hurry to get you out of a burning car or rush up a tall building if I were the only one who could save you. My fanny first.
JC DemocratofTejas
Are we talking Susan Combs, Comptroller of Public Accounts, who jammed through the F1 Racing deal, found a billion dollars (OOPS), but no accountability. "I just discovered two billion I didn't know Texas had...?" Where did that go? Who cares who she endorses. She is a total payola queen, and should be removed from office. Whomever this crook endorses, while padding her own fat pockets, is the opposite that I would ever vote for. Susan Combs hates women, or she couldn't endores Santorum. Ah, that's right...she is totally sexless.