Newt Gingrich Campaign Hitting Back At Mitt Romney

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign hit back at GOP rival Mitt Romney on Friday, saying criticism by the former Massachusetts governor's campaign seemed desperate.

"What we're seeing from Mitt Romney in Boston is desperation and panic and I think that's going to be very frustrating to people moving forward," said Iowa state Rep. Linda Upmeyer, one of Gingrich's surrogates here, referring to Romney's campaign headquarters in Massachusetts. "That isn't what wins you caucuses or elections here in Iowa."

Former Rep. Greg Ganske, who was elected to Congress in 1994 and served under Gingrich when he was speaker of the House, suggested Romney only wanted to use the caucuses to tear down Gingrich ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

"Maybe he doesn't care. Maybe he doesn't care about winning Iowa. He just wants to tear down the speaker here and then focus on New Hampshire," Ganske said.

Their comments came on a conference call to respond to attacks from Romney's campaign and his allies – just a day after Gingrich's campaign maintained that he would stay positive in the face of Romney attacks. On Thursday, Romney surrogates assailed the former House speaker as irrational and unfit to lead, and Romney allies started airing a TV attack ad against Gingrich in Iowa. It's part of a $3.1 million campaign by Romney supporters.

"That's as much as the Super Bowl," Upmeyer said of the buy. She said instead that Gingrich offers positive solutions.

Ganske was forced to defend Gingrich's record as speaker after Romney's campaign released a list of comments from former House colleagues tearing him down. Many have been critical of what they say was chaotic and egotistical.

"I think he's a fundamentally happier person than he was before," Ganske said when asked if Gingrich's management style had changed since his time leading the House.

Such calls, a routine tactic for most campaigns, are uncommon for Gingrich and represent an evolution in his campaign. Romney's campaign responded with their own conference call Friday, with two Iowa supporters defending Romney's tactics as simply contrasting with Gingrich on issues.

Earlier on HuffPost:

 

 

Comments

[94613]

03:46 PM on 12/10/2011

Marshall Newt "Unbuckles" his "Beltway Offensive" We're gonna open this up a couple notches, Let the porkfest begin...

[Mausinn]

11:39 AM on 12/10/2011

This coming from a guy that aligns himself with Trump. Priceless.

[The ORF in Largo]

11:38 AM on 12/10/2011

Looks like the Battle of the Flip-Floppers has started; Mitt rOldMoney vs Newt GetRich

[bbbbubba]

11:11 AM on 12/10/2011

Can you imagine what an intellectual from another country must think about the U.S. when it looks like our two presidential candidates are Obama and Gingrich? No wonder the rest of the world is so scared of us. It's a terrible shame that's the best we can do.

[Jerry Vasquez]

11:01 AM on 12/10/2011

If anyone should know how implement a "scorched earth tactic" to destroy the opposition, it would be newt.
If anyone knows how to recognize an act of desperation, it would be newt. A trait that he honed
jumping from one wife to the next.
As a Liberal, I just LOVE IT when the bozo's battle it out to see who will be ring master.
It just doesn't get any better.

[FormerlyTCnSRQ]

08:59 AM on 12/10/2011

Willard Mitt Romney is in a panic...that's for sure. Right now he is blocked and cornered in the north east corridor....Newts sitting on top and as we know that's a lot of weight to bench press.

[Bambaya]

07:49 AM on 12/10/2011

I am loving this. Before the first vote was cast they are throwing the kitchen sink at each other, then in the General Election the Democrats can just use those same ads for free.

[highlyqualified]

06:56 AM on 12/10/2011

Criminal behavior as Speaker of the House got Gingrich dumped by his party. That he got off with a slp on the wrist is a straighforward result of his elite Washington insider status, which he milks continuously to support influense peddling and personal profit. His serial philandering ang wife dumping is anvaffront to moral dignity, a close second to his disregard for civil comity. He has left few vices for private enjoyment, prefering to flaunt them publicly. Supporting and defending jim as a candidate for public office is a measure of disregard for the nation.

[akdennis]

03:21 AM on 12/10/2011

"What we're seeing from Mitt Romney in Boston is desperation and panic..." That's exactly what I was thinking about what we're seeing from the Republican establishment regarding the rise of Newt Gringrich. Desparation and panic.

You see, boys and girls of the Republican party? This is what happens when you elevate the most extreme fringe elements of your base to unwarranted prominence and then pander to them. You wind up with candidates any of which are virutally unelectable in a general election. When you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas. Not to say the fringe of the right wing are dogs but the old adage is analogous. Or were you thinking that the stink wouldn't stick?

Then again, the exteme elements of the right wing may no longer me the fringe but, rather, the majority. If this is indeed the case then I wish the Republican party a swift and safe journey to extinction with a brief stop at irrelevance along the way.

[stephan67]

02:07 AM on 12/10/2011

GOP,how low can you go?

[pmoschetta]

09:02 AM on 12/10/2011

As high as the Koch brothers are willing to pay

[Jerry Vasquez]

11:05 AM on 12/10/2011

No way to know. They still have all the shovels left over from digging the country into this big
hole.

[prodemlib]

12:28 AM on 12/10/2011

the panic attack is that people actually think Newt should be President. Luckily, that will NOT happen..unless, of course, the Mayans were right!

[barbra1971]

11:57 PM on 12/09/2011

Let them waste their money, turn off your TV, play with your kids instead.
You don't want your kids or yourself to be the nastiness and negativity catcher -filter, it is not good for gentle human soul, it affects your well being.

[pmoschetta]

09:04 AM on 12/10/2011

Can anyone even imagine the money these PACs are spending to support these clowns and what positive effect it would have on our economy if they were to donate it instead to the 99%? After all these PACs are trying to BUY the position of POTUS
I'd think it would make better use to give back to the 99% what the 1% has stolen from us since 2003

[2tellthetruuth]

11:23 PM on 12/09/2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iMPjo46das

[noygdb]

11:08 PM on 12/09/2011

love how hypocrites with a checkered past talk about moving forward

[barbra1971]

12:00 AM on 12/10/2011

They do move forward it is us who must stay behind, that's how they crawl on our backs.

[pmoschetta]

09:05 AM on 12/10/2011

They talk of moving forward in the hopes we forget about their checkered past

[Zutroy]

10:21 PM on 12/09/2011

Classic arrogance. The man is perfect for the GOP. Any Republican who doesn't like him simply doesn't like looking in the mirror.