Posted on 11/17/2011 10:44:31 AM PST by BarnacleCenturion
SHEFFIELD, Iowa – With the political winds shifting in his favor, Newt Gingrich is turning an incident that almost unraveled his entire presidential bid earlier this summer into a campaign trail talking point.
Gingrich, whose luxury Greek vacation in June led to the mass resignations of several members of his campaign staff, now says he used the overseas trip to talk with Europeans about the banking crisis there.
The former House Speaker told a crowd in West Des Moines on Monday, that he listened to the Greek people talk about their economic woes and even noted that his observations about the state of the global economy were “very much influenced” by his Mediterranean sojourn.
“I visited Greece in June I talked to people about what they were faced with in Greece. And I listened to them and I tried to understand they face a crisis of enormous proportions,” Gingrich said. “The Greeks can’t pay off their loans at half the value. This is an enormous collapse of their quality of life in this category.”
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
He was only getting $25,000 a month from Freddie Mac. How could he afford a vacation? /s
Last time I checked it was not against the law to go on an expensive vacation.
Gingrich embraces Washington “insider” label (Video)
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7388533n ^ | 11-17-11 | CBS news
Stick a fork in Newt he is done.
No way he wins now.
All the 0 campaign will have to do if Newt is our nominee is run this clip in the swing states the last week in Oct 2012.
Newt’s turn with the Smear Machine.
When does Mitt get his turn? Obama?
Nope it isn’t, wish I could.
Did he mention he was with Calista?
LOL.... My wife agrees with you.
Gingrich, whose luxury Greek vacation in June led to the mass resignations of several members of his campaign staff, now says he used the overseas trip to talk with Europeans about the banking crisis there. The former House Speaker told a crowd in West Des Moines on Monday, that he listened to the Greek people talk about their economic woes and even noted that his observations about the state of the global economy were “very much influenced” by his Mediterranean sojourn.
Good grief, how in the world could talking with the towel lady "very much influence" one's understanding of the global economy?
FACEPALM.
I have no problem with Newt taking a vacation and the consequences for taking a vacation, if any. But this kind of phoney spin is just insulting.
Evidently, his campaign staff saw it differently. And would we really choose one liar over another?
BTW, no one said it was. So what's the point of your point?
Either we have to choose squishy moderates with lots of experience, or ideologically pure candidates with little or no experience.
Ideologically pure candidates can't become (and stay) governor for long unless they moderate their views and actions. The best we can expect are senators from safe states, or congresscritters for safe districts. They may have lots of experience giving speeches and passing bills, but precious little executive experience.
So one by one the ideological purists are being knocked off because they can't handle the pressure. What remains are the squishy moderates who are able to fend off the blows because of their considerable experience achieved in part because they knew when to moderate their views.
Perry is the only exception. He has moderated his views considerably, so he should be riding high. However, he has proved to be a suprisingly inept candidate who shoots his foot on a daily basis. It's a wonder he isn't also in favor of gun control!
It’s pretty obvious you did not listen to it.....he comes off relly good!!
“Stick a fork in Newt he is done.”
“No way he wins now.”
Agreed, it looks horrible for Newt. Hey, how’s that Cain guy doing?
Rasmussen Poll from Iowa Nov 15
2012 GOP Nominee Preference
32% Newt
19% Romney
13% Cain
700 likely IA GOP caucus-goers
I agree and I’ve been laughing at his posts all morning, again, again and again. LOL
His campaign staff went to Rick Perry...how’d that work out for him or them!!!
I agree NEXT has a lot of people working for him so dumb they probably don’t read what they post!!
Who on Earth believes this? I guess the same dopes who believe that he served as the Freddie Mac House "historian", and was paid the highest salary in history for such a position. When all the wheels come off this Newt booklet, it will be very ugly, and Romney will be very pleased.
If he’s anything it’s consistant!!
Why couldn’t Newt video-conference with them?
Come clean Newt, lets see the influence peddling deals with Freddie Mac..oh, I forgot, you do not like them anymore...
http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/11/16/newt-gingrich-wont-release-his-freddie-mac-records/
Luxury, Greek vacations are waaaaay worser than regular ones and should obviously eliminate him from presidential contention. Republican wives wear sensible cloth coats, get Diamonique jewelry and vacation in Cleveland.
The people who the Democrats and Media Matters have spent years and countless millions mocking, demonizing and leaving for dead, should know their damn place and stay down. If 100% negative media coverage for going on 20 years doesn't stop you...you're just being stubborn.
How un-presidential!!
I expect this from the media but lately here on FR I am getting sick and tired of our tearing all of our options completely apart. Obama is the enemy folks. There is not going to be ONE GOP candidate that is pure as the driven snow who meets the qualifications for each of us and damned if we don’t get sucked into this media trap every time. Do I like everything about Newt? Nope but I will take him, Cain or Perry over the empty suite that is now in office.
Of course he telling the truth...how else could he knock it off his taxes!!!
BINGO!!!
We have crappy candidates. Ideological purists, like conservatives on FR and liberals on Daily KOS, will always have to choose among crappy candidates.
Either we have to choose squishy moderates with lots of experience, or ideologically pure candidates with little or no experience.
Ideologically pure candidates can’t become (and stay) governor for long unless they moderate their views and actions. The best we can expect are senators from safe states, or congresscritters for safe districts. They may have lots of experience giving speeches and passing bills, but precious little executive experience.
So one by one the ideological purists are being knocked off because they can’t handle the pressure. What remains are the squishy moderates who are able to fend off the blows because of their considerable experience achieved in part because they knew when to moderate their views.
Perry is the only exception. He has moderated his views considerably, so he should be riding high. However, he has proved to be a suprisingly inept candidate who shoots his foot on a daily basis. It’s a wonder he isn’t also in favor of gun control! <<<<<
__________________________________________________
Hammer hit nail. Who here can argue with the fact you so aptly and simply stated. Period.
Game, set, match.
One thing that I must say and I really hope you agree with me on at least this point. The people in Iowa are weak as hell. Sorry they are. They hop from candidate to candidate when ever the current candidate has a bad week. It is disgusting that these “no loyalty at all” people are so influential to the Presidential race. I mean seriously we have been through every candidate and Iowa is still not satisfied. WEAK AS HELL ARE THE PEOPLE IN IOWA.
Do irony much?
It's not a smear when the guy said what he said and what he said is reported.
In fact, the LACK of real smear attacks against Gingrich is what I am beginning to find very telling.
Most the articles I've read on Gingrich just report stuff he's said or done in a pretty neutral, though sometimes even positive way. However, the stuff being highlighted is of the type that reminds many conservatives of why they've written off Newt time and time again in the past. But, unlike what they tried with Cain (and even though they have REAL dirt on Newt), right now the media obviously is not trying to destroy Gingrich's path to the nomination.
Why? If you know Newt's LONG history with the American electorate, you know the stuff the media could be bringing up and isn't.
I'm starting to think the Dems now WANT Newt as the nominee instead of Romney.
More and more, Romney is becoming known as Obama-lite. This is actually a problem for Dems. There are many Dems who don't like Obama, but they would never consider voting for a "real" Republican. But Romney may be a close enough clone of Obama that these Dems might feel comfortable voting for him.
But if you were there in the 1990's, you know very well that there are millions of Democrats who would not vote for Gingrich if their life depended upon. He was absolutely HATED by Democrats.
It would be as if 20 years from now the Dems nominated Nancy Pelosi for President. No matter what she does in the next 20 years, those of us who were around when she was Speaker wouldn't even consider voting for her, ever, period.
So if the Dems are afraid of losing disgruntled Dems to Romney, they have to try to get someone else nominated -- AND that nominee has to be someone TOTALLY, UNCONDITIONALLY UNACCEPTABLE to Dems.
That rules out Cain, because he might peel off some black voters. Even if one of the other candidates were viable (and they aren't), Newt is the one the Dems can be assured will be a MAXIMUM TURN-OFF to their base.
Newt knows this, too. I believe that's why he endeavored to rehabilitate himself with Dems by trying to build his Dem street-cred starting in 2008, with the Pelosi global warming thing and the "Education Tour" with Al Sharpton and Arne Duncan, for example.
” WEAK AS HELL ARE THE PEOPLE IN IOWA. “ <<<<
Possibly they read all of the candidate destruction posts of FR and get confused? Suma wrestling here 24/7.
CAIN is gearing up to win IOWA. Other polls show him in the lead.
Americans are not going to like the million dollar + consultant fees Gingrich receives. He is an insider.
I’m sure glad I never make typos. Some smart person might think I was dumb.
Time will tell... LOL
RomneyCare and Obama are given passes by the jourOlists.
If he’s anything it’s consistant!!
Someone who posts the above should not post the below:
I agree NEXT has a lot of people working for him so dumb they probably don’t read what they post!!
Find the person who is NOT a RINO trophy wife.
Video-conference with the towel lady, the man who brings the drinks to the chaise lounges and the Greek on the next barstool?
Newt is a funny guy.
AGAIN: “”Last time I checked it was not against the law to go on an expensive vacation.””” NOt even for Mochelle.
Well Naps, it might surprise you, but yes, I do agree with you on this.
Frankly, the entire country is so inclined.
Folks change their minds more often than I change socks... that is why MSM continues to have such an impact on our lives. Fortunately, MSM is losing it’s teeth, one by one.
It's going on a Mediterranean cruise and then telling people in West Des Moines, Iowa that you spent your time consulting with the Greek people on the European economic situation and that these chats with the locals in the tourism industry had a profound influence on your understanding of the global economy.
Just dayum.
Hardly the same(1) I didn’t call anyone a name in that post(2) That is not the subject of the sentence(3) The X is no where near the W
She probably told him “If you run and win our life is effectivley committed to the government for the next 5 to 8 years - so I want my dream vacation NOW”
I dont blame her
I agree.
That said, people better get up to speed on what a Newt run for the nomination will entail.
Ignoring it as “bashing” is not going to make it go away.
And it pays to remember you don’t have to break the kneecaps of your second string quarterback to try to insure that “your guy” gets to start.
Who would you trust to get real information about the government or country, a freeper or Obama?
Newt was not on his vacation in an official capacity for the government of the US so there was no reason for him to meet with any member of the Greek government. There was every reason and opportunity to talk to the people of Greece while he was there.
The Iowa caucauses really aren’t all that influential. They just have cache.
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