Newt Gingrich To Mitt Romney: You Couldn't Be A Career Politician If You Tried (VIDEO)

After Mitt Romney made fun of some of Newt Gingrich's more outlandish policy ideas, dredging up his proposal to place a permanent colony on the moon, the former speaker of the House hit back, arguing the only reason Romney wasn't a career politician was because he couldn't win an election.

"The only reason you didn't become a career politician is because you lost to Teddy Kennedy in '94," Gingrich said to audience boos at Saturday night's Republican presidential debate in Iowa.

Gingrich's opponents have sought to label him as an establishmentarian, arguing he's been inside the Washington beltway too long. If his time in Washington taught him anything, it's how to spin a supposed weakness in his favor.

Romney sought to defend himself by highlighting the value of his business prowess.

"I spent my life in the private sector," Romney said. "Losing to Teddy Kennedy was the best thing I could have done for preparing me for the job I'm seeking, because it put me back in the private sector. I worked in the private sector. I learned lessons there. However, we don't need people who are lifetime Washington people. ... We need people from outside Washington, outside K Street."
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Comments

[Calvin Watlington]

05:53 PM on 12/12/2011

Newt ripped off his best line from John King of CNN who said it on January 9, 2011 on the Diane Rehm show.

[LE PHILANTROPE AVERTI]

01:44 PM on 12/12/2011

Why do they hate us? There is no Palestinian people, what are they talking about?
OK, they do hate us because we are siding up militarily, economically and with vetos with the most criminal and liar devil in human history!

[Krystal Braswell]

09:59 AM on 12/12/2011

That was the best line I heard at the debate on Saturday night because overall the debate was not that good.

[buflobil]

09:23 AM on 12/12/2011

The only reason Newt was able to buy millions in jewelry was he was acting as a lobbyist and used his government contacts for his own benefit. He has never invested in America or created jobs. His books are mediocre and the world could do without them just fine.

[LE PHILANTROPE AVERTI]

09:20 AM on 12/12/2011

The true story
There was no Palestinian people!
Israelis leaved in the land of the Jordan for 14 centuries. Then all of a sudden Palestinians appeared and started settling, killing their neighbors, dynamiting their houses, uprooting their olive trees, showering the sky above them with phosphorus bombs, etc.....

[Stephen Stafford]

09:50 AM on 12/12/2011

Just yesterday, the pastor, as he was making his points, noted how the places the Hebrews took as the Promised Land were populated by real people at the time they were taken. I don't care what you call these people, there have been people living on those lands all along, and their existences pre-date the Exodus.

[Don Giovanni]

09:19 AM on 12/12/2011

That quip has to be right up there with Lloyd Bentsen's "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."

[mamahappy]

09:17 AM on 12/12/2011

I did find Newt's comment hilarious, but he's been a career politician and hasn't done any good zhit for this country for 30 years so I can't understand why anyone would give him the time of day. All the Republicans running are a waste of time and money. Nothing more than a bunch of self serving, greedy, out of touch people. Ron Paul has some good ideas, but other than that, Obama's got this one.

[Stephen Stafford]

08:55 AM on 12/12/2011

You ain't running for president.
You have not spent 35 seconds prepping for no debate.
You have come up with three comebacks and quips against Gingrich, and you have not even thought about it yet.

So....

What does this tell you about Romney?

Me first. There is a whole lot of fog in his lighthouse. Or, he really does not want this thing.

Something else, too. Anybody, and there are seven of them left, anybody who cannot take out this stage full of simpletons should not be anybody's nominee for anything anytime anywhere.

[tech8]

08:52 AM on 12/12/2011

If the sheeple vote for this guy they deserve what is coming. Go Mr.Ron Paul!!!!

[sixchair]

08:48 AM on 12/12/2011

Romney should have replied, "And Gnoot, you would have been too if your congress hadn't voted 325-28 to run you out of town. I'm not sure what's worse, being voted out or being thrown out."

But Romney just stood there with his "I can't believe it's not butter" grin on his face.

What a field. Gop'ers, be proud. You are authentically represented.

[k4329]

09:16 AM on 12/12/2011

Mitt is good man that is the reason he did not reply rudely. He is not a jerk Like Newt.

[mamahappy]

09:19 AM on 12/12/2011

A good man would care about the 99%, not just the 1%.

[sixchair]

10:38 AM on 12/12/2011

it wouldn't have been rude to speak the truth

[sixchair]

08:41 AM on 12/12/2011

Yes, Newt - a humble man of the people..

"Newt Gingrich, the Republican presidential candidate with a penchant for luxury jets and Tiffany & Co. jewelry, also appears to demand top-notch accommodations when he travels for a speech."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/want-gingrich-to-speak-he-needs-first-class-expenses-and-2-bathrooms/2011/12/07/gIQAVZzFdO_story.html

[sixchair]

08:39 AM on 12/12/2011

"Please sir, more gruel?"

[sixchair]

08:38 AM on 12/12/2011

Hey everybody - it's Give a Kid A Mop Week!

[sixchair]

08:37 AM on 12/12/2011

Ok, let's follow the "logic".

Career politician - bad

Newt cleverly tells Romney if he weren't such a loozer, Romney would have been one. Just like Newt.

[MIKEinNYC]

08:21 AM on 12/12/2011

It's not like being a career politician is a good thing. In fact, politicians are most akin to racketeers who bestow upon themselves benefits that are denied to their constituents, who are, in fact, their employers. If your employees in your business acted like this you'd fire them.

Congress' contract is coming up for renewal in less than a year. Most deserve to be let go..

[sixchair]

08:43 AM on 12/12/2011

I think, with the exception of Obama, every one of them should be voted out - left, right, center, progressive, conservative, good, bad, ugly. Can't be worse than what's there now. And we the voters would send a lasting message that there are term limits.

[MIKEinNYC]

02:45 PM on 12/12/2011

Term limits for legislators makes a lot of sense. Some legislator from let's say Oregon, may be making my life miserable here in New York.

On the other hand, I am not for term limits for the executive.In the case of the executive, let the people choose whomever they want to govern them.