Santorum's Social Security clinic

TILTON, NH - It seemed for a bit that Rick Santorum was giving the large crowd that came to his town hall here a tutorial in how Social Security worked.

“Do you know what the average life expectancy was when Social Security was created?”
Heads look in puzzlement, eagerly waiting for an answer.

“61.”

Heads nod.

“The average life expectancy in 2011 is about 80.”

Heads nod again.

“Social Security is not structured to work anymore,” he said.

And on this went for about 15-20 minutes more. Santorum largely avoided discussing the
social issues that helped propelled him to a razor thin second place finish in the Iowa Caucus. With its smaller evangelical population and more libertarian orientation on social issues Santorum will have to hammer home his fiscal conservative credentials if he is to have a chance at finishing in the top four in New Hampshire.

Santorum ventured down the entitlement reform discussion by taking a crack at Ron Paul’s position on cutting defense spending. Santorum said that defense spending only amounts to 20% of the federal budget and that the real problems are rooted in entitlements and Obamacare. “I wouldn’t be in this race if it wasn’t for Obamacare. It’s essentially the issue of whether we’re going to be a free people or not.” he said.

At one point Santorum was asked a rather complex tax policy question about small businesses and the self- employed by Mark Dunau, a farmer from upstate New York who is traveling around the country making a movie on about his interactions with politicians. Santorum eventually directed his answer back to Obamacare and entitlement reform saying that these programs are designed to “get people hooked in and so they’ll never let go.”

Santorum left without taking questions from the press.