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Subscribe to RSSAfter Romney campaign surrogate Rep. Jason Chaffetz showed up at a Gingrich campaign event in Mount Dora, Florida to talk to media about Gingrich's speech, Gingrich campaign spokesman RC Hammond turned his audio recorder on the congressman.
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Surrogates for Mitt Romney are out in full force today at events for his GOP rival, Newt Gingrich, further proving that the battle between the two GOP presidential frontrunners is in full swing.
"The campaign is entering a phase now where we are defining the terms of the Florida race," a source close to the Romney campaign told NBC News.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R–UT), Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL), and Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), in addition to two Romney staffers, all attended events of the former House speaker today in the Sunshine State, a development about which the Gingrich campaign seemed less than pleased.
Gingrich campaign spokesman, R.C. Hammond, even approached Rep. Chaffetz following a Gingrich event in Mount Dora, resulting in a long back and forth between the two men.
“I just had a couple questions. Do you own any stock in Freddie Mac? Have you ever lobbied for them? A lot of members of the Romney campaign have lobbied, have you ever lobbied for Freddie?” Hammond began his laundry list of questions for the sitting member of Congress who endorsed Romney.
“This is really what you have to do right now?” Chaffetz replied in disbelief.
“So you’ve never voted on anything that impacts the housing market? Do you have a mortgage?” Hammond, wearing sunglasses and holding a tape recorder, continued to press the Congressman.
“Is this really what you’re doing? I’m sorry, I’m happy to answer questions from people with press credentials but from the Gingrich campaign, probably not,” Chaffetz finally said.
This tit-for-tat continued for the next several minutes turning to topics of Gingrich not being able to get on the ballot of his home state of Virginia to using the Thomas System to look up legislative records.
“The campaign is rattled. They don’t like being challenged on the facts and it shows,” Romney adviser Dave Kochel told NBC News about the altercation following the Speaker’s second event.
The Romney surrogates, according to a campaign source, are attending these events to rebut the speaker and provide another narrative to the press. They stand in the back and talk to press when approached, rarely speaking to voters unless the voter initiates conversation.
"With what he's out there saying and doing right now, we've go stay on top of him pretty close cause otherwise he'll get away with telling people Romney is anti-immigrant,” the source close to the Romney campaign said. “So that's why we're going to stick close here and not let him make those charges."
While the former Massachusetts governor and his staff may feel the need to send his supporters to his rival’s events, Gingrich, however, does not feel it is necessary for his campaign.
“He doesn’t say anything worth rebutting,” Gingrich said during a press conference Thursday morning. “I mean we would send somebody if we thought it was a useful exercise.”
Chaffetz believes that sending surrogates “is all part of the game” and said he would do whatever necessary to get Romney elected president, including trailing the Speaker.
“Remember it was Newt Gingrich who said he was going to follow President Obama everywhere he went,” Chaffetz said.
In almost every stump speech, Gingrich tells the crowd that if President Obama does not agree to do seven Lincoln-Douglas style debates with him as the nominee, the White House will become his scheduler and he will show up wherever President Obama speaks 4 hours afterwards to rebut him.
The Congressman even brought that point up in the exchange with Gingrich’s spokesman but was told he had it wrong.
“But you have to be the president to be followed around,” Hammond shot back at Chaffetz after suggesting Gingrich gave them the idea to attend events.
The Romney campaign plans to bring surrogates to as many Gingrich events as they can.
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For everyone on here who's still trying to convince us that the Obama/Clinton primary campaign was anything near this nasty, give it up already. Compared to Romney/Gingrich (which is still just getting warmed up), that "3:00am phone call" ad of Hillary's was a ringing endorsement of Obama!
JoAnne - While you are correct, I think that is because Obama wasn't the target that both Mitt and Newt are.
Mark Penn was using the "Kitchen Sink" strategy, remember? They threw everything they could at Obama, but they didn't have as much to work with.
Thanks for the reminder JoAnne.
Looking back to 2008, the Obama/Clinton campaign was no where NEAR as vicious as this bloodbath!
Clinton & Obama sure weren't screaming at one another as to who is the WEALTHIEST!
I say toss them in the arena with some swords & shields and may the
richestbest man win! ;o)*popcorn*?
Feisty,
It is a fight worthy of the Colosseum with charioteers.
But Newton's vision is for a ponderous debate worthy of the Roman Forum.
When the hell did the US turn into Egypt? Really? Sending operatives to opponents campaign events. What's next Romney? Showing up with chains and pipes? There is responding to accusations and then there is harassing people. If you can't win with a message, then send in the clowns.
Greg - Campaigns have been sending out representatives to follow their opponents for a very long time. Remember George Allen's Macaca moment? That was caught by a rival campaign operative with a video camera.
But sending out hecklers IS a new take on things. I'm not sure how this will fly with the public.
Greg,
Newt already has the pitchforks & torches... ;o)
I can understand that. There is a difference between passive information gathering and trying to take over an opponent's campaign event to control the narrative.
All I know is I enjoy reading and commenting on first read and I have been elsewhere lately researching the net due to all the RWNJ on here always calling this a liberal site..What I have become convinced of is the entire internet is Liberal in their eyes..Right wing sites hardly exist and I think it is due to the fact that religious nut job racist homo-sexual bashing skinhead anti-intelectuals aren't very good at running a working web-site... Even the big ones like FOX NEWS the infamous cult can't operate its site..If you want to spar with those loons you have to use the uber-left FaceBook...SO it looks like I will be back here where there are like minded people and a few nuts to make fun of like BOOBY,B-B-Brian and the little rascal Spank....
This is getting very heavy! It's almost laughable! What does Romney expect to accomplish by sending his surrogates to Newt's events? I think it's just to piss Newt off.
Welcome back sw philly. Its so heartening to know that the only reason you want to be here is to make fun of the conservatives... touche~ If you only had a clue as to how much laughter is generated by you liberals... I wouldn't even be here if you on the left didn't provide so much entertainment. I sit here in total awe as to how much Obama worship occurs on these boards... You know Obama right? He's a politician.
I could give a hoot if Obama is elected again personally,but since he will be the nominee from the party that actually pretends to care about Americans( Not counting that other party that cares very much about bigots and intolerant religious whackos because to me that is what we have been fighting to get away from for 250 years,you know the church of England and the welsh and their persecution of the Irish,Scots and everyone else on the planet,but of course that is exactly who the confederacy and todays bomb Iran and kill more innocent people the GOP of today align themselves with ) I will stand behind him..He has stood behind me some so I owe him that..The only reason he hasn't stood behind me and my family and yours for that matter ( Even if you are a millionare if we don't put people back to work your savings and childrens inheritance will shrink) is because he has been kow towing to a minority and some dumb dumb swing voters .... Well let's hope it stops in the second term because you nuts give him no credit even when he uses your ideas..You peeps did the same thing to Clinton so its not all race but it just seems worse now..
Really, they must be on a mission to make liberals happy.
Break out the "Mission Accomplished" banner boys, it is working!!!!
I really miss "drive by observer" on a thead like this....
I miss drive-by oberver on ANY thread. If you're out there, Buzz, come back soon - the tree house just ain't the same without you and the jukebox at the Dew Drop Inn is getting a bit rusty!
Maybe DBO has been checking out other sites like me...Plus I had a little no Eagles in the play offs depression..They have been in so much I was used to it..
Once was enough FR
The nut jobs are all on the next thread..
sw philly -
Actually, last we heard, DBO was actually out there working hard for his money. Can you imagine? A liberal who actually works?
By the way, we have to part company when it comes to the Iggles. At one time or another I've lived and died with the Phillies (and oh, what an agonizing death that was in 1964!), the Sixers (back in the Chamberlain vs. Russell era) and the Flyers (season tickets for the second Cup win)......but I've just never been able to warm up to the Eagles - though Riley Cooper does sort of light my fire..... :)
Mitt or Newt. Who to root for?
If they allow biting I'd bet on Newt.
I wonder if there's a vaccine for Newt Nastiness, because it looks contagious!
it's a free country isn't it? They can go where they want, say what they want as long as it is not slander. It is the same as on here, you say something, Betty/FR (maybe that stands for first read)from IL doesn't like it and you get banned, big deal.
The more the Republican campaign drags on, the more likely it is that whichever candidate finally secures the nomination will be so damaged from pandering and appeasing the extreme right-wing base that a general election victory against Obama will be nearly impossible. The President's numbers and odds of victory have been steadily increasing as the gaggle of Tea Party hacks make their way across the primary states in a campaign aimed squarely at the extreme conservative GOP electorate. If Newt somehow captures the nomination, the Republican Party may simply disintegrate. http://www.sunstateactivist.org
BuckNS,
Is that the reason you got banned?
next time get a decent moniker....
This is sure fun to watch.
What a choice a scum bag (Gingrich), a flip flopper with deep pockets who wants to pay nothing in taxes while the little guy pays out the nose and eats cake (Romney) or a crazy old man who has impractical and unworkable ideas (Paul). I won't include Rick the slick as he will be out soon enough.
The left is rightfully giddy about the blood bath happening on the right.
You know, there are lovely antique shops in Mount Dora.
Meow Spit Hiss
It's a race to the bottom!
Two Kings of the Negative (empty lies) are going to end up in a gun fight - this is going to get real Nasty and they can't blame the Demos!!