Newt Gingrich vs. Mitt Romney: Former House Speaker Says GOP Hopeful Is A Liar

By SHANNON McCAFFREY, Associated Press

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Onetime Republican presidential frontrunner Newt Gingrich called on campaign rival Mitt Romney Tuesday to "just level with the American people" about his moderate political views.

Asked point-blank in a nationally broadcast network interview if he was calling the former Massachusetts governor "a liar," the former House speaker replied, "Yes."

In the interview on CBS's "The Early Show," Gingrich declined to predict he'd win Tuesday night's Iowa caucuses, but said "I don't think anybody knows who's going to get what right now." He said "I think anybody can come in first" because of a large number of Iowa voters who remained undecided on the day of the caucuses.

Of Romney, Gingrich was asked about previous statements he'd made accusing his opponent of lying. Gingrich assailed Romney for negative television ads that have hurt his standing in the polls, saying Romney has been disingenuous about large sums of money that a Super PAC has been spending on his behalf for the attack commercials.

"I just think he ought to be honest with the American people and try to win as the real Mitt Romney," Gingrich said. "He ought to be candid and I don't think he's been candid."

But when asked if he could support Romney if he became the party's nominee and runs against President Barack Obama, Gingrich answered affirmatively. "He would be much less destructive than Barack Obama," he said. "If you think Barack Obama is someone who is not a risk to the country's future, then that's somebody to vote for."

"I wish Mitt would just level with the American people and be who he really is and let's have a debate between a Massachusetts moderate and a real conservative," Gingrich said.

Briefly the frontrunner, Gingrich hoped for a respectable showing in the caucuses after being pounded by millions of dollars in attack ads.

The former House speaker was set to make an 11th-hour push for support as his campaign bus rumbles through eastern Iowa. He is scheduled to hold events in Muscatine and Burlington before he personally makes his case to a caucus gathering in Cedar Falls.

Gingrich rallied supporters in Davenport Monday night, urging them to help him pull off "one of the great upsets in the history of the Iowa caucuses." Earlier in the day he had all but conceded defeat, saying he didn't "expect to win."

Still, he is setting his sights on New Hampshire and South Carolina, where he pledged to wage a more aggressive effort to draw contrasts with Republican rival Mitt Romney, whom he has labeled a "Massachusetts moderate."

After emerging as a top GOP contender in early December, Gingrich saw his support falter as he was hit with a wave of tough ads painting him as an ethically-challenged Washington insider.

The ex-Georgia congressman has tried to cast himself as the conservative heir to former President Ronald Reagan, touting a supply-side economic plan of tax cuts and fewer regulations. But he has struggled to stay on message, blasting some of his GOP opponents even as he promised to wage a positive campaign.

"I believe I am the only person who has the range of experience necessary to fundamentally get this country back on the right track," he said.

 

 

Comments

[Silvia Marquis]

03:29 AM on 02/02/2012

Mitt Romney is Pro-abortion as Governor of MA! watch TV. A liar like Mitt Romney will tell you what he thinks you want to hear to gain your vote or some advantage. For Example when Mitt Romney ran as Pro-abortion to be MA Governor but now claims now to be Pro-Life. Now Mitt Romney is trying to passing himself as the job creator. Mitt Romney was never been in business to create jobs.Mitt Romney was in business to make money and any human cost incurred is inconsequential. Mitt Romney was emptied whole companies into his pockets and sending their jobs to China and Mexico. Mitt Romney was also was raided worker's retirement funds like a Bernie Made-off robbing women.and men of their Golden Years. Mitt Romney is receiving the working women and men sweat and.blood at a rate of over $51,000 DOLLARS a DAY! Mitt Romney is to jobs and the economy as a.Undertaker is to maternity care and health care. Remember the business venture also was three.separate human parameters is it moral, ethical, or legal. Anything goes to make a dollar is NOT.Capitalism. For example the drug dealer makes money by buying low and selling high. However the drug dealer is immoral and illegal. Mitt Romney exploits the working women and man is immoral and.unethical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-aeD1HXjaY

[SkeeBee]

10:39 AM on 01/06/2012

So I guess the obvious fatigue that lead to the Newt crying in Iowa wasn't the result of the stresses of the campaign.
Clearly it was from the strain of keeping the ugly, true, Newt hidden under the, "I looove you man!/Can't we all just get along?!" Newton.

I'm shocked.

[TFProleteriat]

10:35 PM on 01/05/2012

OBAMA @)!@- I meant 2012! These guys are politicians, just like Obama, and Obama is no more trustworthy than those running in the GOP primaries. Especially signing this National defense bill, he shows his true direction for our country, I don't care what he says. Words are wind, and so is a fart. But, that being said, I know that I can at least look forward to being a human being if Obama wins in 2012. I look at all the GOP candidates, being a former Republican myself, and I fear for our country's people if they are elected. They would have us deny who we are and be who they think we should be. At least Obama is only requiring us to be paranoid about saying the wrong thing and disappearing forever down a dark hole in the middle of the Caribbean.

[mistergg69]

09:36 PM on 01/04/2012

OBAMA 2012

[olderthan]

01:38 PM on 01/04/2012

Ah, that Newt! Always being the good guy.

[isaluna]

12:56 PM on 01/04/2012

How dare Newt call anybody a liar ----just shocking .....not
They are ALL Liars - wake up already

[urbrainwashed2]

08:59 AM on 01/04/2012

That's right Newt, Romney is a liar!
Newt, you're a liar, a cheat, a crook, and a worthless politician who thinks because they use Reagan's name and capitalized on Clinton's boom you're a hero. There's only one that is more of a phony then Newt and that's Bachmann.

[dzadzey]

07:59 AM on 01/04/2012

Pot...kettle...black?

[Barbara ForrestBall]

07:01 PM on 01/04/2012

Exactly. An adulterer, calling another person a liar. Priceless.

[kokobell616]

07:41 AM on 01/04/2012

Any politician running for office is in need of serious fact checking. To understand that they just want votes is to understand that they will tell you what they think you want to hear. Dem, Rep.Ind.

[Everymonde]

02:53 AM on 01/04/2012

Well it may be true but the greater truth is that all politicians are liars!

[Jonathan van der Berg]

02:27 AM on 01/04/2012

Clinton is not beloved around the world. As someone of the centre-Left, I despise the man. Who could ever forget the way he backstabbed the Left by enacting policies that are essentially Republican, such as "welfare reform," which stole from the Republicans a key election issue while stranding the liberals who had no alternative but to stick with the President. Clinton has such a conservative record, it's a mystery why so many people on the Right hate him as much as they do.

[George McAulay]

08:40 AM on 01/04/2012

Clinton is well regarded around the world where GDubya is considered a retarded fool. Clinton made the USA economy strong and left it in surplus. Considering the state the jug eared war president left the country in I find it hard to believe anyone would want to steal, copy or borrow any GOP policies.

[urbrainwashed2]

09:00 AM on 01/04/2012

That's why the "Right" are a bunch of no good hypocrites.

[kinogod]

12:35 AM on 01/04/2012

Liar liar pants on fire. Takes one to know one!

[marksh]

12:34 AM on 01/04/2012

Finally someone came as close to L word as a politician can get. Yet Newt just said "Yes". Now, let someone ask Mitt "Do you call N a liar?" And what about P, R, R, & M?

[shanesdad]

12:33 AM on 01/04/2012

When it comes to lying, Newt really knows what he's talking about.

[hangdogit]

12:06 AM on 01/04/2012

Newt, Newt -- you old Galoot:

You've been mercilessly attacked on TV to knocked you out of the running in Iowa -- maybe nationally.

But before I dissolve completely in tears at your treatment, two things come to mind:

1. You strongly supported the extraordinarily anti-democracy Supreme Court decision that made the anonymous and unlimited attacks ads on you possible. Karma at work.

2. All of the attacks ad that I saw (the most aggressive ones) were true -- often using your own reckless words against you.

And we should all recall, that virtually single-handedly, your own attack-dog politics crippled Washington into an ultra-partisan asylum, especially after the (eventually backfiring) Clinton impeachment that you led.

Trying to destroy Democrat Bill Clinton (unlike you, a man beloved around the globe) set the stage for the anti-Democrat paranoia that sent Washington descending into total dysfunction and gridlock as soon as the next Democrat was elected president. Again, Karma at work.

When someone once yelled out to Harry Truman, "Give 'em hell, Harry!" Truman replied that he would not give them hell -- just tell the truth and they'll think its hell.

Live by the sword -- die by the sword (the same as when words are used as weapons). Karma giving you just what you deserve -- so be it.

[Rise and Shine]

01:02 AM on 01/04/2012

Because Newt, though astute, couldn't raise enough loot,
His patoot got the boot, so his point is now moot.

[Rich Cash]

01:11 AM on 01/04/2012

I have to agree with 99% of everything you've said, but I have to take exception to your comment about whether or not Newt (or any other American) should have been concerned that Bill Clinton was "beloved around the globe." Why should any American base their opinion on a candidate because of their popularity with the rest of the world? Brits don't vote on candidates for Parliament because of their popularity in the States, so why should we be concerned about your opinions?

[hangdogit]

02:00 AM on 01/04/2012

1. Bill Clinton is a man of huge admiration around the world and Gingrich is not. And internationally-praised presidents -- such as Teddy Roosevelt, JFK, Carter (for his post-presidency humanitarian work), Clinton and Obama tend to be much more popular -- and thus powerful and effective leaders -- in the US. To me, that makes them more vote-worthy than a scowling Nixon (spat on in South America), Bush Jr (who avoids travel abroad to avoid possible arrest for war crimes) or super-scowler Gingrich (were he to somehow win).

2. Newt in particular is widely despised both by Democrats, of course, but also by his former GOP colleagues who new him best -- and that weakens any chance at electability and any leadership that he might have if he were elected.

But if your point is that Americans should completely ignore world opinion about politics and most anything else, then that sounds like Bush jingoism -- which left him with very low approval (and with most Muslims negative or openly hostile toward him -- important because we vitally need the support of the 1B+ Muslims on our side in the war against Muslim terrorists).

It is one world, after all -- and when foreigners judge a president kindly (such as Obama)
Americans tend to also. They generally see what we see. But would I vote for someone solely due to their international approval? No, but I would certainly consider it an important barometer.

[AlanDente]

09:45 AM on 01/04/2012

In fact, international standing and reputation is important to us Brits.

In the same way that the apparent manner in which Americans revel in international ignorance annoys us. And the French. And the rest.

Jus' sayin'...