Gingrich Questions If Romney Has The Character To Be President
EmailFollowing an onslaught of attacks in last week’s debates and on the Florida airwaves, Newt Gingrich amped up his criticism of frontrunner Mitt Romney this morning, aiming his arrows directly at Romney’s character and calling him “fundamentally dishonest.”
“I am saying that he would not be where he is today, the debates this week wouldn’t have been where they were, if he had told the truth,” Gingrich told me this morning on “This Week.” “And I think that’s a very serious problem for somebody.”
Gingrich said Romney has run a “campaign of vilification” that is based on “factually false” claims and “carpet-bombing with negative ads.” When I asked the former speaker if Romney had the character to be president, Gingrich said “it is a very serious problem.”
“You cannot be president of the United States if you cannot be honest and candid with the American people,” Gingrich told me, adding that some of the attacks against him “have been breathtakingly dishonest.”
Romney dominated Thursday’s debate and devoted a hefty chunk of the two-hour event to attacking Gingrich’s immigration stance, the work he did for mortgage giant Freddie Mac, and the ethics investigation of Gingrich while he was in the House.
On Sunday, Gingrich said such attacks were “blatantly dishonest” and based on “totally phony history, which [Romney] maniacally continues to repeat.”
“I’m standing next to a guy who is the most blatantly dishonest answers I can remember in any presidential race in — in my lifetime,” Gingrich said. “I don’t know how you debate a person with civility if they’re prepared to say things that are just plain factually false.”
Gingrich, who trails Romney by 15 percentage points in the latest Florida poll, released today by NBC News/Marist, said that while Romney may come out ahead in Florida, the race is far from over.
Gingrich said he expects the campaign to “go on all the way to the convention” because Romney is “not going to be anywhere near a majority by April.”
He blamed Romney’s lead in the Sunshine State on the former governor’s deluge of negative ads. Romney and his supporting Super PAC have dumped $8.2 million into Florida ads – nearly four times as much as Gingrich and the pro-Gingrich Super PAC have spent.
“It’s only when he can mass money to focus on carpet-bombing with negative ads that he gains any traction at all,” Gingrich said.
Florida Republicans head to the polls on Tuesday in the largest state yet to vote this nominating season. Fifty delegates are up for grabs in the Sunshine State.
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Gingrich making accusations about character? That’s priceless. He ought to look in the mirror instead of making excuses for his poor performance.
Posted by: Aaron | January 29, 2012, 11:00 am 11:00 am
Newt has the nerve to call Romney out as being a liar when he lied and continues to lie by hiding behind a contract written mainly to conceal the fact that he was a lobbist who made more than a million dollars for his services. Additionally, he had a six year affair while he was married to his second wife and former mistress. I hope that Republicans primary voters aren’t going to elect an adulterer Newt as their nominee and elevate his former mistress now third wife Callista as the potential FIRST LADY of the United States of America. What happened to the Republicans high moral and family values views and positions?
Vera Richardson
Posted by: Vera Richardson | January 29, 2012, 11:00 am 11:00 am
Gingrich lives in his own little world, and has NO concept of reality especially when it comes to the American People and modern technology! Does he REALLY think that the American People have not researched him on their own? Does he REALLY think his blatant disregard for his marriage vows and attack on the media for his “pain” as an adulterer make us think he is an honest person? Does he REALLY think that we are sooo pleased that he took money that was supposed to be for the American PEOPLE to save their homes with that we would vote for him to steal more of our money??
TO ALL CANDIDATES: WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ARE TIRED OF YOUR CHILDISH NAME CALLING/BLAME GAME/PARTISAN CRAP! You are asking US to vote for YOU not the other person. WE want to know what YOU plan to do to get the job WE vote for. So GROW UP, put the American People first.
Posted by: Laura | January 29, 2012, 11:05 am 11:05 am
Newt and Mitt can have each other, I’m sick of both of them…BRING ON RON PAUL!!!! and I didn’t say bra so you don’t have to delete my post
Posted by: samhiguchi | January 29, 2012, 11:09 am 11:09 am
My pet hamster is more qualified to be president than Obozo.
Posted by: Johnny | January 29, 2012, 11:21 am 11:21 am
Here we go. Newt Gingrich paragon of virtue.
Posted by: FrankBlourtango | January 29, 2012, 11:24 am 11:24 am
Absolutely astonishing that Newt has the audacity to question Romney on character and honesty. This from an ethically-challenged serial adulterer who has now been exposed by ABC News as having his own issues with recent facts (e.g., “we had all kinds of character witnesses ready to refute my former wife’s accusations.”) HA – his equally dishonest daughters were the only such supporters!! As the recent saying goes, Newt’s version of family values is using the daughters from your first wife to convince everyone that your second wife is lying about your third wife. Newt is a disgrace.
Posted by: Otto Matich | January 29, 2012, 11:30 am 11:30 am
The crony bank and broker CEOs should be so happy to keep the status
quo knowing full well they have Obama and Romney in their pockets and
the US taxpayers to yet, again guarantee their losses! Just check who the
biggest campaign contributors to both Obama and Romney and it is those
crony bank and broker CEOs. Why are we having an election anyways?
Just annoint Obama or Romney, take your pick and save the US taxpayers
monies we will end up spending on this sham of an election.
Posted by: Richie | January 29, 2012, 11:31 am 11:31 am
INewt is right, for once! Romney is not POTUS material. Trouble is, neither is Newt, or any of the other contenders!! If it’s not a lack of character, it’s a lack of basic intelligence, sanity, humanity, maturity, or tolerance — none of them are fit to serve.
Posted by: Dr. Bubba | January 29, 2012, 11:56 am 11:56 am
Newt acts like any con, deflects things he is guilty of. Mainly Newt Gingrich is a LIAR! Newt Gingrich is an ADULTERER. Newt Gingrich is UNETHICAL, being accused of multiple ethics violations and Newt Gingrich was BOOTED from his speakership. Those are not lies MR. Gingrich, facts! YOU CANNOT rewrite history and then have the audacity to call your opponent who points these things out because you LIE to the American people, call him a liar. ROMNEY is honest, has integrity, and he adapts to change. He will make the economy buzz, and cut deficits, and get our space program without colonizing the moon!
Posted by: Michael T | January 29, 2012, 12:10 pm 12:10 pm
Fascinating. Once again, Newt fights back by accusing his opponent of being exactly what he is. Of course, Newt is the one who lacks character. Newt is the chronic liar. Newt repeats phony history. Newt was found guilty of ethics violations by the House, both Dems and Repubs, had to pay the stiffest penalty in history, admitted to lying to the ethics committee, and was forced to resign in disgrace. Those are the facts!
Posted by: hopesprings52 | January 29, 2012, 12:12 pm 12:12 pm
I hate that Newt calls Obama the food stamp president when it is the republicans that put us there, the difference is that Obama would help the poor and the republicans will let them die, even if they are the cause lots of us are unemployed, bring our jobs back Romney helped fired all of us so he can profit. then doesn’t pay taxes on it or as little as possible, greed, greed, greed.
Posted by: Marilyn | January 29, 2012, 12:29 pm 12:29 pm
Romney’s character has become more than a problem, it has reached the point of critical mass……..and I will NOT vote for him, at all.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | January 29, 2012, 12:43 pm 12:43 pm
How many women has Gingrich slept with while married to someone else? Two that we know of. When Gingrich plays the character and honesty cards and PEOPLE LET HIM, you know the apocalypse is near.
Posted by: Paul | January 29, 2012, 12:45 pm 12:45 pm
If character is the issue both Romney and Gingrich have flaws and that makes Dr. Ron Paul the only presidential candidate with substance and charactewr
Posted by: Girish | January 29, 2012, 12:52 pm 12:52 pm
Newt is most definitely in full pot calling the kettle mode. Hypocrisy ad perpetuity.
Posted by: Eringobragh | January 29, 2012, 12:53 pm 12:53 pm
I know people will think this is crazy, but I see so much similarity between Gingrich and Obama. Not personally, but politically. Whoda thunk it?
Posted by: newcountryman | January 29, 2012, 12:55 pm 12:55 pm
Instead of voting for any of these losers, let’s riot and take over the government!
Posted by: bob | January 29, 2012, 1:05 pm 1:05 pm
Romney is cooked and will never become President of the United States. I think people might forgive lying a bit for a higher cause, but when its an unprincipled matter of saying whatever it takes to get elected, that will not succeed in the long run. Romney is too weak a candidate to win the right way. Not good. A Republican fiasco.
Posted by: chris | January 29, 2012, 1:18 pm 1:18 pm
This is hilarious……someone who’s been caught cheating on his wife 2 times talking about someone’s character. Maybe Newt should review his interview with CBN when he himself said his affairs make him more normal than Mitt “I only sleep with my wife” Romney. Great strategy Newt
Posted by: BRIAN | January 29, 2012, 1:26 pm 1:26 pm
Newt is such a pompous jerk! His hubris is such that if he were the nominee the voters would reject him in a 40+ state landslide!!!!
Posted by: Joe C | January 29, 2012, 1:33 pm 1:33 pm
“I think it’s the most blatantly dishonest performance (Romney) by a presidential candidate I’ve ever seen,” Newt Gingrich said in a telephone interview with the Washington Post Friday, January 27, 2012.
Ouch! And that’s a fellow Republican saying that.
Posted by: James | January 29, 2012, 1:39 pm 1:39 pm
Newt, besides Barack there is only one candidate with serious character flaws and you can see him by looking in the mirror. What comes after low class and no class?
Posted by: ray | January 29, 2012, 1:50 pm 1:50 pm
Yes, they need to debate honestly about the truth of which millionaire’s blind trust mutual fund made more off Fannie and Freddie investments. That is the kind of stark differentiation that voters are looking for. Whoever made less off Fannie and Freddie will have a powerful tool to use against Obama in the general election. That and a wet noodle will seize the day.
Posted by: sameagain | January 29, 2012, 1:58 pm 1:58 pm
Newt Gingrich fought hard for us as one of the most Conservative members of congress for over 20 years. It is unbeleivable to attack this man in this way. This is almost the equivalent of savaging Reagan himself. But I guess Romney has done that too: “Reagan, Bush, I don’t want to return to the time of Reagan Bush. I was an Independent in the time of Reagan Bush.”
Posted by: Joe | January 29, 2012, 2:11 pm 2:11 pm
Jake – I missed the show but, from reading this report, it sounds like you allowed Gingrich to get away with meaningless attacks. Did you ask him to specify the lies he claims were told by Romney? What are the errors in the ads and can he prove that they’re false?
When the media stops providing a platform for our politicians’ and starts having a conversation that holds them accountable, the political climate will start to change, meaningful debate will be encouraged, and we might even get rid of the con artists.
Posted by: sharon | January 29, 2012, 2:33 pm 2:33 pm
Yes, they need to debate honestly about the truth of which millionaire’s blind trust mutual fund made more off Fannie and Freddie investments. That is the kind of stark differentiation that voters are looking for. Whoever made less off Fannie and Freddie will have a powerful tool to use against Obama in the general election. That and a wet noodle will seize the day.
Posted by: sameagain | January 29, 2012, 1:58 pm 1:58 pm
LOL!
Posted by: James | January 29, 2012, 2:42 pm 2:42 pm
Well if there was any misinformation Newt should have challenged it during the debate when Romney engaged him point blank.
If memory serves, after those exchanges, when the dust settled Newt was left wearing a stupefied, vacant expression that bespoke his utter befuddlement.
Posted by: Newt The Revisionist | January 29, 2012, 3:38 pm 3:38 pm
Wow. Just… wow.
The Republican party has a golden opportunity to elect the greatest candidate they have ever had, and yet will continue to entertain the Romney/Gingrich Circus of Hypocrisy.
Posted by: Oscar | January 29, 2012, 4:16 pm 4:16 pm
It’s a simple question of deciding which one of them is worse, and then choosing the other.
Posted by: smoking cures cancer | January 29, 2012, 4:34 pm 4:34 pm
I hate that Newt calls Obama the food stamp president when it is the republicans that put us there,
Posted by: Marilyn
_____________
Well I hate to break the news to you Marilyn but your party was the one occupying both houses of Congress when the Goldman Sachs collapse occurred, and your party runs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which were connected to Goldman Sachs.
Second, under Obama, more people are on food stamps than ever before in our history.
Yes, Gingrich’s character is appalling, however, Obama’s record isn’t exactly much to brag about.
Posted by: ivan | January 29, 2012, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
Well I hate to break the news to you Marilyn but your party was the one occupying both houses of Congress when the Goldman Sachs collapse occurred
—————————————-
Yes but that’s not why it occurred…the collapse occurred because the Republicans had previously deregulated the housing and financial markets and allowed the growth of a huge financial bubble. The public remembers well that all the Republicans including Bush and McCain assured us all the economy was fine right up until the collapse.
Posted by: the buck stops over yonder | January 29, 2012, 4:50 pm 4:50 pm
Newt and Santorum are just there to take delegates away from Ron Paul and back Romney in the end.A Romney or Obama win would be acceptable for the system we have because nothing would change.Both want to attack Iran.China and Russia step in to defend Iran.Poor people suffer.
Posted by: Julian Alien | January 29, 2012, 4:51 pm 4:51 pm
Well I hate to break the news to you Marilyn but your party was the one occupying both houses of Congress when the Goldman Sachs collapse occurred
Posted by: ivan | January 29, 2012, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
The sub-prime crisis has already commenced in the year BEFORE the Democrats too Congress. The housing bubble had also reached its peak begun to collapse a year before the Democrats too Congress.
Both those collapses started while Republicans had held the majority in Congress for basically 11 years, and the presidency for 5.
Posted by: Jenny | January 30, 2012, 12:29 am 12:29 am
None of them on the Republican side has the fortitude to be President. But we’re supposed to be concerned because Gingrich calls Romney a liar? Who cares? Obama has been called a liar for the 3 years he’s been in office. Also without any evidence other than others just wanting to refer him as that.
Posted by: Carolo | January 30, 2012, 1:51 am 1:51 am
Speaking of Newt’s history, “Investigation” is the operative word. He was exonerated and found not guilty of the numerous charges made against hiim, presumably by his political enemies. To seize upon the innuendo surrounding this history and make it his main issue, Mitt Romney is stooping to schoolyard “lows” and that’s a cheap and underhanded way to win the candidacy. Immoral? I think so. Good grief! Almost $9 million in Florida to fund the propagation of his attacks? Also an underhanded method. The more money, the more damage he can do. We’ve got to limit campaign spending. It is un-democratic the way it is now.
Posted by: Nancy | January 30, 2012, 10:27 am 10:27 am
Gingrich it’s you that is the biggest liar. Don’t you know when you lie Newt? when you call Romney a liar you’re a hypocrite. If you say that one more time that you don’t lie I would have to say that you’re unstable or are mentally ill. Other people hear what I hear and coming from your mouth, Don’t you think that they’re thinking the same. Everyone knows how much you lie? For this reason I couldn’t vote for you and that is probably one of the reasons you’re losing
Posted by: cameron | January 30, 2012, 8:48 pm 8:48 pm
We don’ need a sideshow, we need a president. Bring on Ron Paul. He’s the only one who has remained straight as an arrow without hidden agendas or ulterior motives.
Posted by: Andy hrehorovich | January 31, 2012, 2:36 am 2:36 am
I’ll vote for him if he can recite Leviticus 20:10 without getting struck by lightning.
Personally, I don’t believe a word in the Bible. I’d just like to see him say it, though. Anyone who could make me laugh that much would deserve my vote.
Lev. 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with [another] man’s wife, [even he] that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Posted by: David | February 14, 2012, 6:00 pm 6:00 pm