Okay... first off, you sound like an uninformed whack-job... so I am probably wasting my words here... but I will give you the benefit of doubt, and suggest to reason with you about your response.
It shocks me that you would profess to be a "conservative", and prefer Santorum or Gingrich to Romney based on that principal.
For Santorum, he voted in favor of numerous tax raises, and for the creation of several key spending programs, the worst of which was likely his active support to pass Medicare Part D, which has cost the US Taxpayer dearly. Medicare Part D is one of the major reasons that the debt has grown faster under this president than any other. Santorum as well backed his buddy, Arlen Spector, the liberal. Santorum, despite espousing numerous narrow-minded social views (like women shouldn't be allowed to serve in combat), etc., is not actually a conservative. His recent comments against Puerto Rico becoming a state if it didnt declare English it's official language only show his complete ignorance as far as the Constitution goes. You would think as a lawyer he would know better. Furthermore, English is an official language in Puerto Rico. However, his stupid inflamatory comments just essentially all but alienated the Puerto Rican vote in Florida, and ceeded FL to Obama in the general election. Great move sweater vest... :roll:
Gingrich likewise came into a balanced budget, and instead the size of that budget increased every single year of his tenure, before stepping down in scandal. The Gingrich Congress was known for inaction, and only to step in to waste taxpayer money fighting Clinton over a BJ... He has been traveling the country promising the moon, citing JFK as an inspiration, and proposing big spending program after big spending program while attempting to pander to local audiences. This current $2.50 cent gas ploy is as ridiculous as it gets, since there is no way the president could set gas prices... It's a free market entity, unless Gingrich once again has let the cat out of the bag, that he prefers government intervention instead of free market principals. Gingrich is no conservative, he only calls himself one. Unlike Santorum he can't even claim the "social conservative" thing, since we've all seen his behavior with the women he has associated with.
Romney on the other hand has consistently over his career, including his time as Governor of MA, cut spending, increased private sector growth, downsized government, cut taxes, balanced a budget, fired numerous useless executives and eliminated their positions from the government, etc. Romney has an actual record of conservatism to run on.
Romney's plan CommonwealthCare is often misunderstood as being a Government run healthcare system... Don't let idiots like Rush Limbaugh and his little pet Rick Santorum fool you. It is clearly not! Romney's plan was about reducing a Free Care coverage pool which was costing taxpayers $715M annually. What his plan said, is that you're not gonna sit around and not have health coverage, then suddenly when you get sick go to the hospital and stiff taxpayers with the bill. His plan increases personal responsibility and private health coverage. Those are conservative principals. The alternative was the government paying for free loaders. When CommonwealthCare was instituted as Romney designed it, that $715M uncompensated care pool was eliminated, and the new fund which was reduced by $300M.
Despite Santorum's persistent claims, it is not top down government run healthcare. It is slight government oversight of a private based personaly owned private health coverage system, w/ the addition of potential to buy into a partially government subsidized healthcare collective if you make under like $17K/yr, or $23K/yr if you have children (they continually keep changing the numbers on that so dont quote me there).
Despite Santorum's persistent claims that he is the "true conservative", he clearly is not, as he has his seat handed to him on a platter in the Arizona debate. The "true conservative" in the race is Ron Paul, who espouses every conservative principal.
However, as many of you would indicate, you are more than likely to the left of Ron Paul on the political spectrum. Thus, it seems so shocking then that you're willing to go after Romney for not being an ultra-conservative, because he has broad appeal and reaches out to mainstream Republicans not just the vocal right wing that only represent 12%.