Santorum Insists That Romney Is Still The Worst There Is... But Better Than Obama

Rick Santorum was on CNN's State of the Union Sunday and he still thinks Romney is inauthentic and lacks convictions. He isn't changing his mind about the vapid and craven career politician he faced off against in the primary-- the one that had a lot more billionaires on his side than Santorum had on his. He insists that Romney is still an untrustworthy etch-a-sketch candidate. And in the Face The Nation interview above he says Romney can't beat Obama, just based on the issues. Romney, he says, is better than Obama-- and that's as far as he'll go.

"I have no problem questioning authenticity, I mean, those are all things that I thought were legitimate differences between us as candidates, and the same thing with President Obama," Santorum said.

"I mean, there are differences between us," he added. "I don't back away from any of those things, but at the same time, clearly the difference between President Obama and Mitt Romney is a chasm, and I have a great degree of comfort in supporting Governor Romney as the choice between the two."

He also said he would not consider taking a position in a hypothetical Romney administration, saying his answer would be "pretty much a flat no."

Turns out most Americans, having looked a little closer at Romney since he stomped Santorum in the primaries, agree with Santorum that Romney is a poor choice for president. A growing number of Americans see him as out of touch with their lives and concerns and the problems that face the country. and because of that Obama has opened a significant lead in the early stages of the campaign, 53-40%.

The survey shows Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, has yet to repair the damage done to his image during the Republican primary. Thirty-nine percent of Americans view him favorably, about the same as when he announced his presidential candidacy last June, while 48 percent see him unfavorably -- a 17-percentage point jump during a nomination fight dominated by attacks ads. A majority of likely voters, 55 percent, view him as more out of touch with average Americans compared with 36 percent who say the president is more out of touch.

...About a third of likely voters rate Romney best at understanding their problems and struggles, and dealing with world leaders, while Obama draws majorities on both. And just 34 percent of respondents prefer Romney to Obama in appearing regularly on their TV and computer screens for the next four years; the president is the pick of 54 percent. Obama’s favorability ratings are the reverse of Romney’s, with 55 percent of Americans viewing the president positively, while 42 percent don’t.

In a bad sign for Obama, a much smaller plurality, 48 percent, of likely voters say he would be best at getting the economy going, while 43 percent say Romney would do better.

Fifty-three percent of Americans approve of the job Obama is doing in the White House-- the first time since March 2011 that he has broken the historic 50 percent threshold for U.S. presidents who have won re-election; 44 percent disapprove of his service.

His performance rating on creating jobs-- 46 percent approve, while 48 percent disapprove-- matches its high mark in July 2010, and has risen 10 points from his low point in September 2011. A plurality of 45 percent of Americans identify jobs and unemployment as the “most important issue” facing the country.

I wonder if the Romney family's incessant tax cheating will make him an even less acceptable candidate to normal Americans. Watch this short report from Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC yesterday: