Will Santorum's Flashes of Anger Help or Hurt Him? Can showing anger help get a candidate elected president? Rick Santorum has set about testing that theory in the past several weeks, venting his frustration in public and even using language that would make some of his potential voters blush. The latest outburst came on Sunday, when Jeff Zeleny of The New York Times asked for clarification about Mr. Santorum's statement that Mitt Romney was the "worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama." There was no hiding Mr. Santorum's reaction. His face darkened and he let loose on Mr. Zeleny with criticism. Pointing his finger, he said "Stop lying" and "quit distorting our words." At one point, Mr. Santorum said "If I see it ..." and then paused before shaking his head and offering an expletive. C'mon man! What are you doing? After weeks of intense campaigning against Mr. Romney, Mr. Santorum clearly had had it. He continued to shake his head and criticize Mr. Zeleny - "You don't care about the truth at all, you really don't" - even as he headed down the rope line at his event. But was it a good moment for him? His campaign quickly seized on the exchange as a fund-raising promotion, sending out an appeal to his supporters asking for $30 because, as he put it in the e-mail, "I am ready to take on The New York Times." The campaign did not say whether the appeal was successful. Similar flashes of anger have helped other candidates during this primary season. When Newt Gingrich criticized John King of CNN and Juan Williams of Fox News during debates in South Carolina, his fund-raising soared and he picked up in the polls. And, historically, politicians who have shown a flash of anger or resentment have sometimes benefited - even when that emotion is perhaps contrived or planned. In a 1980 New Hampshire debate, a frustrated Ronald Reagan engaged in an argument with the moderator and barked loudly, "I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green." It became an iconic moment and helped him win the state. Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, has turned feistiness - and downright anger - into an art form at town-hall-style meetings around his state. And Representative Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, received an outpouring of campaign contributions after he angrily yelled "You lie!" to the president during an address to Congress in 2009. But the context of the angry outburst matters, and it's not clear that expressing anger when a candidate is on a losing streak is a good thing. For Mr. Santorum, the exchange on Sunday with Mr. Zeleny was the second time in three days that he seemed to lose his cool. During an interview with Neil Cavuto of Fox News just a few days earlier, he bristled at the suggestion that he might prefer President Obama over Mr. Romney. "This is the hatchet job of all times," Mr. Santorum said. It's so absurd, it's not even worth printing, but you folks are all wound up. Unlike Mr. Christie, who uses his anger to underscore his position of power in New Jersey politics, or even Mr. Reagan, who was at the beginning of his primary battle with George H.W. Bush, Mr. Santorum has entered a crucial period in his race to defeat Mr. Romney. His campaign remains far behind Mr. Romney's in the number of delegates that have pledged support for him. In order to win the required 1,144 delegates to clinch the Republican nomination, Mr. Santorum would have to win nearly 3 out of every 4 delegates in all of the remaining contests. Worse, the media's attention has begun to wane just as he needs more of it to underscore his continuing relevance in the Republican nominating contest. His victory in Louisiana over Mr. Romney was not front-page news in most newspapers. All of which made it easy for Mr. Romney's campaign to accuse Mr. Santorum of desperation after his outbursts. "Senator Santorum is becoming increasingly shrill as his campaign hopes fade," said Andrea Saul, a spokeswoman for Mr. Romney, after the exchange with Mr. Zeleny. Asked about the comments by Mr. Santorum, Mr. Romney said on CNN Monday afternoon that he just simply ignores his rival. "I'm not going to worry too much about what Rick is saying these days," Mr. Romney said, with a little smile on his face. For Mr. Santorum, getting angry - especially at the media or Mr. Obama - may help generate the kind of enthusiasm that Mr. Romney seems unable to create for himself. The competent, always-in-control appearance that Mr. Romney puts forth does not lend itself to excitement. For a Republican electorate that seems eager for red meat and anger, Mr. Santorum's approach may be closer to the voters than Mr. Romney's. But with Mr. Romney's lead in the delegates, it may not be enough.