Posted on 01/02/2012 8:06:07 PM PST by Mariner
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) - Struggling to reverse a slide in his standing, Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich said Sunday he'd been "Romney-boated" in Iowa and suggested his GOP rival would buy the presidency if he could.
The sharp words against Mitt Romney, a multimillionaire many times over who is in strong contention to win Iowa, come two days before voters here weigh in on the Republican field. It was part of a stepped-up effort by Gingrich to contrast himself with Romney, and the candidate said he would adopt an even more aggressive strategy when the race moves to New Hampshire, the former Massachusetts governor's backyard.
Gingrich's nautical attack was a reference to a 2004 TV ad campaign by a group called the "Swiftboat Veterans for Truth" that bloodied Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. This year, Gingrich has faced an onslaught of negative TV advertisements by a group aligned with Romney.
Asked Sunday whether he felt that he had been "swiftboated," Gingrich replied, "I feel Romney-boated."
It was his second swipe of the day at the Republican frontrunner.
Speaking to reporters after attending morning Mass at the St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des Moines, Gingrich said the amount Romney will eventually spend on his various campaigns will rival the spending of billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has poured at least $261 million of his own money into his mayoral campaigns.
"Romney would buy the election if he could," Gingrich said.
A new Des Moines Register poll put Gingrich in fourth place, after leading the field a few weeks ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at siouxcityjournal.com ...
??? yes, and so? I don’t think you can have read my posts.
I know perfectly well it was the reporter who framed the question.
I have explained why I think it’s terrible that any conservative could take up this “****-boating” theme rather than reject the premise.
A key part of *good* conservative politics is knowing how to challenge and reject media narratives which are based upon leftist assumptions.
I have explained that I think Newt took the easy path and pandered to the media.
You may not agree but it is pointless to reiterate what the reporter and Gingrich said when I am criticizing the very fact that Gingrich embraced the reporter’s “****-boating” theme.
well he gets no pass from me — “Swiftboating” is one of the great liberal media hoaxes of the past decade.
He did not have to get into a rebuttal of the question but he did not have to embrace the left’s “narrative” about “****-boating” either.
It was pandering to a very bad element in the leftist media.
Gingrich should know better.
I can excuse not taking up every issue at every opportunity (one has to make choices, of course), but I don’t excuse such pandering to dishonest media memes.
“I can excuse not taking up every issue at every opportunity (one has to make choices, of course), but I don’t excuse such pandering to dishonest media memes.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkaKwJ9eOUU
Enchante. You got my vote on what you wrote in post 6. May you and yours have a content and healthy upcoming new year.
Newt uses a term that suggests that the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were a bunch of liars.
Frickin’ Fat RINO Son of a Biscuit.
He was asked if he was being "Swift-Boated."
"No," he replied, "I'm being Romney-Boated."
There was no slam against the SBV, who told the TRUTH. He was slamming Romney for smears and lies.
Every time he gets a chance to throw out 'free' negative soundbites, he jumps on it like a fly on honey!
Newt didn’t invoke the Swift Vets the reporter did and Newt refused to go along with it. Your agenda is showing.
I’m glad to see someone here hasn’t swallowed the lib propaganda hook, line and sinker. I can’t believe how gullible so many FReepers are.
well that’s nice!! Thanks!!
I would like him to have done the same on behalf of the “Swiftboating” question, but that video is awesome.
I don’t know why some people have trouble seeing the obvious analogy.
Reporter’s question assumed that “Swiftboating” is unfairly smearing a candidate.
Newt did not repudiate that lib propaganda but simply coined a new phrase “Romney-boating” which is presumably unfairly smearing Newt.
Yes, the reporter created the comparison, but if the lib context of “Swiftboating = evil lies” is not explicitly repudiated then all the media hears is the following:
(1) “Swiftboating” was the smearing of Kerry in 2004
(2) “Romneyboating” is the smearing of Newt in 2012
My point is that the whole comparison is totally wrong, and that by playing upon those terms Newt (maybe unintentionally) compared what is “done to him” with what the media pretends was “done to Kerry” in 2004.
We cannot allow these kinds of false, facile analogies to stand. It’s a propaganda war whic the MSM wages against conservative issues and candidates. Newt is usually very savvy about fighting back, but in this case he fumbled.
He'd better or he'll be spending more quality time with Herman Cain.
He stuck to his "positive" crap and got chewed to pieces so far. He's the candidate most capable of articulating conservatism and he needs to go all out on beating back his attackers.
I’m no fan of Romney but Newt wasn’t “Romney-boated.” Newt was done in by what he always has been done in by — his own ego, his own hubris and his own big mouth.
As an aside, its disgusting that any conservative uses the phrase “boated” as in “Swift boated.” That is a lie that the Dems perpetuated; that the Swift Boat veterans somehow lied about Kerry. They told the 100% truth and that arrogant ass Kerry couldn’t handle it.
When I heard arrogant-ass noot say "Romney-boated" I thought:
AHA!!
Zo...you vont to konfess to your krimes!?
As a Swift Boat veteran, 1965-1966, and a financial contributer and proud member of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, I approve your message...well said!
If the Republicans ever hope to return to power, they need to reject the definitions of terms offered them by the Left -wing Media.
...if Newt had any conservative bones, he would have jumped down the reporter’s throat and pointed out the “truths” of the Swiftboaters, instead of allowing the paidforgovtmedia to define the terms of the debate! So amateurish, when do we get conservative candidates that can challenge the lies?
ymmv
Newt.... by saying this you legitimize John Kerry’s complaints.
John Kerry added a significant amount of fiction to his Vietnam record. And unlike 99.8% of those who served in Vietnam, he asked to go home after 4 months in-country. He said it was because he had been wounded 3 times, though to this date, nobody knows what those wounds were, or why he received no treatment for them.they never kept him from action.
Being a well-connected Silver-Spooner, Kerry got his wish.
Telling, isn’t it, that Newt mischaracterizes “Swiftboating” the same way the dims do.
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