Posted on 12/15/2011 10:17:59 AM PST by TBBT
Talking to Iowa Public Television this morning, Newt Gingrich was remorseful about having blasted Mitt Romney over his time at Bain Capital - a rebuke that was not a response to a hit, and which conservative elites slammed him over for employing the same argument as Democrats:
“I do regret taking a shot at Mitt. It was foolish on my part. He had taken one more shot at me that he knew wasn’t true and made an assertion that he knew was absurd, but it violated all the core principles I have in terms of trying to stay positive despite temptation,” Gingrich said. “It also communicated something I don’t believe in. I think people who run those companies have an obligation to run the companies effectively and to do the best they can and I’ve said in the past, many times, that he’s a good manager.”
Current and former members of congress who served with Gingrich have suggested his leadership style make him unfit for the presidency.
“I don’t respond to my former colleagues,” Gingrich said. “I tell the public I was a very strong speaker. I helped drive us to a majority for the first time in 40 years. I helped develop the first reelection as a (Republican House) majority since 1948 and, remember, I’m getting this stuff done with Bill Clinton (in the White House).”
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Current and former members of congress who served with Gingrich have suggested his leadership style make him unfit for the presidency.”
Yeah, they hate a guy who speaks up when they are pissing in his soup.
Yet Mitt and Ron Paul get a pass at their continual disparaging of Newt? Even after Mitt said, two days ago, he would no longer run a negative campaign against his opponents.
From Noot? There's a shock. "Smartest Man In The Room", indeed.
NANCY PELOSI: Hi. I’m Nancy Pelosi, lifelong Democrat and Speaker of the House.
NEWT GINGRICH: And I’m Newt Gingrich, lifelong Republican, and I used to be Speaker.
PELOSI: We don’t always see eye-to-eye, do we Newt?
GINGRICH: No. But we do agree our country must take action to address climate change.
PELOSI: We need cleaner forms of energy and we need them fast.
GINGRICH: If enough of us demand action from our leaders, we can spark the innovation we need.
April 18, 2008
The only reason I'm sticking with him is because he's a bag of hot air to some extent, but when it comes down to actual legislation, he's on the right side, and better able to swing opinion on it than anyone else in the race. At least, I hope so.
Kerry-Gingrich “debate” on Global Warming
At one point, Gingrich said, “We’re not arguing over whether it [a plan to fight global warming] should be urgent. We’re arguing over whether bureaucracy and litigation is a better way to be urgent or whether science and technology translated by entrepreneurs into products is a better way to be urgent.”
Finally, Kerry relented. “I’m excited to hear you talk about the urgency,” he said. But “what would you say to Senator [Jim] Inhofe [R-Okla.] and to others in the Senate who are resisting even the science?”
Gingrich didn’t hesitate. “My message,” he said, “is that the evidence is sufficient that we should move towards the most effective possible steps to reduce carbon loading of the atmosphere.” The pro-Kerry crowd applauded.
“And do it urgently?” the senator pressed.
“And do it urgently, yeah,” the former speaker replied. “I think there has to be, if you will, a green conservatism,” he added.
April 10, 2007
and, remember, I’m getting this stuff done with Bill Clinton (in the White House).”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(no link)
Gingrich, Role as House Leader Intact, Offers Clinton an Olive Branch
New York Times, The (NY) - Thursday, November 7, 1996
Author: FRANCIS X. CLINES
Having survived the Democrats’ nationwide assault on his leadership, Speaker Newt Gingrich gratefully responded today with a noticeably noncombative call to find “common ground” with President Clinton in the Administration’s second term.
“We ought to work with him and give him a chance to lead in the direction he campaigned on,” said Mr. Gingrich, whose tone at 3 o’clock this morning, as he finally confirmed that the Republicans had retained control of the House and that his hand would therefore remain on the gavel, was considerably gentler than it was two years ago, when he began honing a reputation as a political revolutionary keen for jousting with Mr. Clinton .
“And if he sticks to the things he campaigned on, we should be able to find some common ground,” the Speaker declared, borrowing from the President to invoke the phrase “common ground” repeatedly at a news conference here in his Atlanta-area district, as if that phrase were already his own fresh, more careful mantra for the new Republican Congress.
(snip)
According to this article, Mark Halperin has posted a partial transcript.
What is Maggie Habermann talking about? “...Newt Gingrich was remorseful about having blasted Mitt Romney over his time at Bain Capital - a rebuke that was not a response to a hit,...”
I thought Gingrich WAS responding to Romney’s hit - about Gingrich taking the $1.8 mil from Freddie Mac for “consulting”. Am I wrong? Even Gingrich’s statement quoted in the politico piece says it was made in response to Romney’s “shot” and “absurd assertion”.
He should never have said it in the first place.
This is like appearing on the love seat with Nancy Pelosi praising Al Gore's global warming efforts and attacking Paul Ryan on TV. It shows a lack of principles and a lack of self discipline. Newt is trying to curry favor with the Washington elite and the MSM who despise him.
At least Newt admitted his mistake, but he should show some principle and not just repeat MSM talking points.
Yep!
A Tuesday retraction would have been more effective in conveying sincerety.
The article says he gets his shot in at Mitt later on, saying that if Romney loses New Hampshire, he’s finished.
True dat.
Doesn’t matter.
This interview is for Iowa consumption on their public TV station.
This is, apparently, a Faux News success story. For me it just means less Fox and more Netflix.
All of this back biting is playing to the agenda of the MSM. They know the only way to get Barack re-elected is to distract the public from his incompetence and corruption. If the election focuses on Obama in any regard whatsoever, he’ll lose.
I don’t blame Gingrich for responding to the gratuitous sniping by Romney. Romney’s a cheap-shot artist, who in many of the debates took un-provoked, nasty shots at the other candidates. He reminds me of the smart-aleck kid in the schoolyard, who warranted a punch in the mouth. I can’t support a guy like that.
I don’t see it as a mistake at all. It was a calculated risk taken by Newt, and Newt is “walking it back” to excuse himself only after damaging Romney with an accusation a lot of voters feel has at least a grain of truth in it.
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