Posted on 01/26/2012 10:51:53 AM PST by kristinn
Speaking in friendly territory -- before a tea party crowd of about 500 in Central Florida's bucolic Mount Dora -- the former House Speaker savaged Mitt Romney, the campaign ads that have been pillorying Gingrich across the state -- and his own Republican party.
Gingrich wasted little time in criticizing Romney as he took to the stage with his wife, Calista, decrying the "attack ads and all sorts of junk" and charging that Romney is hypocritical for attacking him for Freddie Mac when he has stock in it.
"He thinks we're going to back down, I don't think so," he said.
"This is the desperate last stand of the old order, throwing the kitchen sink, hoping something sticks because if only they can drown us in enough mud -- raised with money from companies and people who foreclosed on Floridians," he said. He charged Romney and his super PAC ads were "paid for with the money taken from the people of Florida, by companies like Goldman Sachs."
The Romney campaign issued an all-caps email with the headline and subtitle that read: "UNHINGED: DR. NEWT AND MR. HYDE...GINGRICH LEADS “OCCUPY MOUNT DORA"
But Gingrich, who had been surging in the Florida polls, said the race is now "very close" and that he believes the "weight of the negative ads" and what he called Romney's "dishonesty," had "hurt us some."
He called on the tea partiers to start working harder. "This group alone is big enough to start to turn this around," he said, declaring he wouldn't allow the "monied interests" to defeat him.
Gingrich is clearly banking on support from Florida's tea party -- which helped elect Marco Rubio and Rick Scott in 2010 and he thanked the crowd, some of whom wore tea party t-shirts.
SNIP
On the eve of the coup, Dick Armey told his chief of staff to tell Newt what was about to happen. Armey, one of the four coup co-conspirators, got ticked off when he found out Paxon was supposed to replace Newt as Speaker, when Armey had believed that he himself was assured of that position. This is how Newt found out and was able to confront and expose the co-conspirators and put an end to it.
Scarborough had always been Sandy Hume’s source for leaks coming out of Congress, and him telling Sandy about the failed coup (after the fact, of course) wouldn’t have been out of character for their relationship. In spite of a really ugly rumor that Ann Northrup, writer for “Lesbian and Gay New York”, tried to fabricate, the coup attempt and its aftermath were completely unrelated to Sandy Hume’s fate, and have no bearing on how Brit Hume does or doesn’t feel towards Gingrich. IMO.
The common thread running through much of the elite GOPs hatred of Gingrich, and efforts to take him out, is: John Boehner. With able assistance, naturally, from his old well-placed cronies.
Absolutely true!! I was thinking the same thing this morning!!!
At this point with Dole, McCain, Fox News, Krauthammer, etc. etc. etc. in “scorched earth” mode, I wouldn’t care if Newt is a communist I’m voting for him.
It’s really a curious thing to watch. So much bad blood between so many players.
I wonder if Dick Armey will try to influence Tea Party organizations through his FreedomWorks group where it comes to Gingrich. I think some of them have worked closely in the past.
It depends on if the network allows the audience to respond. Without real time feedback from the voters, the Spin doctors will get away with murder, like they did last Monday, and give it to Romney.
Eternal enmity.
Yep! bttt
Hi, Missed you in Cocoa but glad you attended a good event too! See you soon I hope! Hoping for the best for Newt on Tuesday!!
I missed you guys, too! Wanted to go, but had too many irons in the fire to get away. I was able to get up to Mt. Dora today because it is only 11 miles from me.
Hope to see you at another venue soon, though!
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