Newt Gingrich: Couldn't Vote For Ron Paul For President

By SHANNON McCAFFREY, The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- No more Mr. Nice Guy. Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich lambasted two of his top GOP rivals on Tuesday, despite his claim that he's sticking to a positive campaign.

Gingrich said he couldn't vote for Ron Paul if he were to become the GOP nominee and called the Texas congressman's views "totally outside the mainstream of every decent American."

In the same interview on CNN, Gingrich also offered a testy rebuke to Mitt Romney, saying that if Romney wants to run a negative campaign attacking Gingrich he should at least be "man enough to own it."

The sharp comments come as the former House speaker has seen his support slip in Iowa amid a barrage of attack ads that have cast him as an ethically challenged Washington insider.

Scrambling to regain momentum, Gingrich and a political action committee supporting him each took the wraps off television spots that will run statewide in Iowa.

The PAC Winning the Future is composed of former Gingrich staffers. The ad, its first, includes a broadside at Romney, although the former Massachusetts governor is never named.

"The Republican establishment wants to pick our candidate," the ad says. "When a principled conservative took the lead, they outspent Newt Gingrich 20 to 1, attacking him with falsehoods. ... Don't let the liberal Republican establishment pick our candidate."

Gingrich has said he will disavow any independent political action committee that spends money on negative ads. His own spot, funded by his campaign coffers, focuses on jobs and economic growth.

The former Georgia congressman launched a 22-stop "Jobs and Prosperity" bus tour, which kicked off Tuesday in Dubuque, in the northeast corner of Iowa. But he found himself on the defensive again on health care as a new memo surfaces that showed he had once praised the law enacted in Massachusetts when Romney was governor.

In an April 2006 memo from Gingrich's Atlanta-based Center for Health Transformation, he called it "the most exciting development of the past few weeks." He also said the law had "tremendous potential to effect major change in the American health system."

The memo also noted shortcomings in the Massachusetts law. Gingrich said the state's many regulations prohibited insurers from offering cheaper plans that would make coverage affordable. But he went on to note that that "we agree entirely with Gov. Romney and Massachusetts legislators that our goal should be 100 percent insurance coverage for all Americans."

Gingrich and others have argued that the Massachusetts law, widely seen as the model for President Barack Obama's national health overhaul, undercuts Romney's conservative credentials. Gingrich also has faced questions about his past support for an individual health care mandate, anathema to conservatives.

A Gingrich spokesman said Gingrich's comments are "old news that has been covered already."

"Newt previously supported a mandate for health insurance and changed his mind after seeing its effects," said the spokesman, R.C. Hammond. "The real question is why `Mitt the Massachusetts Moderate' won't admit that health insurance mandates don't work."

The Gingrich memo was first reported Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal.

Also on HuffPost:

 

 

Comments

[Hallucinocynic]

11:52 AM on 01/03/2012

I cannot think of another word in the English language that has been as demonized as 'liberal.'

The most frustrating thing for anyone seriously attempting to participate in political discussions is the absolute lack of knowledge displayed by those who bandy terms such as "liberal Republican establishment," "fascist progressives," "libertarian" or "free (hah) market."

Some of the baseless or circular arguments here on HP, and elsewhere, underscore the need to have potential voters take a topical civics exam to demonstrate that they actually know the difference between regressive, centrist and progressive. If they don't pass, they don't vote.

Newt has long since demonstrated that he would have great difficulty with such a test.

[scootercallahan1]

06:54 AM on 12/29/2011

Totally outside the mainstream of every decent american? Exactly the reason to vote for paul. Mainstream america gets up and goes to work, takes care of their kids and pays their taxes. They really dont have much of a clue as to what we need to do to get this country straightened out.

[l78lancer]

11:14 PM on 12/28/2011

Newt cant help it - he's just naturally nasty. If he continued to try to run a clean campaign he would simply explode.

[l78lancer]

11:12 PM on 12/28/2011

"Gingrich and others have argued that the Massachusetts law, widely seen as the model for President Barack Obama's national health overhaul, undercuts Romney's conservative credentials. Gingrich also has faced questions about his past support for an individual health care mandate, anathema to conservatives."
--------------------------------------------------->

Newt can be as mean and nasty as he wants. He will not be able to separte himself from Romney over his agreement with the health care mandate. So his own credibility regarding being a true conservative is shot, too.

[Rick Hines]

11:10 AM on 12/28/2011

Not aloy of people could or will!

[jpmeville]

08:59 AM on 12/28/2011

Newt = a big, fat baby

[exhale09]

08:30 AM on 12/28/2011

This is because many military service deferments Newt wants another WAR...with Iran...as soon as possible, just like most of the rest of the Republican candidates.

[johntangier]

08:23 AM on 12/28/2011

LIBERAL REPUBLICANS, LMAO, HEY! NEWT WAKE THE HELL UP THERE ARE NO LIBERAL REPUBLICANS.

[Rich914]

08:01 AM on 12/28/2011

Don't worry Newt, there are plenty of republicans who wont vote for you if you are the nominee.

[WiseOvOwl]

07:30 AM on 12/28/2011

Gingrich is allowed his opinion but think he is dead wrong in my opinion. My opinion is no more establishment Republicans such as Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Rick Perry. These I will not support nor vote for. As I see it Ron Paul has a faithful voting record for doing what he says and votes in congress accordingly while placing the constitution as his fundamental rule of law for his own and his constituents' decisions. A solid record for 20 years or so in office (impressive). I am prepared to write in my choice for 2012 and focus on the house races within my own state if several of these are on the Republican ballot for President. It is high time for us citizens to start firing these no good establishment types no matter what party you belong to. Bye the way, what happened to congress living up to their constitutional duties of imposing tariffs against unfair trade? Mean while we kiss our jobs and industrial base good bye continually. A lot of bad choices by the houses, the Clintons, the Bushes, and now Obama has really sealed the deal on our economic collapse, (a false rosey picture painted under these while the economic bubble continued to grow). Ron Paul meanwhile didn't have special interests and the banking industry at heart but the constitution and his constituents. Ron Paul is at the top of my list in this Republican line up.

[SirCoolBreeze]

10:32 AM on 12/28/2011

Ron Paul is just another lying politician. (smirks)

[OCerInTN]

01:31 AM on 01/01/2012

Then you'd fit in just fine, except for that politician part.

[Richard Mayora]

11:06 PM on 12/28/2011

Our bad economy can be blamed solely on the GOP. Just what was your 401K worth during the Clinton years? Your fantasy is not reality. And Paul is the only one of the GOP candidates who is not an extremist idiot, flip flopper, unethical boob or total whack job. Santorum , Perry and that witch should be locked up.

[scootercallahan1]

06:49 AM on 12/29/2011

During the clinton years congress was contolled by the repubs. Gingrich was speaker of the house. All clinton did was sign the dottec line.

[WiseOvOwl]

07:03 AM on 12/29/2011

Two things can be said concerning Fiat money and market. There is an actual worth of money (reality) and an esteemed value of money (fantasy). Of course you would think your 401K faired better under Clinton because the esteemed value (fantasy) of money and the market was actually much higher then their (reality) actual worth but we saw the beginning of that correction while he still was in office. Both parties have been jerking us (The People) around for quit some time. This hyper reverse trend actually started out during the cold war Under Reagan and in effect buckled the Soviet Unions economy as they attempted to keep up in the cold war arms race. Regrettably it seems that Reagan forgot to reverse this after it had its desired effect, perhaps due to his Alzheimer disease. The results that followed with both parties since were to spend more then you have. This resulted in a huge debt bubble that looms over us today and our currency and markets are in a critical crisis. No disrespect Richard, but as personable as Bill Clinton may have been, he as well has his contributing hand on our current crises. So guess what friend? It is the people who have suffered from all this and we allowed it. The only one in the whole crowd of Republican contenders who has a viable plan and has been consistent in his entire political career is Ron Paul.

[Whitemellon]

06:14 AM on 12/28/2011

In the comment sections of the many stories regarding Romney Care i have read I don't seem to see any post from people in MA complaining about being sick and not having insurance. I think it's nice the people of that state care for their less fortunate. I would think the Bible belt states would feel the same way. You know, the love thy neighbor thing.

[OurSaySo]

05:47 AM on 12/28/2011

I know, as well as does now Mr. Newt, that although some states do not allow write-ins during their Primary selections, the National Election allows for write-in candidates.

This would seem to imply that he believes that he will not be a very good President; otherwise, he would vote for himself.

[dpooch]

05:30 AM on 12/28/2011

Soooo if Newts not the man.......... He will vote OBAMA........ ??? ;)

[loveO]

05:08 AM on 12/28/2011

This is all the more reason Newt Gingrich will not be President. If you lose a primary race you don't be a sore loser. You shake the persons hand, and you endorse them or keep your don't say anything. You don't trash the other candidate.

This is a classless act, I can respect Hilary Clinton more than this guy. She had the decency to endorse the man she lost to, and to me that's worth something.

[Absolute]

04:24 AM on 12/28/2011

Newt is a closet Obama voter.