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BURLINGTON, Iowa -- Newt Gingrich spent the day of the Iowa caucuses making one final pitch to Iowans and thanking them for their support over the past several months.
"Iowans have an opportunity tonight to send a message to Washington and to the political system that the age of negative consultants and negative attack ads is over,” Gingrich told a crowd of roughly 75 people at an event in Eastern Iowa Tuesday morning.
“Starting tomorrow morning, there will be fewer TV ads, you’ll have about a third of less mail in your mailbox,” Gingrich said in Muscatine. ”But I want to start the day by thanking all of Iowa. What I am really impressed with is how seriously Iowans take their decisions.”
The onetime frontrunner is struggling to finish in the top tier of candidates during the first-in-the-nation caucuses tonight after being hammered by negative television ads and direct mailers for weeks.
Gingrich dropped from first place in many polls back in early December to not even in the top three in the final days leading up to the Iowa caucus.
The former House Speaker vowed form the beginning to run a positive-only campaign and says Mitt Romney and Romney’s SuperPAC ads are filled with lies.
“I was asked did I think he was a liar and I said yes,” Gingrich told reporters in a press conference at The Drake Restaurant here in Burlington. “He doesn’t tell the truth.”
The Gingrich campaign announced recently they will report having raised just over $9 million for the fourth quarter of 2011, but noted a lot of that money will be spent on the Iowa Caucus itself. Today, Gingrich, who is still confident he can win the GOP nomination, said he will “raise more money” so he can begin airing TV ads in South Carolina and Florida. The Romney campaign is already out with television ads in South Carolina and aired its first Florida ad today.
But before those other early states, Gingrich has to make it out of Iowa. Today, he tried to sell his level of experience to Iowans on his final tele-townhall in the Hawkeye State, as well, but was careful not to make any predictions on how he would finish in the caucus tonight.
“Arguments are going to matter, attendance is going to matter” tonight, the Speaker told callers as he rode on his campaign bus to Cedar Falls, IA to speak at Black Hawk County’s caucus super site.
Caucus-goers in Iowa have the first voice in election 2012 starting at 8pm ET tonight. Former Congressman J.C. Watts, Rep. Burgess, and both of Gingrich’s daughters and sons-in-law will speak at caucus sites in Iowa tonight on behalf of the Speaker.
Gingrich, who characterized himself Tuesday as a “genuine old-time conservative,” hopes Iowans will help propel his candidacy on into the other early nominating states.
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Gingrich is the acting-out child he was when he was kicked out of Congress. Nothing new here, move along...
Mitt Romney 2012
Thank you Newt Gingrich for acknowledging that Iowans do take their first in the nation role seriously. While not as many caucus as go to the polls in a traditional primary, those who go have paid attention, have attended the various candidate's meetings.
As for the negative attack ads, welcome to Citizens United, that case Gingrich thought made sense not too long ago. It didn't make sense, corporations are not people. Now hopefully, Gingrich understands the harm unlimited amounts of secret money can cause the political process.
Poor Newt. Hoisted on his own petard. Nasty is as nasty does. Welcome to karma coming back at you!
Wow what a campaign ad for President Obama, the Newt calling Romney a liar, priceless. Here I thought that Christmas was over.
Many people who watch this whole video change their vote
http://tekgnosis.typepad.com/tekgnosis/2012/01/ron-paul-many-people-who-watch-this-whole-video-change-their-vote.html
Ron Paul's got it right on a few issues, but his ideology of allowing radical muslims to own nukes is too dangerous to ignore.
"Nutty Newt" has been tried and found guilty of ethics violations, and is a cheater to his family. "Nutty Newt" is a violator of Child Labor Laws, and is a Confederate States Of America Politician. This "Mentally Ill" individual is for more tax breaks for the very rich, and NO financial regulations for Wall Street Bankers/Investors. This very "Behaviorally Disturbed" individual has a very dangerous Foreign Policy position. "Nutty Newt" has NO understanding of US History, NO understanding of the US Constitution, and NO understanding of the US Bill Of Rights. Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! The Party Of NO has got to GO!!
Your whole post is reactionary Progressive. You are looking for reaction from someone on the right. Since I normally ignore posts from those who lie... the only question I want to ask you is who will take the place of the republicans if you get your wish? Do you want the communist party to take their place... or the libertarian party... or the green party... or do you believe the democrats should be the only party to govern this country... and do you know what that means if we get into a one party system? Your logic is full of holes and I don't think you have thought it through far enough.... meaning all you are doing is whining... and I want to know if you serve cheese.
Sorry Newt. You don't have enough money for the nomination. Better win the lotto or something. Buying the Presidency is expensive.
phinephancy, yes buying the Presidency is expensive, just check and see how much it took to get Obama elected, remember he agreed to take federal money then changed his mind because it wasn't enough to buy the election. Also I believe Obama said he has to raise ONE BILLION dollars to win reelection.
I for one think ONE BILLION dollars to buy the Presidency is obscene and most of the money will be spent on negative campaigning since Obama has little to run on.
Ya know what, You lost in 08. Get over it. Want to win 2012? Stop whining and alienating anyone who might disagree a bit with you. You aren't going to covert anyone to your side by being ugly. Besides, before you go saying big bad Obama has money, old Mittens ain't poor!
phinephancy, What a stupid response, but then it's what is expected from a liberal. Remember it was you that stated "buying the presidency is expensive". So I guess you stepped in your own crap. I guess you think that it is o.k. for Obama to raise ONE BILLION dollars for his reelection. If you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen.
President Obama has a lot to run on.
1. He is not a republican.
2. He has not signed a pledge to Norquist to destroy our country for the rich.
3. He thinks we should tax the rich a small surcharge on money over a million dollars made in one year.
4. He values all life and not just the unborn and wants health-care for all.
5. He doesn't want to kill the EPA.
6. He doesn't want to kill social security.
7. He is not actively trying to limit voting rights.
8. He is not trying to kill education.
9. He is not trying to starve those who have lost their jobs for no fault of their own.
10. He is not for dumb wars.
11. Libya showed President Obama knew what he was doing while the republicans were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Every-one of them was wrong and our country would have been in a heap of trouble had any one of them been in charge.
12. President Obama is a fighter for the middle class.
13. President Obama with calm and poise restarted looking for him and took out OBL after Bush disbanded the group looking for him.
14. Did I happen to mention that President Obama is not a republican I got mine so f the rest of you, kind of guy.
15. President Obama got health-care passed and we joined the rest of the first world countries some who have had health care for 60 + years.
16. President Obama got DADT recended.
17. President Obama is not trying to limit womens rights to contraceptives and health care.
18. President Obama is not trying to kill unions.
I have read much longer list, but this is just a beginning of reasons why I will vote for President Obama.
Obama/Biden 2012
I hope the Supreme Court Justices are watching the havoc they have legally dumped on the 2012 elections.
As far as Newt is concerned, all nasty ads are true, which is why he wanted a positive campaign. Some of the other crap is just inuendo.. Like Santorum with his stillborn child. It's just become such a mud fight... Who, in their right mind, would want to be a public servant these days! Sorry, sad state of affairs.
I can help it but it is creepy that Santorium has a picture of his stillborn child on his desk. It was on an interview a while ago and he proudly showed it off. It was some kind of creepy badge of honor it seemed.
Right then and there I thought that this guy is seriously nuts, drifting too far from shore, if you know what I mean. Then he is a homophobic like he thinks that gay is catching instead of how you are born. Wants to re-instate DADT and make all gay marriages null and void.
As we have seen over and over you need someone off the wall nuts to please the tea party and for that Santorium is the perfect guy.
A win in Iowa isn't the end all or be all. There are 49 other states that must select candidates. If Ron Paul wins it will be a cake walk for Obama. That is true of all but Huntsman for that matter. Although Romney might give him a smaller landslide than the others.
Bachmann and Perry should bow out after today and Santorum may make it to S. Carolina before he is out. Ron Paul may last a little longer but he won't even make it to super primary time. Ron Paul will send us back to the 19th Century.
In the end it will end up as Romney vs Obama and Obama will ultimately win.
LMAO I really wonder what newt thinks about losing to ron paul ? lol must be a real heartbreaker .