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January 27, 2012 1:45 PM
Newt Doubles Down
After last night’s debate, there was a brief discussion in my Twitter peer group as to whether Newt would respond to his drubbing by going after Mitt with a big clawhammer or by returning to his long-forgotten “positive” posture as part of a strategic retreat towards non-candidacy and book/video sales.
I think we know the answer now, via ABC’s Jonathan Karl:
Newt Gingrich is responding to last night’s debate with a brutal new ad accusing Romney of trying to mislead, deceive, and distort his way to the White House.
Here’s the money line: ”What kind of man would mislead, distort and deceive just to win an election? This man would: Mitt Romney.”
The ad essentially accuses Romney of lying at least twice in the debate last night: 1) about his blind trust and, 2) about his vote for Paul Tsongas in 1992.
Makes sense. Gingrich made his rapid and amazing ascent in the polls after New Hampshire by attacking debate moderators and panelists and the Godless Liberal Media they represented, and by attacking Romney in ads. Now that he’s been skunked in both Florida debates, he’s playing the only hand he has left, until Sheldon Adelson’s dough runs out.
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SadOldVet on January 27, 2012 1:57 PM:
Makes sense...
Newt made his rapid descent in Iowa after Mitt's Multi-millionares invested heavily in a deceitful, lying multi-million dollar media campaign to destroy Newt.
I hope that Newt is able to do the same to Mittens in Florida and keep the repuke campaign going for longer and longer and more negative and more negative. While it is inevitable that a greater number of deep pockets are available to the real choice of the 1/10 of 1%ers and Mittens will prevail in the end; I fervently hope that it goes long enough and bitter enough to cause lasting damage to Mr. Rmoney.
Being in Nevada, maybe Mr. Adelson has had to do business with the Mormon mafias and has more reasons to go after Mittens than just his shared deep affinity with Newt of hate of unions and love of reich-wing Israeli politicians.
CJ on January 27, 2012 1:57 PM:
...{Gingrich is] playing the only hand he has left, until Sheldon Adelson’s dough runs out.
I suspect that Ed means until Sheldon Adelson pulls the plug, if ever.
Adelson is worth billions. He could fund a dozen presidential campaigns, and he's not running out of money any time soon.
Danp on January 27, 2012 1:58 PM:
The ad essentially accuses Romney of lying at least twice in the debate last night: 1) about his blind trust and, 2) about his vote for Paul Tsongas in 1992.
Steve Benen was recently called the nicest guy in the blogosphere, but when it comes to Mitt's lies, he makes Newt look like a pussy cat. It would be fun to see how many doozies he could list in a 30 second ad. He does talk kinda fast, you know.
2!Manchu on January 27, 2012 2:15 PM:
It was expected that Newt would go full-bore negative after getting smacked around by Mitt. His continent-wide ego wouldn't allow for anyhing less.
Anonymous on January 27, 2012 2:21 PM:
I wonder if there is any possible way, at least once Obama is out there debating but hopefully before, to have some fact checking mechanism actually on the stage or in the audience, and turn to them several times in the course of the debate. The fact checkers could belong the the hosting network, or be "quasi independent" like politifact or factcheck.org.
The nature of debates today is for the debaters to lie incessantly with very little pushback from the moderators, and that poorly serves the audience at the debate AND at home.
Th on January 27, 2012 2:22 PM:
If Romney manages to win the nomination I look for Adelson to secretly fund Obama so he doesn't have to deal with a President Romney. Pay-back can be a bitch.
Ron Byers on January 27, 2012 2:25 PM:
2!Manchu, What do you mean continent-wide ego. Newt's ego spans the entire solar system.
I have long thought that Washington, D.C, Puerto Rico or maybe American Samoa was going to be our 51st state. But the other day Newt raised the bar quite literally to the heavens and suggest statehood for the moon. To the moon Newtie to the moon.
mellowjohn on January 27, 2012 2:32 PM:
"What kind of man would mislead, distort and deceive just to win an election?"
oooh! oooh! mistah kottah, pick me! pick me! oooh!
steve on January 27, 2012 2:41 PM:
Last night Willard spoke of his wife's Anne's father being an immigrant. That's true. But there is more. “I am a coal miner’s granddaughter,” Mrs Romney, 62, said at a campaign stop.
“I feel I am just one foot away from where that mine was and how close we all are, all of us, to the sacrifices of our parents and grandparents who tried to make a better life for us.”
That grandfather, David Davies, emigrated to the US in the 1920s after being crushed in a mining accident. He did whatever work he could find to pay for his family to join him.
His wife, daughter and three sons – one of them 15-year-old Edward Roderick “Rod” Davies, future father of Mrs Romney – arrived in 1929, just as Wall Street crashed and the Great Depression struck.
Mr Davies graduated from the General Motors Institute of Technology, now Kettering University, in Flint, Michigan, in 1938. He went on to found Jered Industries, a successful engineering firm, and helped to design the landing crafts for D-Day during the Second World War.
Five years later, he and his wife Lois had a daughter, Ann. They sent her to the private Kingswood school in Bloomfield Hills, where Mr Davies was elected mayor. It was the sister school to Cranbrook, the boys’ school where Mr Romney — son of the Governor of Michigan — was a pupil.
Jered still exists. Its owned by PaR Systems. That is owned by MML Capital Partners, a private equity shop. Involved in defense\security businesses.
Willard asserted in prior debates that he did not inherit anything from his family. He did not say whether Anne's family supplied the seed money for Bain.
st john on January 27, 2012 2:49 PM:
Once again, I ask the question: Where do the millions and millions of campaign dollars go? How many jobs do these dollars create and for whom? As often as I visit liberal/progressive websites, I never see a mention of how the money is distributed. I've asked and asked this question, with no response. Have I missed it? Steve never addressed it. Will Ed? Any other posters? Am I missing something? What do the networks stand to gain or lose if they diligently fact check the debaters and hold them accountable for their claims and assertions?
So, gambling money is a major source of Gingrich's campaign contribution. I don't care where it comes from, as long as I know who benefits from its influence and how.
peace
st john
hells littlest angel on January 27, 2012 2:57 PM:
No one, but no one, is doing more right now to help re-elect President Obama than Newt Gingrich. I just love the fat little jerk.
SYSPROG on January 27, 2012 3:04 PM:
Newt ALSO blamed the audience...again. THIS time he accused Romney of 'packing the seats' so he (Newt) couldn't have a good cheering section. And they call these debates...uh huh. Of course, they don't understand government either. It's a pity everything I learned in school is bogus. Must be that ol' librul influence.
rrk1 on January 27, 2012 3:52 PM:
It's a pity everything I learned in school is bogus. Must be that ol' librul influence.
But that 'librul influence' doesn't change the real Newt, the father of angry personal attacks. He can't help himself. He has singlehandedly lowered the level of political discourse in this country into the sewer. It's what he does best, and when the going gets tough that's exactly where he reverts to. Of course, so much of what he accuses Romney of he's guilty of himself, but what-the-hell. That's just the normal projection Rethugs do so well. Whether Gingrich learned it from Rove or vice-versa I don't know.
It was just a matter of time before the Newt melted down. It's who he is. Too bad. I was hoping we could keep the show going another three months or so. Adelson would surely pony up more dough, and help leave the Rethugs in tatters. Obviously the Rethug establishment is in a panic, as they should be.
TCinLA on January 27, 2012 4:12 PM:
Newt's only highlighted the most recent (and smallest) of Willard's lies. As Steve pointed out every Friday this month, there's an ocean of Willard lies out there to use. And if Newt continues to highlight them for us, more power to him.
And pu-leeeeze - Mittens the kitten is getting extremely upset with you people who keep using her name in vain to go after the Moron, er, I mean Mormon, idiot. Use Willard. Mittens will be very happy with you. :-)
biggerbox on January 27, 2012 6:08 PM:
" Pot is responding to last night’s debate with a brutal new ad accusing the Kettle of being black.
Here’s the money line: ”What kind of cooking vessel would be discolored with soot? This man would: Kettle.”
SKM on January 28, 2012 1:36 AM:
Okay. I'm going to go out on a limb with this. Because no one and I mean no one controls Newt. I say this, because if he would say something terrible against Ronald Reagan, shut down the government. I am starting to believe that since Willard is so out of touch with people, these debates are staged. Yes. I believe they are staged in order to give Willard a sense of being on stage in front of people during a debate, and some sort of practice for when he debates Obama.
This is why I think this now. Newt, he is like the rapper of politics, like Snoop Dogg - meaning, he doesn't need a speech, it doesn't matter how tired he is. Newt is so good with words, he can tap dance around Willard's words in a deep sleep. Then take into consideration that in Iowa, Willard was declared the winner when only 19% of precincts votes was counted. Later it was discovered that Santorum won actually. With this, I am starting to think that since Willard is what the establishment wants, every now and then they want Gingrich and Santorum to take a few on Willard. And yes, Gingrich won South Carolina, but, again, I think they told Newt to do this in order to let Willard get exposure to what he'd face in the 'South.' I just can't see Newt letting anyone reduce him to shreds without him getting something out of it. Since Hermie Cain is out, Willard can't debate who the establishment want him to debate. And with Santorum, he is unusually quiet, when he is one that can't hold water (he is accused of leaking the information about Ensign's affair - and part of the Gang of Seven, now called the Gang of Six).
SKM on January 28, 2012 1:40 AM:
BTW, Newt doesn't have to use ADs to remind people that Willard is a liar. I've started viewing Willard as a pathological liar months ago.