Newt Gingrich in Mount Dora, Florida.
Posted on 01/27/2012 6:07:42 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
MOUNT DORA - Newt Gingrich lashed out Mitt Romney in Mount Dora Thursday, saying the former Massachusetts governor is guilty of lies, desperation and hypocrisy that should make "every American angry."
Speaking at the Lakeside Inn before a crowd of about 1,000, the former House speaker said Romney is being fueled by Washington lobbyists and special interest money, as evident by all of the negative advertising hitting the airwaves in Florida.
"I am running for president to represent you, not to represent the Washington lobbyists, not to represent Goldman Sachs, not to represent the people who have been ruining this country," Gingrich said. "And I need your help."
Accompanied by his wife Callista, the North Lake Tea Party-endorsed candidate received cheers as he vowed to shake up the Washington establishment.
"Remember, the Republican establishment is just as much as the Democratic establishment, and they are just as determined to stop us," Gingrich said.
"This is a campaign, for the very nature of the Republican party and the very opportunity for citizen conservatism, to defeat the power of money and to prove that people matter more than Wall Street and that people matter more than all the big companies that are throwing the cash under one man's (ads) that are false."
The volume of attack ads airing in the Sunshine State are similar to those that badly hurt Gingrich in Iowa.
"We were drowned in a sea of mud in Iowa," he said. "Mud paid for with special-interests money, money paid for by lobbyists in Washington and a candidate who was willing to say anything and do anything because he is so desperate to be president that he doesn't think that the truth matters.
"But, I'm here as a citizen. I frankly don't care what the Washington establishment thinks of me, because I intend to change them."
Gingrich has sharpened his criticism on his opponent after tax returns showed Romney held investments in Cayman Islands, the government-backed mortgage company Freddie Mac, and other entities.
"He owns a Goldman Sachs subsidiary, which is foreclosing on Floridians," Gingrich said.
Acknowledging a man in the crowd wearing a "I really miss Reagan" T-shirt, Gingrich said he felt the same way and shared with the crowd his close ties with the former president.
"Michael Reagan has endorsed me," Gingrich said of the son of President Ronald Reagan. "In 1995, at the Goldwater Institute, Nancy Reagan said that Ronald Reagan's torch had been passed to me as speaker of the House and that I was carrying the values he believed in."
Gingrich talked about his opponent's flip-flopping.
"During that entire period, Mitt Romney was a money-making Independent," Gingrich said. "He had no interest in politics; he wasn't involved in helping save the country."
He added that in 1992, Romney gave money to the Democrats running for Congress, and voted in the Democratic presidential primary for Paul Tsongas, "the most liberal candidate."
"This is a man (Romney) who questions my credentials as a Reagan aide?" Gingrich said. "This is the kind of gall they have to think we're so stupid and we're so timid? That we'll let somebody who voted for Paul Tsongas. In 1994, (Tsongas) was running to the U.S. Senate to the left of Teddy Kennedy. Do you know how hard it is to run to the left of Teddy Kennedy?"
Gingrich stressed his overall mission is to beat President Obama, and to focus on economic growth and job creation. He told the crowd he was involved in creating jobs with Reagan in the 1980s, during a period of "16 million jobs, lower taxes, less regulation."
The Republican contender noted for his strong debate skills, questions his opponent's ability to debate President Obama.
"I don't think Gov. Romney could last in a debate with Barack Obama," Gingrich said. "We need a solid conservative who can stand there and look straight in the eyes of the president and say 'Mr. President, you are wrong and your policies are fake."
Several in audience responded by chanting in unison: "Taxed enough already."
"I promise you," Gingrich added, "I am going to fight every day to the end until we win this nomination."
Newt Gingrich in Mount Dora, Florida.
Wow. I remember that primary - I worked with an absolute wacko leftwinger at the time who was a fanatic for Paul Tsongas. He, more than Tom Harkin & Guv Moonbeam, did represent the far left in that race.
Is that cousin It or JoJo the dog faced girl next to Newt’s nose?
It’s interesting that Newt’s rhetoric on the stump is getting harder and harder... and yet the last two debates he has been so timid and purposely missed opportunity after opportunity to hit Romney hard.
No, that’s someone looking down with sunglasses on her hair.
I watched the debate and Mitt was overbearing and “wordy” (methinks thee doth protest too much) in his self-defense and in his attacks on Newt.
I think Newt was giving him rope and that Mitt (being Mitt) hung himself a bit.
Now the MSM won’t report that, but I wasn’t the only one watching those exchanges and thinking how repulsive Mitt is — thinking that THIS is the man we would have negotiating for our party — for the country.
He’s insufferable, he stutters and is on edge all the time — he oozes phony, desperation and feelings of inadequacy.
Newt needs to hit The Villages fast.. be nice if he had Sarah Palin with him.. too bad it’s only the Romney team that knows how to pull out all the stops with Christie and McCain campaigning with him and it’s Newt all by himself trying to take on the whole establishment
In 1994, (Tsongas) was running to the U.S. Senate to the left of Teddy Kennedy.”
Um, that is simply false. Tsongas never ran for anything after he ran for President in 1992. He did not run for Senate in 1994. And he never positioned himself to the left of Kennedy. Rather, he was always trying to pretend to be one of these fiscally responsible democrats.
I get the feeling that sometimes Gingrich simply says whatever comes into his head, whether true or not.
Newt looked like McCain in the debate last night, stumbling, out of sync. Of course, that was because the moderator was in the tank for Romney, something Newt should have expected going in.
Newt needs to hit Romney on the fact that Romney isn’t a conservative. If he had hit Romney on Planned Parenthood and the Assault Weapons Ban last night, it would have been lights out for Romney. Newt, wake up! Mittens’ glass jaw is sitting unprotected right in front of you!
I’m absolutely convinced that Newt Gingrich is the junkyard dog we need to rip Obama a new one and send him running back to his Chicago slime pit with his tail between his legs. Newt has plenty of DC experience as Speaker, executive ability from his many enterprises, and a silver tongue that’s razor sharp! He’s fast on his feet, delivers it straight up with no hemming and hawwing, and is often witty. His work with American Solutions was very impressive and as we’ve seen recently, he is able to put into words what the vast majority of hard-working Americans really believe. His fevered brain also has plenty of ideas for making government work better for taxpayers. Is Newt pure as the driven snow? No - none of the presidential candidates are in line for sainthood. Whatever Newt’s much-touted “baggage”, it pales next to Obama’s habitual lying and outright corruption - and unlike Obama, Newt is 100% American. Newt is like Larry the Cable Guy: send him to DC and he’ll “Git ‘er done” for all of us. Junkyard dogs are not show dogs, but they’ll save your bacon!
Why would you take a poodle to a dogfight? Go git ‘im, Newt!
I watchd the debate and Newt did fine.
Santorum, though, wiped the floor with Romney. Which is why there’s a Santorum hit piece in the media this morning.
the self described moderate progressive Romney is pulling away in Florida.. it’s the Reagan revolution member Newt Gingrich all alone vs the whole damn establishment and the media,, where is Sarah Palin here... her husband can endorse but she sits on her butt and does nothing but yaps to Sean Hannity.. she could be a huge boost to the Gingrich campaign down there in Florida.. but I guess Romney’s people want it more because they aren’t leaving anything in the quiver
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72074.html
Santorum is also as moderate as Romney, so I would not doubt that Romney has promised him a job after the threat from Newt is taken down. Santorum can't win, and even Santorum know it. But having him in the race is Romney's only hope for winning. And if this actually becomes a reality, I will never vote Republican again. This is the same level of corruption we expect from the Democrats.
before a crowd of about 1,000
That is a huge crowd for the small town of Mt Dora.
Has there been any news whatsoever on the size of crowds listening to Mitt Romney in Florida? Or is Mitt only having personal consultations with Charlie Crist?
The reporter got it wrong. When Newt said 'he', he was referring to Romney, not Tsongas. Romney did run to Kennedy's left on certain issues in that race.
yeah
Santorum is no Tea Party candidate... notice it’s Gingrich who is bringing huge numbers of Tea Party people out to see him?
Santorum stands up there all high and mighty because NOBODY is calling him on his record
he doesn’t have to defend from attacks from the other 3 like Newt does.. it’s an illusion to say Santorum has these great debates because his record is far from solid Conservative but nobody cares because he’s not a threat to anyone on the stage
I thought the same thing. Newt took the high road and looked Presidential, even a little vulnerable, which is the opposite of what they expected. I honestly believe he endeared himself to a lot more people.
BTW you're a class act as is your good Governor Perry.
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