The Bailout Scorecard From the Arizona Debate February 22, 2012, 9:11 pm Is a bailout a bailout? The debate is in Arizona, but the Republican candidates are trading barbs about who supported which bailout for what reason - a nod to the upcoming primary in Michigan. Here's a bit of a scorecard: Mitt Romney: supported Troubled Asset Relief Program bank bailout, opposed the bailout of the auto industry, supported the bailout of the airline industry after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Rick Santorum: Opposed TARP and auto bailouts, but says the airline bailout was legitimate because the federal government shut down the industry after 9/11. Representative Paul: "If bailouts are bad, they are bad and we shouldn't be doing it."