Santorum Said He Doesn’t Care About The Unemployment Rate

 Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum's presidential campaign has been beset by the impression that he talks too much about things that are not central to the concerns of most voters, such as contraception, President Barack Obama's theology, and most recently, pornography.

On Monday morning, as Santorum kicked off a full day of campaigning in Illinois, where he trails Mitt Romney in the polls, Santorum gave critics of his messaging more ammunition.

"The issue in this race is not the economy," he said.

His statement was part of a longer monologue about why Obama's healthcare overhaul is a symbol of government overreach, and that Americans' freedoms are eroding.

"The reason the economy is an issue in this race is because we have a government that is oppressing its people and taking away their freedom, and the economy is suffering as a result," Santorum said. Huffington Post

HIGHLIGHTS

Since winning primaries in Alabama and Mississippi, Santorum's standard remarks have generally excluded an economic plan -- the heart and soul of the message his chief GOP rival, Mitt Romney, repeats at event after event, day after day.

The former Pennsylvania senator concluded a 52-minute speech at an Arlington Heights, Ill., Christian school, without once saying the word "jobs." He said the word "economy" three times -- once each in reference to healthcare reform, the Wall Street bailout and the federal government "controlling sectors of our economy."

Following his strong performance in Iowa, Santorum touted himself as a blue-collar Republican, one who could most empathize with unemployed Americans. He spoke often of his plans to deliver policies that would lead to more manufacturing jobs while campaigning in Ohio and in the South, but in the last week when Santorum mentions the economy at all it's to say that it may not be the most important issue of the election. politico.com

In a March 2012 Bloomberg News poll, 42% picked unemployment as "the most important issue facing the country right now." The deficit came in a distant second, with just 21%.

In a March 2012 CBS News/New York Time poll, 51% said the "the most important problem facing the country today" is the economy and jobs. Second place, with 22%, was "Other."

A February 2012 CBS News/New York Times poll indicated that 44% chose the economy as "the one issue" they would "most like to hear candidates for president discuss" during the 2012 campaign.

In a January 2012 ABC New Washington Post poll, 51% chose the economy and jobs as "the single most important issue in your choice for president." socialsecurity.ourfuture.org

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