Palin to Santorum: “Good on ya!”

While many conservatives cheered at Rick Santorum’s angry confrontation with New York Times reporter Jeff Zeleny, others wondered whether the “BS” comment showed a lack of presidential mien. Don’t count Sarah Palin in the latter group. Last night with Greta van Susteren, Palin cheered Santorum’s outburst, claiming that the reporter who once asked Barack Obama what he found “enchanting” about being President is in the tank for the incumbent, and that his distortion of Santorum’s speech demonstrated it:

“Santorum’s response to that liberal leftist in-the-tank-for-Obama press character really revealed some of Rick Santorum’s character,” she said. “And it was good, and it was strong, and it was about time because he’s saying enough is enough of the liberal media twisting the conservative’s words, putting words in his mouth, taking things out of context and even just making things up.”

Palin encouraged more of that from Santorum and his Republican competitors on the campaign trail.

“So, when I heard Rick Santorum’s response I was like, ‘Well, welcome to my world Rick, and good on ya. Don’t retreat. You are saying enough is enough.’ And I was glad that he called out this reporter. He and the other candidates, all of them, they need to do more of this because believe me, the American people are tired of what that leftist media continues to do to conservatives.”

Overall, this has been a good moment for Santorum. It helped boost his media profile in the trough after Louisiana, gave him some extra credibility among conservatives who see the media as a malevolent force opposed to Republicans, and now has one of the most energizing figures on the Right singing his praises — even if only for now. It probably won’t have the same amplification as Newt Gingrich’s attack on John King in the debate before the South Carolina primary, which took place on prime-time national television, and even that only lasted a few days for Gingrich.

Santorum has to find a way to translate that into a win in Wisconsin, at least, but he will find the Badger State tough sledding, thanks to Mitt Romney’s organization in the state:

Romney’s campaign and the super PAC Restore Our Future are spending a combined $1,917,764 over the next seven days, including $742,928 from the campaign and the balance from ROF. The pro-Romney super PAC is the only group on the radio in Wisconsin and has a major TV presence across the state.

Santorum’s campaign is not on the air at all at the moment, so the TV campaign is being carried by the Red White and Blue Fund super PAC. That group is in the process of putting $513,000 into the state for the home stretch.

That’s a solid upper hand for Romney, though an improvement for Santorum over last week, when he had essentially no presence in paid advertising. Over the course of the contest in Wisconsin, pro-Romney forces have spent about $3.2 million to the Santorum camp’s $568,000, for a roughly 6 to 1 Romney advantage.

Santorum didn’t get on the ballot in Washington DC, and Politico’s Alexander Burns reports that Santorum hasn’t made any media buys in Maryland, the only other April 3rd contest. It’s going to be Wisconsin or bust for Santorum next Tuesday. Perhaps he can coax Zeleny into a Monday night confrontation?

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