Fort Myers, Florida (CNN) – Newt Gingrich took his latest swing at Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney on Monday, calling his opponent's campaign "pathetic" and grousing loudly about the negative tone of the race.
Campaigning in Fort Myers on the eve of the Florida primary – his fourth stop on a statewide fly-around - Gingrich took the stage in a parking lot at the local airport to address several hundred supporters, many of whom had been waiting in a pleasant breeze for nearly two hours to see the candidate.
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Gingrich promptly launched into a diatribe about the "profoundly false" blizzard of ads from the Romney campaign and his allies attacking Gingrich's record in Washington and ties to the troubled mortgage firm Freddie Mac.
He cited a New York Times piece from Sunday examining a Romney campaign meeting on the morning after their drubbing in the South Carolina primary.
In the meeting, Gingrich said, referring the Times piece, Romney and his aides settled on a plan to "destroy" the former House Speaker in Florida.
"And I thought to myself, what a pathetic situation to be running for the President of the United States with nothing positive to say for yourself," Gingrich said.
"And nothing available, a big idea, big vision, a big future, and all you got to do is try to tear your opponent down to where they get smaller than you are. That's the Romney model. Now that's not my model. My model is to talk about big solutions."
Gingrich was introduced at the Fort Myers event by Herman Cain, who endorsed him on Saturday, and Michael Reagan - both of whom defended Gingrich's conservative bona fides.
Cain, though, left the rally before Gingrich spoke in order to make an appearance on Fox News.
Gingrich also revealed in his speech that one of his most famous supporters, Todd Palin, will hit the campaign trail with him soon. The campaign said Palin recorded a last minute get out the vote robocall for Gingrich that will go out in Florida on Tuesday.
Also see:
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From CNN Politics
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I agree with Newt.
Is Romney another Obama, blaming everyone else?
Newt, for all his faiings, is correct. It's pretty amazing that Karl Rove thinks he can ram an elitist like Flipper down America's throat.
That's the best you got Gingrich?... "Romney's campaign is pathetic"... compared to the reality that YOU are pathetic. Your morals (or lack thereof)... your lies... your record... your business dealings... 95% of the GOP that served with you won't support you... and all you can say is Romney's campaign is pathetic? Everything he has on you is public record... your own words... documented news reports. You Mr. Ex-Speaker... are PATHETIC!
You both are pathetic!! Obama2012!!
Romney is the only candidate with executive experience in both the private and public sector. Newt is too unpredictable/volatile and cannot win the independents. Be smart, republicans, like it or not we have to attract independents or we will hand the election to Obama.
Totally pathetic! Newt the serial adulterer...84 ethics violations while Speaker of the House and now Palin....I can not believe people are this dumb to even consider him. Anybody ever seen a leopard change it's spots?
Todd Palin is famous?
Gingrich is disgusting. That kind of name calling puts him in the fifth grade mentality. Also, before he starts talking about how false everything is, he'd better check the facts. He must either have a very short memory, or is very, very delusional.
Well my oh my. If Todd Palin is endorsing Newt then no doubt we should all vote for him. I mean, Todd Palin after all is the expert on governing this country by all means. ,
Romney, it is said, has $250 million and he has paid less than 15% income tax as against an average middle class income tax. Just calculate how much this $250 million would have been, had he paid 31% tax all these years he had NOT been working and lived on his "investments"! Probably next to nothing! Will someone make some calculation and email me and others? I will be grateful.
You reap what you sow.
The President knows that people who want progress are smart! They do not believe in the GOP "voodoo economics" and “trickle down” attitudes that they want to irresponsibly revive including a new war on false pretense (!!!) and that have brought the country down before. The President knows, we love the country to much to let it fail under GOP/TP control again. If the polls would reflect the interests of voters the parties represent, the result would be 99% Dem – 1% GOP/TP!
GET YOUR GAME ON
Sorry Gingrich. Missing Virginia was pathetic.
With Todd Palin in his corner how can Newt possibly lose?
We've heard a lot more about what Republicans are against and how great their character flaws are than we have about how they are going to revitalize America.
This is rich, coming from Newt Gingrich. He's is far more negative.
They are both pathetic. The GOP is a party out of touch with its constituency, and this will become abundantly clear this November.
Sounds really Presidential.
I guess Newt's mirror was broken yesterday?
I guess Newt's mirror was broken Monday.
Mitt Romney makes Gingritch seem charismatic. I think I'll go into convulsions if Romney ever has the guts to go off-script and actually appear genuine. No wonder Obama wants Mitt to win the nomination.
i will never vote for romney to me he is very arrogent & cocky
Keep tearing yourselves down guys. Obama couldn't have scripted this better.
And Newt certainly knows all about "pathetic."