Gingrich didn’t take time out and he did stay focused on the issues. The problem was the Romney started personal attacks (scurrilous videos) and instead of ignoring them, Gingrich responded with an ad that Romney’s secret supporter, Rush Limbaugh, declared to be “un-capitalistic.” It wasn’t, but Rush was very devoted to Romney and practically broke down in tears the day before the election describing what a “decent, decent man” Romney was and how lovely his automaton wife was as they walked into the polling place.
Gingrich should have ignored the Romney campaign ad, but everybody was telling him that he had to respond in kind. So he questioned Romney’s ludicrous statement that he was a “small businessman.”
Romney’s business was arbitrage and M&A, and the photo of him on the cover of Fortune that showed him and the other young Mormons tossing $100 bills around was not exactly that of a Main Street small businessman, which was how Romney was presenting himself.
I think it was some advisor who told Gingrich to do an ad attacking this (since Romney had been attacking Gingrich because he was divorced and remarried), but Gingrich should not have done it since he had run a very dignified campaign until then.
In any case, Romney had a lot more money and even though Gingrich was very popular here in Florida, it was Romney who had the money for the yard signs, the hired people at the intersections, etc.
And then there is his incessant lying about how he balanced the budget back in the 90s, his photo-op with Nancy Pelosi, and his self-flattery about how being a Wilsonian progressive.
I get what you're saying about Romney being vicious in the primaries then letting Obama off the hook in the election. Would Romney pull the same stunt with another run and we end up with a dem in the WH again?
Meanwhile, Gingrich's wife seemed to be more of an ornament. It might help if we get to know her better.