Newt Gingrich on Muslim infiltrators, Tony Blair – and some guy named Mitt
My esteemed AJC colleague Daniel Malloy ventured out of D.C. today to witness the following:
ARLINGTON, Va. – Newt Gingrich played surrogate Monday afternoon for Michele Bachmann, Tony Blair, his own accomplishments from the 1990s, and – oh, yes — Mitt Romney.
Though it might have been hard to tell, Romney’s campaign organized the news conference at Belmont TV, an electronics retailer a few miles from Gingrich’s home, as one of 18 events by major Republican names across the nation intended to drive President Barack Obama’s “You didn’t build that” remark into the skull of every swing voter.
After owner Ken Sickmen, who took over the business from his father, lamented that the shaky economy means fewer people want to buy big-screen televisions, Gingrich took the podium for the kind of delightful, self-referential skewering of the president that was the basis of his primary stump speech. The former Georgia congressman also picked up on the news of the day, that his former White House foil Bill Clinton will keynote the Democratic National Convention.
“I think that will be a terrific opportunity for those of us who served with President Clinton to point out Barack Obama’s no Bill Clinton,” Gingrich said. “You look at the Clinton economy, you look at the balanced budgets that I helped write and Clinton signed. You look at welfare reform which Obama recently tore apart and reversed.
You look at all the things that were done to make the economy better for the American people, there’s a huge gap between Bill Clinton’s efforts to take the Democratic Party to the center and Barack Obama’s effort to take it to the left.”
Gingrich even had an Olympic-themed riff on Obama’s gaffe: “I can imagine an Obama speech saying ‘You didn’t win that gold medal, everybody won the gold medal.’ Well, that ain’t how it works.”
(As pointed out by Jon Stewart, Romney actually did say something similar at the 2002 Salt Lake City games: “You Olympians, however, know that you didn’t get here solely on your own power. For most of you, loving parents, sisters or bothers encouraged your hopes, coaches guided, communities built venues and held competitions. All Olympians stand on the shoulders of those who lifted them.”)
But the reporters in attendance mostly wanted to hear about Gingrich’s op-ed backing Minnesota congresswoman Bachmann – and Coweta County Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, among others – in their pursuit of an investigation into whether Muslim Brotherhood elements have infiltrated the U.S. government.
Despite objections from Republicans John Boehner and John McCain – the latter said singling out State Department aide Huma Abedin had “no logic, no basis and no merit” – Gingrich said the threat is real and praised the group he dubbed “The National Security Five.” As he often does on the stump, Gingrich said the “elites” are ignoring extremist threats in the name of political correctness. Former British Prime Minister Blair agrees, Gingrich added.
Asked directly about Abedin, he replied: “I think all they asked for was an investigation, and I can’t imagine given our track record over the last 70 years that we want to start with the principle that anybody is automatically exempt. Therefore I think it’s not illegitimate to raise the question.”
Gingrich didn’t mention Romney until asked about his former primary foe. After pursuing Romney’s tax returns in the primary, did he want more disclosure now?
“Well I tried to raise the issue, I frankly think the results of the primary also indicated the American voters are pretty comfortable that this is a guy who’s had good accountants, good lawyers, he’s obeyed the law, and that he will have released two solid years of information.”
And what about a big speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa? Gingrich said he will be there but he doesn’t know what his role will be. His follow-up reply, though, gave a hint that you won’t be seeing him addressing the delegate throng.
“I personally am very comfortable not giving a speech, because I think, frankly, there is a whole new generation of candidates out there and people who represent the future,” he said.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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129 comments Add your comment
td
July 31st, 2012
9:11 am
Truth-O-Meter
July 31st, 2012
2:35 am
McCain has released required reports not tax returns. They have ranges of income, investments and assets (Same thing Obama did when he was Senator). I gave a link earlier about Presidents and their tax returns.
Bush’s transcripts was released and Romney has released his so where is Obama’s. Is it not true that you have to release your transcripts when applying for any Federal job and most corporations want them before they hire a person. Transcripts are no more hypocritical then asking for tax returns.
How can you give credit to Obama for gas prices going down when they were $1:89 per gallon then day he took office?
td
July 31st, 2012
9:18 am
zeke
July 31st, 2012
7:25 am
“td, so paris hilton does not need to pay income taxes on her inheritance yearly earnings…”
Hilton parents are still alive so she has not received an inheritance.
Romney has paid more in taxes last year then you will probably ever make in your lifetime. Why should anyone pay heavy taxes on income when it is earned and be penalized and have to pay heavy taxes on the same money because they were responsible, saved some money and invested it? Why are we not taxing people heavy when they take their after tax money and blow it on useless purchases?
sheepdawg
July 31st, 2012
9:41 am
noot needs to shut up and move to his moon base, earth will be a better place
zeke
July 31st, 2012
9:43 am
td, i have paid more than you, granted i am likely older. the guys at the top set the rules and set the pay and their boardroom buddies help them out. and even bush realized your fantasy of the fair tax as a crock….there ain’t to way to get there from here. what i will agree with you is every citizen should be something in income taxes but that would be difficult given the stagnation of middle american wages and the minimum wage. AMT should be imposed on uberrich.
Michael #1
July 31st, 2012
9:56 am
TD, gas prices do this all the time, so now you chose to blame Obama. How convenient or silly.
Mr_B
July 31st, 2012
10:02 am
“Romney has paid more in taxes last year then you will probably ever make in your lifetime.’
You suppose that might be because he collected more money last year that most families would see in several lifetimes?
And no, I don’t consider playing games with paper “earning” money
Auntie Christ
July 31st, 2012
10:03 am
The resident republican shill aka s td @ 911 am : “How can you give credit to Obama for gas prices going down when they were $1:89 per gallon then day he took office?”
2001 – $1.61
2002 – $1.47
2003 – $1.69
2004 – $1.94
2005 – $2.30
2006 – $2.51
2007 – $2.64
2008 – $3.01
2009 – $2.14
As you can see, 2008 was the high-water mark for gasoline in the United States on a historical basis. Source: Energy Information Administration
There lies, damn lies and then there’s s td. Doesn’t know a fact from a fart.
Auntie Christ
July 31st, 2012
10:12 am
Regarding the gas prices posted at 1003 am Do not include fed and state taxes, just the gasoline itself.
Jerome Horwitz
July 31st, 2012
10:16 am
Gas prices were $1.89 when the President took office and the economy was in the tank. There’s the correlation.
hiram
July 31st, 2012
10:18 am
What’s most humorous is that the good Southern Baptist Republicans are giving Mitt’s Mormonism a free pass, whilst focusing their wrath on Muslims, that have nothing to do with Obama. They should do a little reading on the Mountain Meadows massacre.
Mr_B
July 31st, 2012
10:19 am
“The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative,”
President Obama: from the “You didn’t build that” speech in Roanoke, VA.
Or did you miss that part, Donna?
td
July 31st, 2012
10:28 am
Auntie Christ
July 31st, 2012
10:03 am
“There lies, damn lies and then there’s s td. Doesn’t know a fact from a fart.”
If you will take a look at the linked chart then you will find out that my FACTS are 100% accurate, Now are you going to come and apologize for calling a person a liar when it is obvious you do not know what the h3ll you are talking about? Typical Obama supporter.
http://gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx
Mr_B
July 31st, 2012
10:28 am
“I could not attend an Ivy league school after HS because I did not have a 4.0 GPA and want to know how Obama was able to attend?”
GRADE ENVY!!!!! Don’t be hatin’ on the smart kid!
td
July 31st, 2012
10:38 am
Mr_B
July 31st, 2012
10:28 am
No grade envy. I was not responsible enough to do the necessary work required to get into the Ivy league and as a result had to attend another college. I take responsibility for my actions.
I want to see if our President took the same responsibility or if he was given preferential treatment and did not earn his spot in the Ivy league.
The perception is that he is hiding something and one could easily assume it is because he did not earn his way into these schools.
Bernie
July 31st, 2012
10:44 am
Mr_B @ 10:28 am – surely there were other issues that you are not including in your statement that prevented you from attending. like maybe you did not apply? maybe your SAT and or ACT scores were not at an acceptable level. Maybe you or your parents could not afford it too? or just maybe your GPA was not at an acceptable level at ALL? Maybe you could not get financial aid assistance? or maybe you were just to lazy to do anything about it!
You know, GED’s are not a typical worthy criteria for admission in any of those schools.
President Obama’s Mother insisted on long hours of study and insured that he complied. Did you have the same instruction and direction?
it is obvious that you still have not learned a very important lesson even this day. Envy is a not a good and healthy virtue to subscribe too, and the correct spelling of the word “hatin” is HATING. That alone is enough to deny you from any institution of higher education if you really want to know.
hiram
July 31st, 2012
11:00 am
With td’s public declaration that he made the highest grade in Newt’s “Destroying American Civilization” class, and that his diploma says Kennesaw Junior College, I don’t know who is injured the most – td, Newt, or Kennesaw Junior College.
td
July 31st, 2012
11:16 am
You libs so love to go on personal attacks when you can not argue the facts and you know your philosophy is a complete failure. Keep it up libs the world sees how pathetic you really are.
honested
July 31st, 2012
11:25 am
hiram,
Did newt offer grades for classwork, or PAC contributions?
Auntie Christ
July 31st, 2012
11:29 am
td @ 1028: Now are you going to come and apologize for calling a person a liar when it is obvious you do not know what the h3ll you are talking about? Typical Obama supporter.
The link you provided doesn’t even allow you to view prices in 2008 to present.Go here to the official government site for historical gas prices:
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=EMD_EPD2D_PTE_NUS_DPG&f=W
How you can come on here daily with your untruths, half truths, and idiotic assertions and then crow about your ‘christianity’ is unbelievable. But then, you’re the very embodiment of a modern day republican.
td
July 31st, 2012
11:53 am
Auntie Christ
July 31st, 2012
11:29 am
The link you provided is for DIESEL and they even prove the prices are more then a dollar a gallon higher now then they were in Jan 2009.
I do not come on here daily with untruths it is you libs that do not want to admit you live by a failed philosophy.
gm
July 31st, 2012
11:57 am
Some one need to ask 3 time adultry Newt, why are we worried about muslims when we have inside terrorist white males in America, could you imagine had the Colorado shooter had been muslim?
The right wings nut jobs know if Mitt shows the millions he has made on his tax returns , he will look stupid in front of middle class, poor whites telling them he feels their pain. I mean who is more of a idiot then Dick Cheney who has the the nerve to bash Obama when his administration destroyed this country.
I mean who listens to Newt?, 30 page ethic violations, 3 adultry affairs, yet he praise another adultry Bill Clinton this shows the character of white males in America, thanks President Obama for continue to show family values and morales, we need to send these sickos, Bachman and Newt out of this country.
honested
July 31st, 2012
12:00 pm
tiny dog,
As a minor correction, the link may have gone to Diesel prices, but the Site is for all petroleum commodities.
It does display a huge drop between the election and inauguration (manipulation?) after a huge, prolonged increase that was never backed by reality (more manipulation?).
You stick to the fantasy, it seems to suit you better.
td
July 31st, 2012
12:15 pm
honested
July 31st, 2012
12:00 pm
True or untrue: Regular unleaded gas national average price was $1:89 per gallon on the day Obama took office?
Simple question.
Auntie Christ
July 31st, 2012
12:55 pm
As much as I hate crow, I will eat it here. I looked at the wrong link, as has been noted. Now td you can admit the reason why gas prices hit bottom at that time, i.e. 800K people a month losing their job and an economy going over a cliff, driving down the demand for gasoline. The AVERAGE price of gasoline during 2008 was well over $3 as I posted in my comment at 1003 AM. It is disingenuous of td to post a spot price to make the argument that prices have soared under Obama.
Mr_B
July 31st, 2012
1:13 pm
Bernie: Please re-read my post; which was directed to td.
Many years ago, I did not apply to any Ivy League school for the simple fact that none of them offered particularly good programs in the field of study in which I was interested.Had I chosen to apply, I am reasonably sure that a 3.8 GPA and a National Merit finalist score on the SAT would have gotten me in, even though back then many of the IV entry slots were reserved for “legacy” freshmen. I subsequently graduated for UGA after nine successive quarters on the Dean’s list, and have subsequently earned a MA from GCSU.
You will note the apostrophe following the word the word “hatin’”, indicating an intentionally omitted letter.
I teach English for a living.
You, sir would benefit from a course in “close reading.”
honested
July 31st, 2012
1:20 pm
td,
I don’t remember what the price of gas was when the President was inaugurated.
Personally, I think the price should be ‘tax balanced’ to stay closer to $5.00 per gallon, adjusted upward for inflation to help prevent further suburban sprawl.
Due to the ability of petroleum extraction and marketing companies to manipulate oil and refined products prices, I would never allow the ‘price of a gallon of gas’ to be a factor in electing a President.
TiredOfIt
July 31st, 2012
2:42 pm
td: You didn’t mention the wonderful shape that the republican’s left the economy in at that time. I wonder why?
Jon Lester
July 31st, 2012
2:54 pm
Membership in the House Intelligence Committee seems to be anything but “select.” Shouldn’t it be obvious that the Muslim Brotherhood would never trust the wife of Anthony Weiner?
zeke
July 31st, 2012
6:59 pm
tired of it …..because td is a far right nut case