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WATERLOO, Iowa -- On the first day of the New Year, Newt Gingrich admitted to having been “Romney-boated” with the immense amount of negative ads being run against him, vowing that his campaign will run more contrast ads going forward.
Mitt Romney “didn't get rid of me, he just slowed me down,” Gingrich told reporters in Marshalltown, Iowa, Sunday afternoon. Asked whether he felt like he had been “swift-boated” by the barrage of ads run against him in recent weeks, Gingrich responded, “I feel Romney-boated” – a reference to the outside advertising campaign launched against Democratic nominee John Kerry in 2004.
The former House Speaker even hinted that Romney was trying to buy the election.
“He would buy an election if he could,” Gingrich told NBC News. But he wouldn’t directly say Romney was attempting to buy the 2012 election. “Well I dunno, $3.5 million in negative ads, you tell me,” Gingrich continued.
Romney, campaigning on the opposite side of the Hawkeye State Sunday, pushed back against these allegations from the Speaker.
“Speaker Gingrich I think announced that he raised $10 million this quarter and he ought to be proud of that. We’re working hard to raise funds, as well, this is an election,” Romney said in Atlantic, Iowa. “However, that’s not being driven by money raised, its being driven by message connection with the voters, debate and um experience and I think that those are the features that are driving the campaign so far and I think they probably will be through the entire process.”
Gingrich told reporters his campaign would be increasing the number of positive yet contrast ads on television and radio moving ahead to better combat the negative attacks from his GOP rivals.
“If somebody spends $3.5 million lying about you, you have some obligation to come back and set the record straight,” the Speaker said after his campaign heavily underestimated the damage these ads could do.
The negative attacks have worked here in the first-in-the-nation caucus state: Gingrich dropped from first place in the Des Moines Register’s early December poll to fourth place in Saturday’s DMR poll. Romney now leads in Iowa, according to the new poll, with Ron Paul and Rick Santorum finishing ahead of Gingrich.
Gingrich told the standing-room only crowd inside LJs Neighborhood Bar and Grill here in Waterloo that not answering these negative ads was his biggest weakness.
“I am too reasonable and I should have responded to the negative ads two weeks earlier,” Gingrich said after an interesting exchange between himself and wife, Callista, when the Speaker was asked about his biggest weakness.
The crowd began to laugh after Gingrich and Callista looked at one another with smiles about Newt’s biggest weakness. “Go ahead,” Callista told him as many in the audience expected him to perhaps mention his infidelities years ago. Rather, Gingrich stayed the course and linked his weakness answer back to the negative ads.
The Speaker’s ‘Jobs and Growth Bus Tour’ continues Monday with four stops in Eastern Iowa on caucus eve.
NBC’s Garrett Haake contributed to this report.
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Newt, instead of all this ridiculous rationalizing, has it ever entered your mind (such as it is) that maybe...MAYBE...people just caught on to you? Like they did the first time around, only just forgot? Go away. Again.
And take the rest of the Repugnantican candidates with you. None of you are worthy of holding a political office of any kind.
These clowns can't even get along with members of their own party. How can anyone expect any of these Repugnantican candidates to lead our country?
Now we see why Congress is so dysfunctional.
What a complete joke this once respected party has become. Fire them all !!!
Romney-Boated ? Is this why Noot cried like a wuss on TV ?
LOL.
The difference here is that the ads about Newt are the truth and factual. The Swiftboating of John Kerry was a complete pack of lies.
Excellent point ... This freakish-thing called the 2012 (R) / Tea Bag Prez hopefuls commits fraud when attacking Obama but its the truth when attacking each other ...
Goes to jus'nutha damndest thing the exotic ever saw ... sad.
I hope every Voter remembers why we threw the republicans out of office in 2008.
The Republicans are acting like nothing ever happened and they are all of a sudden the Saviors of the World.
I for one will never forget the shape George W. Bush and his fellow Lock Step republicans left the Country in.
They left the economy in shambles and now they want us all to believe that Obama caused it all. They refuse to take responsibility for the Wreckage, lost lives and broken families their Tenure made possible...
I remember, too, Ted. We need to get rid of this kind of politician once and for all. They nearly destroyed the country, and right now, all they have to show for their two years of obstructionism is the blame game.
Obama did not cause the problem but he is completely unable to fix it. If anything, he's making it much worse. As bad as Bush was, Obama is even more incompetant. But that comes as no surprise since he was elected based on his skin color and rhetoric, not his record of accomplishments.
Oh...Ok Lloyd! Obama was elected because of his "skin color"?
THAT is the most PATHETIC statement one can make!
I'm quite certain things ARE getting better, and his record will show just that.
AND things would be EVEN BETTER if the house OBSTRUCTIONISTS were THROWN OUT OF OFFICE!
As TED said!
Lloyd, Obama kept this country from sinking into an actual depression whereas Mccain would have us seeking welfare from third world countries.
Newt's his own worst enemy. His upcoming book had a chapter addressing so-called man made global warming. It has since been pulled. Crap like this is all his own undoing.
Swiftboating is a term for telling lies about a positive event or events in order to tarnish ones reputation. Telling the truth about ones record is not the same thing.
jkh
Jim, what a laughable comment! Kerry was "swiftboated" because he embellished his military career and was busted by the people who knew him best. There were no lies told about Kerry. The guy was a complete tool and manipulated his service to portray him as a hero.
John Kerry was Man enough to Serve in Vietnam. Mitt Romney, his Five Sons and Newt Gingrich are Draft Dodgers, they are all Cowards through and through.
I had my A$$ in the Grass for 20 plus years while Mitt and Newt were busy sucking up to Wall Street. I would place John Kerry way above those Pencil Neck Draft Dodgers just for being in Country and not some safe Backwater in the Texas!
Kerry is a liar and a fraud. The guy who was defending him is a pedophile. http://proof-proofpositive.blogspot.com/2011/07/john-kerry-supporter-stripped-of-silver.html
Nice crowd.
Obama Lies--you are so pathetic. Hopefully your stupidity and ignorance will only hurt you and the Repulsives...
Kerry lied about his service, his buddy is a pedophile. True statements, met with typical moronic liberal name calling. That's all you folks have left.
Loyd,
How many of your guys did time in country? Bush? Cheyney? Rummy? Newt? Santorum? Perry? Romney? What do you think Swiftboat crews on the Mekong did waterskied? Even the North Vietnamese units involved acknowledge the action in which Kerry got his Silver Star. Every sailor on the boat backs Kerry with the majority of consternation among some vets is Kerrys actions upon returning home not his actions while in command.
What, buy an election. Hell everybody buys their election!
Glad to see we are once again steered by the big thinktank boy,s to vote for the lesser of two evils instead of for a true american! are there any out there that have no mud to toss on! and dont belong to the good old boy club!
Exactly!!! Those horrible lies about taking millions from Fannie/Freddie, about an e-mail with you agreeing with Romneycare, serving your wife divorce papers while she was having cancer treatments, you know all those lies!!
Go on home you old school politicos. Time for some up and coming liars and cheaters to get rich.
Yes, at our expense!
Yes, someone actually made the people aware of his record. How is he supposed to run against that!
Idiot! What the hell did he think would happen with his past? He may have repressed it but we haven't!
Only problem with Romney's campaign ads are: They are the truth. Newt is a scum bag.
Newt is unelectable. I am amazed that in a country as vast as ours that this panel of Republican candidates is the best we could muster. They are all miserable. I agree with "anyone but Obama" but surely the GOP could do better than this.
Yes Newt is unelectable, But look at the last election with all the twenty Dems running, Obama, a community orgainizer who never worked a day in his life and still is not working now a mulit millionaire, The one percent. Hillary, the liar, She was being shot at during her visits to Bosnia? Come on man. Then we have the DNC chairman the SCREAMER. Remember those idiots? What is unfortunate is that we can't get a NORMAL person to run for president, in either party. Bring back TRUMAN
Your
mantra is sickening!
All of your GOP choices are complete jokes!
I love it - it's the Republicans who created the 'swift boat' technique of destruction and now whiney ol' Newt's complaining about it.
And the most pathetic thing is that - it's not the negative ads that have done Gingrich in. It's the absolute fact that he's a horrible person, a pathetic old school Republican hack with so much baggage that he is unelectable. He's not been 'Romney-boated', he's been Gingriched (with the facts).
Newt Newt Newt.
You have "Romney-boated"
You're failure to make the Virginia primaries was "just like Pearl Harbor"
You defend marriage....LMAO.....sorry cracked me up there for a minute....
You say anyone who "is for the rights of gays" should vote for someone else. (I heard you were being lauded for your honesty) ha ha ha....oops...did it again.
Why don't you go back to your book tours and money makin' and leave the country to someone who actually cares.
HA!
And don't forget Ginrich's best line..."Right wing socialism"
BUT, Anyone that repeats what I said, will be lying!
LOL! What a guy!
One thing that I have noticed about all the replies that are piling on Newt - none of you are voicing any support for another Republican candidate. So I can only presume you to be anarchists or Democrats (same thing). I don't like Obama, but I don't trust Mitt - I would almost rather see the Republicans lose this election than to let Mitt in, I think that a Mitt Presidency will ruin the Republican party.
Mitt will likely be the nominee
So, who are you going to vote for Thomas?
Or are you staying home this election?
Its the Economy Stupid, Wait until March, we will be seeing tons of Negative ads launched against the Status Quo. And for good reason, Real unemployment at about 18%, The National Debt at 17.3 TRILLION dollars and no way to pay for it. US trade deficeit at about 500 Million per month. More and more US companies , Getting out of here and going to China. A US Affordable health care bill , that since approved, is now esculated to a 15% PRICE increase for insurance. ( I Guess our Congresspigs never figured that the FIRST line in AFFORDABLE would be PRICE FREEZES?) How domb are these idiots in Congess who wrote this disaster anyway? Just been informed that OUR Congresspigs are the 1% that the Occupy people are after! Maybe all these predictions of the world ending in 12 may be true, But one thing is true, THE US Govt as you know it today will be ending in 12. THANK GOD .
what a bunch of maroons ! No ideas other than trickle down and no abortions, get real, you are just setting yourselves up to failure. Are non-starters the GOP vote getters. GOP is financed by the rich ..... What a bunch of greedy pigs !!
I honestly cannot believe that Newt did not undertstand the damage this onslaught of negative ads were going to have on his campaign. Is his ego really THAT big to where he thought they wouldn't be able to hurt him?? I just can't believe that...not even for Newt.
So, that leaves the question though....WHY for 2-3 weeks did Newt do almost nothing in terms of responding? For that period, I did not see any major interviews, no major ad campaign. It just makes no sense.
It was almost as if, he got to the top of the polls and then he thought it was over. Nothing could topple him. I think many were disappointed not to see the fiery side of Newt fight back. I know I was. That's what he needs to do going forward...if it's not too late already.
No Newt, you've been torpedoed and sunk by the people of Iowa.
Do you have any last requests "little piggy" before entering the slaughter house? Oink - Oink.
Ron Paul - 2012 the only intelligent choice for President !
An unelectable person is the intelligent choice?
Thank you for supporting President Obama, we appreciate it.
The entire Republican presidential slate are mothing but a bunch of bloated mental cases. Give me Obama anytime!!!!!
Ronjj
You can have him; no one else wants him (except the illegal immigrants, including his uncle). Please take him; take him very, very far away; he'd probably be very happy in Mexico.
Ok Mal'achi. We'll take him! And put him RIGHT BACK IN THE WHITE HOUSE!
Thanks so much for your generosity!
Newton Gingrich creates a TOXIC Waste Spill every time he opens his Mouth.
Someone Needs to Report this to the EPA as soon as Possible.
Newt-you could not get into the Whitehouse thru the backdor-Lewinskygate and Travelgate-by getting rid of Clinton-and Gore -your own colleagues forced you out of office- the informed electorate does not have amnesia. Please take all other self-serving politicians with you and disappear!
poloticians are a sick bunch of people. they should all stick to the issues. verbal attacks make all of them look bad
The only liar is Newt the fruit. He wouldn't know the truth if it spit in his face. He's a scumbag!
Newt, you are a rich, fat, gray haired, white boy with decades of scandals behind you and not a single molecule of commonality with the people you supposedly want to govern. Yes this is the common recipe for disaster that all of our Democrats and Republicans are currently stewing in; but for now the majority of your constituents see you for the actual scumbucket that you are. There is no hiding anymore. If you don't believe me, just read all of the comments that came before this one.