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:
Gingrich supporter trails Romney
Romney would consider pulling NBC ad
Romney holds 14-point lead over Gingrich in new Florida poll
From CNN Politics
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This is coming from a man that was persecuting Bill Clinton about Monica while he was leaving his dying wife to be with his mistress. I guess "pathetic" is something Next is striving to obtain.
I agree with Cybersport, if Todd and Herman are supporting Newt, that should do it. These two are nothing but hot air........
I wouldn't vote for anyone, who is using these two, for support...........Newt is too well known, for his pass actions to win dog catcher...........I guess Sara will be spewing her venom next..............
Open marriage is "pathetic."!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Since neither canidate has nothing new to add to the debate and for the country then i say they are both pathetic! can they not step out of the regan box? really...look at what has been done to middle class for the last 30 years...
Actually newt is right. here is Romney I`m for Health care I`m aginist health care I`m for Regulation I`m against regulation I`m for legal immigration I`m against legal immigration. These are the ads Obama will be running and asking the question Which Romney do you trust. This guy has flip floped on over two dozen issues Obama in a landslide
Cat calling the kettle black.
The Newt is becoming, morew and more, the old Newt. This is exactly why mainstream Republicans do not want him as their candidate. His attacks are becoming even more outlandish while claiming it is all his opponents fault. He is stepping up vicious personal attacks that have no relationship to the issues.
The Newt is even claiming that making all agencies that recieve state aid while Governor shows that Romney is a religious bigot. What that shows is that Romney enforced the state laws regardless of his own beliefs.
No wonder the Republicans are worried. Nothing on Earth could motivate the Democrats to get out and vote more than the Newt's version of politics during a nationwide campaign. Not to mention costing many Republican voters to not go to the polls. The Newt, if he were to be the candidate, might well destroy the Republican Party as an effective second party.
Newt gives amphibians a bad name...
He can dish it out but can't take it! He invented cruel ads only to have them work against him. What goes around, comes around.
You can't make this stuff up....Newt, meet Karma.
Wow, I guess it takes a pathetic person to identify another. That would be about right here. Newt is the self-proclaimed "bomb thrower". So I don't get why he can't take the heat now.
Newt, Newt, Newt.... enough PLEASE. Have you never run for office before? All this whining is REALLY starting to get on my nerves! SUCK IT UP!! You are doing yourself NO GOOD.
And calling the other guy "pathetic" doesn't contribute to a negative tone...right Newt?
Seems as if the more pathetic the candidate, the happier the GOPer voting base. Both candidates are out doing each other, not only in lies, but overall stupidity. Interesting that each of the Gingrich and Romney base of voters hasn't gotten past the idea that their favorite candidate's lies are in essence being directed at THEM, their own voter base.
Ahhhhhh....seems that someone is upset that Romney bested him in a practice he perfected–running a negative campaign. I wonder if he's as supportive of the Citizens United ruling as he once was. One a different note, it is reported that Newt hauled in $5 million in January. I wonder where all that money came from? Oh, I almost forgot that he got it from ONE donor who contributed to his super PAC. SO, I guess he's still in favor of Citizens United.
Obama is looking better and better by the day! Thank you Newt and Mitt! You both are pathetic.
I believe the entire GOP field is pathetic. That being said I hope Newt stays in the race as long as possible. Not only is it entertaining watching them destroy each other, it helps President Obama win a second term.
Both of you two clowns are pathetic!
America? Vote for a REAL American and the ONLY grown-up in the race.
President Barack Obama-2012!
problem is newt's pathetic too.
Its a rare day when I am in agreement with Truth and Nothing But: mark this in your calendar.
"pathetic" is abandoning two former wives when they got sick.
I'm no fan of Romney but Newt is disgusting.
Pathetic? I told that boy for years that if he slings the mud, it'll come back to haunt him.. But, Nooo, he doesn't listen. As a kid he had this "mud slingshot", it had an extra large 'loading pad', just like his extra large mouth. And he put mud balls mixed with pebbles and other kind of dirt. Splash he slung it at the neighborhood boys. Always them. He said they were mean to him, but Ahh watched him, he always did it first and then complained when they whooped his fat lil rear. Boy just don't listen, that Newt.
Keep it up, Newt. Do what you "Reagan Conservatives" excel at – mud slinging. Know that the kind of people that support you are the same kind of people that possess large vicious attack dogs, and for the same reason: viciously attacking others makes small paranoid people feel a little bigger and a mite less paranoid. All hail Newt "I will be the nominee" Gingrich, king of the kooks!
This is the American political system. Let it work. Newt has earned it and Romney could actually benefit from this.
The Republican party has a very solid, very conservative base. They are angry and they are looking for someone who will take their message to the party's convention. Why shouldn't Newt be their guy? If Romney beats Newt, then he will look stronger for the fall campaign, and be able to claim that he is guy to beat the Washington insiders.
Oh, and Newt – when you finally give up and crawl back into the ground, PLEASE take your tea party orcs with you.