Posted on 11/25/2011 5:57:36 PM PST by TitansAFC
Is Newt Gingrich the latest flavor of the month among the candidates pursuing the Republican nomination for president? Or is he a real candidate who can beat the supposed frontrunner Mitt Romney?
If the reaction from his appearance Friday in Naples is even the slightest indication, then the former Speaker of the House will indeed challenge Romney for a spot on the ticket to face President Barack Obama next November.
At least 800 people crammed into the Hilton Hotel for a townhall meeting. The ballroom was jammed to the gills and loud speakers were added in the the hallways to accommodate those who weren’t allowed into the room.
He was a commanding presence at the lectern. He spoke for 39 minutes without notes and not once in his talk did he even utter one “uh.”
Gingrich speech was aimed at Obama and not his GOP opponents. He used his background as a history teacher to pepper his speech with historical milestones and repeatedly referred to the presidential race of 1860 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.
It was then that the two candidates held seven three-hour debates with no moderator, just a time keeper. As he has done in other speeches, Gingrich said that if he is nominated, he will challenge Obama to a series of Lincoln-Douglas-type debates.
He said he has a plan that would force the president into debating.
“You see,” Gingrich said, “when Lincoln challenged Douglas and he at first declined, Lincoln began following Douglas where he was speaking and the next day would answer Douglas. It didn’t take Douglas too long to agree to debate.
“So when I am nominated, I will let the White House be my schedule maker. Where ever Obama goes is where my schedule goes. I won’t show up the next day though, I will be there four hours after he speaks.”
In a speech interrupted by applause more than a dozen times, that brought the loudest and most sustained ovation.
In a debate last Tuesday, Gingrich spoke out about his immigration position, and he said, was misinterpreted by his GOP opponents. He said the tenents of his immigration plan are “Control the border, English is the official language of the United States, and it’s baloney, if anyone suggests that I favor amnesty for 11 million illegal immigrants.”
He said the government should make it easier for visitors to get visas. “It should be easier to disspell someone who is not desirable.”
Gingrich said his immigration stance hasn’t changed recently. “Check the transcripts of some debates. I said the same thing at the Reagan Library debate.”
Asked why the brouhaha now on immigration, he said it’s because he’s now running well in polls and his opponents are worried.
In essence, Gingrich appears to be setting himself up as the anti-Romney candidate, someone the tea party can turn to.
Barry Willoughby, founder of the Naples tea party movement, admitted that he has been skeptical about Gingrich, but is being won over to a degree.
“I’ve been following him lately and have been very impressed. I wasn’t that enthusiastic at first.
“The question remains ... is he electable. Does he have too much baggage.”
That also concerns Hal Molhoek of Naples.
“He has a firm grasp of the fact. He makes a lot of common sense. He knows the pulse of the country.
“I’m still not sure. I am a little concerned with his baggage.”
What would a townhall meeting be without an appeal for votes?
“Florida could be the decisive primary. If I win Florida I will be the nominee. I hope to do very well in Iowa and respectably in New Hampshire. We are the favorites in South Carolina. Right now I think Iowa is a jump ball,” he said.
“And, if you know anyone in Iowa, tell them to vote for me.”
Fundamentally, you don’t understand, I’ve have experience working in the Reagan administration, I was the Speaker of the House, I, I, I, I, I, want to know you are inhumane for not wanting to house 12 million illegals in your state, send them to school, pay for their food, clothing and shelter and pay for it too!
As my dear late mother would have said, What an arrogant SOB.
That’s rather funny, because there were a few Freepers there, and it was videotaped. Nobody saw anything of the kind, but you’re just sure the majority of people were there to protest, so it must be true.
The Miami Herald reported nothing that you said, either. Neither did WINK News, News Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CNN, Newsmax, or the Freepers in attendance whom I have spoken to.
All of those sources reported the same thing: The crowd was there to support Newt, and enthusiastically so.
If you’re going to live out some fantasy that the venue had to be changed to hold gobs of angry Newt protesters, you should provide some support for your claims.
And really, an online poll? Really?
Newt definitely has the “big mo” going for him now now.
I suspect any online poll that doesn't show Ron Paul winning with 92%
LOL Too true!
Hi—
Put me on the list (for now...). I want someone like Newt—but just not sure. Maybe the more I read the more I will be convinced.
Thanks
Dude ????????
No matter how glib Newt is he will never beat Obama. Newt will never bring in swing voters and Independents.
He is a loser.
You don't know much about Naples FL, do you?
Naples, especially those who would be showing up at the Hilton, is mostly older white folks at their retirement or vacation condos. Immokalee, on the other hand, might have a sizable number of illegals.
More than you, brain-child...
http://www.203kforum.com/entry.php/54-The-%28Hosing-Bubble%29-Biggest-Looser-Naples-FL
It's BRILLIANT.
Can't yo u just see the game - the nation would be watching, really paying attention. The press would be drawn in, like it or not, like they tagged along behind Sarah's bus tour, and obama is already sweating bullets. He's damned if he doesn't debate and done if he does - head to head with New who can speak for hours without even ONE teleprompter or "ah" or "Ummm" and who knows our history and Constitution verbatim...
It would be an election season to enjoy - watching that little Caesar get whittled down to a grease spot on the stage.
You have mail! Welcome.
One wonders if the posters that keep saying these half truths do so deliberately or because they don't’ do due diligence research?
He was head and shoulders smarter than most of the pols in DC - ever hear of jealously? And as to all the ethics charges, put this in your pipes and...
"The demRats charged him with 84 ethics charges, true. He was a thorn in their sides, a very real threat to their existence. But how many people have bothered to research what the results of all those charges were? How many of those charges stuck?
ZERO....per:
Democrats filed 84 politically motivated ethics charges against Gingrich. All of them were found to be without merit. The last three were dismissed on Oct. 10, 1998. The fact is, not a single ethics charge filed against Speaker Gingrich was ever found to be based in fact — not one. Gingrich was cleared of any and all wrongdoing.
The fallout in the case resulted in an IRS investigation and a federal court case. Ultimately, Speaker Gingrich was cleared of any wrongdoing by the bipartisan House Ethics Committee, the IRS and a federal judge.” [1]
http://www.conservapedia.com/Newt_Gingrich
Hopefully, honest FREEPERS will cache this link and use it when others make mention of ‘Newt's ethics charges.”
“Fatboy Newt has about as much a chance of getting the nomination as I do of bedding Scarlett Johanssen.”
Scarlett will be sweating bullets after Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina....
We have got to make sure that this guy is our nominee. Herman Cain is my second choice.
If you haven’t seen these - I think you will find them informative - for a starter.
This was in 2009, BTW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi9Kkpk-1So&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ceqhimfT_o&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIq08hWtris&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYu0sXrAD9Q&feature=bf_prev&list=PLC7D974B6FCC388CF&lf=results_main
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtjfMjjce2Y&feature=related
and there’s always his current web site -
these just scratch the surface.
Heck Sarah Palin filled stadiums.
______________________________________________________________
Earth to napscoordinator....Earth to napscoordinator.... HELLO!!! Sarah isn’t running. That’s a moot point. Do I wish she would have run? Hell yes; I love her. But, she’s not running. Can we move on Bro.?
If you haven’t seen these - I think you will find them informative - for a starter.
This was in 2009, BTW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi9Kkpk-1So&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ceqhimfT_o&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIq08hWtris&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYu0sXrAD9Q&feature=bf_prev&list=PLC7D974B6FCC388CF&lf=results_main
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtjfMjjce2Y&feature=related
and there’s always his current web site -
these just scratch the surface.
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