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Subscribe to RSSWEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich addressed his increased standing in the GOP primary field on the heels of a new poll Monday showing him trailing only Mitt Romney for the nomination.
A CNN/ORC poll released Monday found that 22 percent of Republicans named Gingrich as their top choice in a nominee, trailing the former Massachusetts governor at 24 percent. It's just the latest national poll to suggest Gingrich's stock has risen as Herman Cain and Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaigns have stumbled recently.
"We're very close ... It's better than when I was at 4 [percent]," Gingrich said at GuideOne Insurance company. "Look, this is the most volatile race in my lifetime. I don't know of any race like this, maybe if go back to 1940 when Wendell Wilke came out of nowhere at the very end. But this is a wild race. Who know what the polls are going to be two months from now? I'm not going to tell you that I'm on the way. The American people are really deeply concerned about our country. They have a real sense that something has to happen, and I think they're going to keep pushing until they find somebody who can take the pressure and can withstand it."
Gingrich, riding high in the polls, addressed a variety of issues during a stop in the key caucus state, including the economy. Gingrich said his vacation early in the summer to Greece, a controversial break from the campaign trail that contributed a mass resignation of staff in June, was instructive for him given the Greek economy's debt crisis. Gingrich and his wife went on a cruise.
“An observation strategically about where we are ... was very much influenced when I visited Greece in June and talked to people what they were faced with in Greece. And I listened to them," he said.
He also spoke about the Supreme Court’s decision to hear a challenge to President Obama’s health care law.
“It's a good thing they took it up, and we'll see what happens. My hope is they'll find it unconstitutional," he said.
During his speech, Gingrich explained to the crowd why he should be the Republican nominee for president.
“I don’t think there’s anybody else in the race -- I don’t mean this as an act of ego -- I don’t think there’s anybody else in the race with my background," he said. "I’ve been doing this for 53 years, I have a PhD in European history, I’ve written 24 books, made 7 documentary films, I really passionately believe in this country, my dad was a career soldier for 27 years and I can represent classic American exceptionalism in that kind of contest.”
Gingrich also criticized the congressional supercommittee, while also detailing his own plan to balance the budget.
“There are ways to solve this, I’ve lived through solving it. We’ve had four consecutive years of balanced budgets, we paid off $405 billion dollars, it is the only time in the lifetime of most of you that’s ever happened in Washington.”
Gingrich plan includes block granting welfare programs to the states, acquiring new revenue by opening up federal lands for oil and natural gas development, applying "Lean Six Sigma" concepts to government agencies, and detecting fraud in Medicare and Medicaid. He also proposed replacing or reforming the Congressional Budget Office.
The former Speaker also brought up the Keystone pipeline in order to warn the Chinese may attempt to take over that project.
“The president blocks the XL Keystone pipeline, which was going to bring oil and gas from Canada to Houston to American refineries to then be exported to China. Guess what the Canadian Prime Minister said in Hawaii this weekend? He’s now meeting with the Chinese Prime Minister to say, fine, if the Americans don’t want 20,000 jobs, they’ll build a pipeline from central Canada to Vancouver.”
Gingrich will be in Jefferson, Iowa later this afternoon.
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If I am not mistaken back in 2008 Rudy was leading at this point with Fred Thompson in second. McCain was 4th or 5th in the polls.
In 2004 on the Democratic side John Kerry did not surge until the week before Iowa!! Howard Dean was leading at this stage.
Polls are snapshots in time. The contest this election year has been so up and down I don't think ANYONE can safely predict what will happen!
Iowa is seven very, very long weeks from tomorrow! That is a LIFETIME in politics!
Mr. Gingrich is very good at public speaking and sounds competent. However he is still part of the bankrupt system that we currently have in place, and therefore he is part of the problem, not the solution!
I was horrified when he made those reckless, inane comments about covert subversive operations against the Iranian government. Can you imagine what would happen if a politician in China or Russia said that about the USA? Any international political violence that is unethical, illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional that we s a nation perpetuate against others will return to us. Haven't we learned this lesson?
RON PAUL 2012
At some stage of the game
I would like to proclaim
That Obama has failed
Without refrain, yet with
That I might be hailed
Not as a late show come on star
Nor appear as some monster
Gingrich is but one small player of eight. This is a great TEA/GOP/Republican primary season! These players have removed all doubt they have no idea what real or not. The possibility of collapse of the European and American economy and power and influence in the Middle East region points to real reason to reason with these extremist. Baring the traction from our own extremist, TEA/GOP/Republican partisans, America must get out while we can and control our own destiny and not the whims of another country. This is not saying we should go into isolation, but rather consider improving the onshore economy of America and the western Hemisphere. At this point in the election phase one would wonder where and how do the TEA/GOP/Republican candidates listen to when developing their points of discussion. The idea that America has the where-with-all to accomplish the goals of ruling the world with force as the previous administration tried, is ludicrous and insane. The idea not to have constructive meeting with those who would want to kill us and devise and develop plans to implement living together in the world , in peace, is not beyond hope. Open warfare of any kind is not in the card of the everyday American. What Americans would do without any debate is return fire on any one who commits threats, transgressions or aggression on American soil. Osama Bin Ladin was on Afghan soil, we went there searching for him. Then he moved to Pakistan, where he was protected, but we got him. Then we directed our resources to Iraq, and got diverted. We need to get out of theaters and assist the democratic in other ways besides war. Enough American blood has been shed!
The spite and hate of the 'progressives' is in full display here. The President's policies have not been mentioned by even one of them, because they know that for President Obama to run on his record is the recipe for his defeat. Their only chance for victory is to comment on how 'stupid' or 'fat' or 'ugly' his potential opponents are. Name call and talk about ANYTHING, but the abysmal economic mess that this President and his party have gotten us into.
averted a depression, passed a magnificent health care law, killed Osama Bin Ladin, help oust Kaddafi, saved the American auto industry deported more illegal immigrants than the Bush, made it dumb to be dumb again
The President's policies have not been discussed because this is an article about Newt Gingrich.
"shove obamacare down our throats" When in hell are right wingers going to realize how infantile their sound bites are?
Personally, I can't wait to have more rich man tax cuts shoved down my throat. And more job creator fairy dust.
American Girl and other leftist lemmings are fond of repeating the lie that Clinton brought us a balanced budget legislation
Uh actually, genius, he did. Balancing the budget and supporting an amendment requiring it are two different things. The latter is what GOP gasbags like to yap yap yap about while they're increasing spending.
A newt is nothing more than a lizard with Napoleon complex.
LOL
A lizard on a rock in a hard place flat out drinking.
This may be a wild race Newt but neither you or any of your teapublican buddies are going to win it.
Newt is the author of the current age of volatile hyperpartisan politics. He is an amoral bully and a hypocrit and needs to go back to selling his books and videos with his current wife. Somewhere along the line he thought he could turn the book tour into a campaign - hubris.
Only the stupid Repugs. could get behind a fool such as Newt.
What kind of fool am I?
Isn't this Rich?
Are we a pair?
Me here at last on the ground
And you in mid-air
After endlessly, wearily reading all the acidic comments on here day after day, week after week, for interminable months, I think I know wherein the problem lies. Everyone is nothing but a party liner, mimicing what their idols say, not doing any original thinking, just slinging whatever mudballs come to mind. There is no middle ground anymore, no center to the pendulum swing, no moderation, which is normally the most sensible of paths. Everyone forgets that no one has all the answers. So its just gonna be a wild -a$$ swinging ride to the bottom, I guess. Enjoy, all!! I'm a-gonna jump off the grid here sometime soon and watch all you belligerent pugilistic f*ckers go down in smoke. Good riddance!
Tom, you aren't the only one sick of soundbites and bombast. I wonder what Regan would have thought of this election cycle? My only hope is the noise heard on this vine doesn't bleed into the electorate, such as it is these days.
I suppose they will all have their turn at the top of the polls, but Newt!! Are you guys kidding? OK, where is Larry Flint when we really need him!
Larry's busy making sausage.
They say a dead body rises to the top of a pond too. It has to do with bloating as rot sets in.
Promise us Newt that if you lose this one you will go back to chasing skirts and changing mistresses into wives and leave us alone. Note to current wife: You have heard haven't you that when a man marries his mistress it leaves a position vacant - just thought you should know- get all the Tiffany jewelry you can because there is probably wife # 4 waiting in the wings.
Forgot about Newt Gingrich being a bad GOP candidate. He is beyond just that - he is a bad person. Immoral, hypocritical, pompous and arrogant. He's a liar, a cheater and his ego size is unmatched. It should surprise me that the party of family and morals would raise this guy up as one of their best, but sadly it doesn't. GOP supporters are the hugest hypocrites among all political affiliations. Great campaign slogan: Newt for President: "Do as I say but not as I do"!
Newt Gingrich is a model example of what we must fear most in public officials. He is among the brightest and most well educated leaders in the American Republic at the present time, or perhaps at any time in our history, but he has also demonstrated he is among the most unethical. Gingrich has laid his own track record and he must defend what he has done and why the American people can trust him now when they couldn't trust him before. If he cannot do that well, he will not become President of the United States of America.
There are plenty of refineries in the midwest. Ever wonder why they want a pipeline all the way to Houston?
So they can refine the oil to gasoline and sell it. To China.
Gingrich the retread. All used up but available cheap.
Really, Newtster, the "most volatile race" of your life? C'mon, Fig Newton, I'm guessing the race to pack your bags and get out the door to abandon your cancer-stricken wife was a little more "volatile." Truth be told, Newtron Bomb, I'd wager that your race to pay off that embarassing account at Tiffany's was more "volatile."
Who knew Newt was fluent in Greek?
Anyway, he will crash and burn faster than Perry.
The media is not shooting down Ron Paul. The Republicans just arenot voting for him. There has a pattern in the GOP race, I see. Each time another candidate does well in the polls, The GOP posters tell us all about yhat perso will trounce Obama. But noone is getting 30% of the GOP vote. How is that going to beat Obama?
Bywood I'll say Ron Paul and Huntsman are going to have there turn in the sun within the next month. And then everybody is going to say well f### it we still trying to beat the President so let's go with Romney. Newt is having his two weeks of fame, next will be Ron and then my favorite John Huntsman.
I believe you are correct about Huntsman. He is my favorite as well, but his campaign is inexperienced and makes some awe inspiring blunders. How the hell can his on spin team miss spell his name wrong two days in a row???
And isn't it funny how the party of family values are turning to the most immoral person in the field to take on Mr. Romney who by all accounts has been the model of family values for (25 no i'll get in trouble 42 years I've been married) 42 years now???!!
Jeffrey: You have correctly identified the category of mind that is attracted to today's Republican Party. Think about their proposals on the following: tax rates on the wealthy and welfare programs for the wealthy; anti-science; anti-minority rights; anti-education; anti-labor; anti-poor and middle class; exhorbatant military budgets; war; and, fundamentalist Christianity.