Rick Santorum continued his assault on Mitt Romney in Moline on Monday ahead of Tuesday's Illinois Republican presidential primary.
In a rousing speech to about 200 people at The Moline Club, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania questioned Mr. Romney's conservative credentials and pledged to cut corporate taxes to "zero" to aid manufacturing in places like the Quad Cities.
"We have one nominee who says he wants to run the economy. What kind of conservative says that the president runs the economy?" Mr. Santorum said of Mr. Romney. "What kind of conservative says 'I'm the guy because of my economic experience that can create jobs?'
"We conservatives generally think that the government doesn't create jobs."
Mr. Santorum, who served in the U.S. House 1991-1995 and in the U.S. Senate 1995-2007, is trailing Mr. Romney in recent Illinois polls. But on Monday he pointed to his recent victories in Alabama and Mississippi as evidence he could upset the odds again.
He castigated Mr. Romney for implementing a system of universal health care while he was governor of Massachusetts, calling it the inspiration for "Obamacare."
His 40-minute speech, peppered with references to President Ronald Reagan, portrayed this year's presidential election as a pivotal moment in history that was about the fundamental nature of the country.
"I don't care what the unemployment rate is going to be. It doesn't matter to me," he said. "My campaign doesn't hinge on unemployment rates and growth rates. There's something more foundational that's going on here."
Christie Schilling, the wife of U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling, R-Colona, spoke before Mr. Santorum took the stage, describing him as a "pro-life hero." Mr. Santorum was introduced to the audience Monday by Neil Anderson, a Republican candidate for District 72 state representative.
Mr. Santorum reportedly travelled to Rep. Schilling's pizza restaurant after speaking and made his own pizza, which he called a "Santorum special." When a restaurant staffer was asked if he could verify that report, he replied, "Sir, I cannot confirm that; I have secret service standing next to me."
The pizza place, a great meeting ground for traditional Catholics as well as conservative politicians, has great food, if you are in the area. I was last there in March, 2011, almost a year ago. Greetings to all, and especially my seminarian friend from the area.
