Gingrich calls on Romney to stop negative ads

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is applauded by his wife Callista as he address people gathered at a local restaurant in New Orleans, Gingrich is standing in front of a mural of downtown New Orleans. Friday, March 16, 2012. / AP Photo/Bill Haber

COVINGTON, La. - Newt Gingrich demanded Friday that Mitt Romney stop the barrage of TV attack ads that badly damage him and Rick Santorum each time they seemed poised to make big strides in the GOP presidential race.

Admitting to Louisiana voters that he can't match Romney and a pro-Romney super PAC in fundraising, Gingrich repeated a plea that thus far the front-running Romney has ignored.

"I challenge Gov. Romney and his super PAC to pledge to take every negative ad about every Republican off the air, because it dishonors them, it weakens the Republican Party, and it helps Barack Obama," Gingrich told a cheering outdoor crowd of more than 200 in Covington.

Romney has said he doesn't control the super PAC, Restore Our Future, which has aired most of the hard-hitting ads.

Poll: Romney, Santorum would split Gingrich vote
Campaign film promotes Obama's "tough decisions"

Gingrich is struggling to stay in the race, and friends say his anger over the attack ads that hammered him in Iowa and Florida is a key reason he refuses to step aside. Gingrich said he hopes to do well in Louisiana's March 24 primary in part because he attended graduate school at Tulane, in New Orleans.

The former House speaker asked supporters for donations as small as $2.50, which he said can lead to bigger amounts. He says gasoline will cost $2.50 a gallon if he becomes president. Gingrich said he is gaining 500 to 1,000 new donors a day, but most give small sums.

In Gingrich's two Louisiana speeches Friday — sandwiched around a quiet visit to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans — he aimed most of his fire at Obama. He said the president refuses to tap domestic sources of oil and gas that could drive down energy prices.

Emboldened by chants of "Newt, Newt," Gingrich heaped more scorn on Obama than usual. "He got the Nobel Peace Prize for getting through his inaugural address," Gingrich said. He said Obama wants "to be president of the planet."

In Covington, where he campaigned before a big statue of President Ronald Reagan, Gingrich showed no sign of dropping from the GOP race.

"We need your help for the next week," he said. "And then we need your help all the way through November. And then when we win the presidency, we need your help every day to go and remind the Congress what we together are going to get done."

[star93022]

The only reason that people don't like Newt is that he is to smart for them, and they are the same ones that voted for Obama, am I right?

[star93022]

The only way Romney feels he can win is to continue to do more slick dishonest ads just like he did with using other businesses to take advantage of them to make himself rich! And if he as to be negative againset someone else he will do whatever he has to do to win, even if it takes other down, or they loose there job. But, as long as he comes out on top, at others expense. He has no more morles than anyone else in my opinion..............

[writer321]

Newt Gingrich is a liar who disrespects women, starting at home. We are native Atlantans- where Newt hails from - and know the real Newt. His scandals have been in the news for decades... Newt committed adultery on cancer-stricken wife #1, divorced her for wife #2. Newt then committed adultery on MS-stricken wife @2 and divorced her for his current wife #3, Calista... Not too longer ago, she was known as his 'mistress". He cannot be trusted at home nor to run this country. Romney respects women, starting at home with his wife of 42 yrs. He has the experience, education and integrity to get our great country back on track. Newt is nothing more than a pompous windbag with a PhD in history which is why he loves to spout out historical facts at the debates to make himself look important. NO women, and no men who respect women, should vote for Newt All of this in addition to his dealings with Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac to the tune of a $1.6 Million pay-out and he is close to Pelosi. Newt, recently, "asked God for forgiveness" just before announcing his candidacy - how convenient... Mitt Romney understand economics. The root word, "economy" is from the Latin and means "family". Gingirch doesn't understand the basics of economy on a familial scale much less a national scale! Newt has absolutely insane ideas on what to do with our tax dollars! Gov. Romney has the necessary experience in both the private and public sectors as a businessman and a Governor, has job creation experience, education AND HAS INTEGRITY!! Romney 2012! http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/03/newt_gingrich_cheated_on_his_w.html
Newt couldn't get 10,000 votes in his "adopted" state of VA for good reason - the VA folks have most likely learned who the Real Newt is - We Georgians who unfortunately had to live in the same state as him for decades and known for a long time that he's nothing but a lying, cheating, windbag full of hot air! He treated his series of wives in a disgusting manner - served wife number one, who was in the hospital suffering from cancer at the time, with divorce papers to be with wife number two then left wife number two who was MS-stricken to be with his mistress, Calista, who is now his third wife. Yes, that right - not too long ago, Calista was "the other woman". NO self-respecting women nor any men who respect women should vote for Gingrich - he is NOT a conservative and just not a good person!
We can do better, people. Mitt Romney is true to his family, faith and is a man of integrity who can be trusted. He has private and public sector experience and job creation experience. He wants SMALL government and a thriving economy - which he understands how to accomplish by the way. "Economy" is from the Latin, meaning "family" - he has the economics of family in tact, the business experience and can lead our nation back to prosperity. He can also regain this great country's worldwide respect which Obama has almost completely destroyed. Romney will get this country back on track if elected president in 2012. Watch this brief video and consider Mitt Romney! He's the best chance we have to beat Obama!
Let's keep our eyes on the prize, folks. The prize is to beat Barack O'bama and have a Republican in the White House! Rick Santorum is a far right extremist and that will not bee accepted by the masses in the USA! Romney has mass appeal and is more in step with mainstream Republicans and Capitalism. Vote Mitt Romney in 2012 to get this country back on track economically and to restore our world-wide respect! Please take a moment to watch this brief video on presidential frontrunners. Romney is the best candidate to beat Obama! Go Mitt! Romney 2012!
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/your-world-cavuto/2011/11/29/neils-history-lesson-presidential-frontrunners

[star93022]

Yeah, Video Clinton was a womanizer before, during, and after, and he NEVER appolizised or repented! But, he was a great President! And he should have asked for a divorse!

[star93022]

This is on Newt's site; Newt2012.org

Asking Wife For Divorce While She Was In The Hospital Dying of Cancer
Newt's daughter recently wrote a column to set the record straight about this smear.

This story is a vicious lie. It was first reported by a left wing magazine in the 1980s based on hearsay and has survived in left-wing chat rooms on the Internet until today. It is completely false.

Recently, Newt's daughter, Jackie Gingrich Cushman, wrote a column to set the record straight about this smear. The column reveals that 1) It was her mother that requested the divorce, not Newt, and it was months before the hospital visit in question; 2) Her mother was in the hospital to remove a tumor, but it was benign, and she is still alive today; 3) Newt visited the hospital for the purpose of taking his two children to see their mother, not to discuss a divorce.

[RobAla]

signseeker1717: You say President Obama's record is laudable: Take each one of these actions and try to defend them. Go for it:

Let's look at the list of achievements during the first 3 years of President Obama and fellow progressives:
1) He lied 8 times in promises to televise the health care discussions openly on CSPAN.
2) He made deals giving one premium health care plan to union members (supporters) and another to the rest of the country.
3) He stood by and allowed the House and Senate to buy health care votes using taxpayer money.
4) He allowed the health care bills to be fashioned behind closed doors and be filled with political favors. This disaster of a health care law increases the cost of health care by imposing fees on medical devices (like pacemakers). He and they took over the nations health care by the federal government - most Americans did not want this extreme action - and still do not. This horrible law will cause the majority of Americans to have higher health care cost in rising premiums. We already can not afford the size federal government that we currently have, with a $16 trillion national debt. It imposes $billions of unfunded mandates on struggling states to provide greater Medicaid coverage. 27 states are suing the federal government over this nonsense, as they don't have the money to pay for this. Businesses are not hiring because of the additional cost PER EMPLOYEE that is caused by this law.
5) President Obama has continued at least a 8% unemployment rate for three years.
6) He irresponsibly overspent 100s of billions of dollars the US didn't have on bailouts (President Bush started it and President Obama accelerated it) and bogus stimulus packages. Progressives in Congress have refused to do their jobs to allow a national budget be established since 2009.
7) President Obama has behaved in the most partisan manner of any recent President, after promising bipartisanship. He has arrogantly trashed everyone who has not agreed with his socialist agenda - even the Supreme Court.
8) Instead of securing the border and enforcing federal immigration laws, the President has made war on Arizona Americans as they attempt to protect themselves from an invasion of illegal immigrants.
9) The President's man, AG Holder, dropped his case against the Black Panthers who blatantly intimidated voters at the polls. Holder is suing Texas for requiring photo IDs of voters. Texas is providing FREE photo IDs to registered voters who don't have a photo ID, but Holder doesn't care. Holder may finally be kicked out over "Fast and Furious" - the program that sold guns to Mexican cartels, guns used to kill a US border agent.
10) This President has focused on an extremist agenda of "fundamentally transforming" the US from a democratic republic into a socialist democracy, instead of the millions without jobs. We are all witnessing the collapse of European socialist democracies, yet this does nothing to stop this President from pushing us down that road to disaster.
11) President Obama imposed a moratorium on drilling in the gulf, throwing thousands more out of work. One foreign oil company screwed up, and the President decided to punish other oil companies that have drilled responsibly for decades.
12) President Obama wanted the President Bush tax cuts to expire, which would have resulted in redirecting money away from the economy and pushing it into Washington. The President held on to this until he was forced to change by the pounding the Democrats took in the 2010 election. Still, he promises to increase taxes next year.
13) The President and other progressives in Congress have imposed oppressive additional expenses and regulations on private sector businesses that are crippling the private sector jobs market, while expanding the federal government and public sector jobs. Anyone with any economic sense knows that you need tax revenues from a healthy private sector jobs market to fund public sector expansions, and the money is just not there.
14) With gas prices rising and projected to hit record levels by summer 2012, President Obama stops the Canadian pipeline deal that would reduce the US dependence on middle- eastern oil. His entire energy policy is idiotic, and leaves the US damaged. His impractical policies have included pumping public funds into "green energy" companies that have gone bankrupt, and even GM recently announced it will discontinue the manufacturing of the Volt electric car - they are unable to sell them.
15) In President Obama's 2012 budget, he never addressed serious issues threatening the future of the nation (like the fact that if Medicare and Social Security are not restructured, they both are projected to collapse by 2037). In fact, in the face of a staggering $16 trillion national debt - he proposed that we add another $trillion to it.

Just to name a few. The perfect word for President Obama is "irresponsible".

[H_Ali_Tosis]

I suppose that rising health care costs have deprived some folks of much needed medication....just sayin'

[Bob_Masters]

Demands? Begging, I would say

[Dweebler]

Have you see Newt's new campaign ad? Hilarious! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-wlpSNZzTQ

[2happy2ride]

As I recall it was Newt who started the negativity, in TV ads & the debates. It worked for a while & catapulted him to front runner status, then people actually saw the real Newt and now he wants something else. Gingrich, like Santorum, is either complaining, whining or is wanting everything to change according to their desires.
In my estimation, this is the result of 2 career politicians, who never got how the real business world works.

[star93022]

NO, he only did negative ads after Romney would not stop his! And I guess this Nice guy, has to put out Negatives on others to make himself look good,and out spend them 5-1 isn't really doing that great with all his expertise as a businessman, he has to be RUTLESS! That's not exactly a innocent person either.

[realist2010]

Romney should go birther on the them. After all, you know what they say about payback.

[boatdocster]

Newt wants Romney to stop the "Negative Ads", but never tells Romney to stop the "False Ads".

Big Difference! It appears that Neutered does not like the negative (but factual) ads about Newt! Poor Newt. Time to cry to Helmet Head...

[RobAla]

Before the primaries in Alabama I didn't like the negative ads that Romney aired and sent to households. Pointing out facts and records of an opponent are right, but I hate nasty half truths in ads - and that is what Romney did. Several bills are good for the most, but contain one or two small bad items. Politicians should be held accountable for votes, but politics is made up of a lot of compromise if anything is ever accomplished. Santorum voted on a few good bills that had a couple of bad ideas thrown in by politicians on the other side. This happens - as compromises are worked out.

I had considered voting for Romney until I saw the ads - so I didn't. However - if Romney wins the Republican nomination, I will hold my nose and vote for him. Pick any one of them (Santorum, Romney, and Gingrich), each would be a much better President than President Obama. I have never witnessed such horrible policies in my lifetime as those coming from President Obama - and I have seen 12 Presidents in my lifetime.

Once the Republicans stop beating on each other, the nominee will focus on pointing out the failures of President Obama. There is such a massive laundry list, I am not sure where it will start. Now, President Obama will have a record to attempt to defend - and that record is indefensible (except getting Bin Laden - that is his only good accomplishment).

[signseeker1717]

Santorum is too extreme on social issues, and was rejected for reelection to the Senate by 18%. He was also one of three Senators named as "Most Corrupt Congressmen" in 2005. Gingrich has so much baggage it hardly bears mention here. Romney's views shift with the political winds, so it's hard to know WHAT this leveraged buyout multimillionaire actually brings to the table. I don't see how ANY of these three could be better for the country than President Obama.

I too have seen 12 Presidents in my lifetime, and I think President Obama is one of the BEST. I could name a "massive laundry list" on the other side, but here's a select few: His policies prevented the country from falling off into the abyss of the Great Recession; saved the auto industry; ended the war in Iraq, and is ending the war in Afghanistan; DECIMATED al Qaeda (he didn't just take out bin Laden); restored our international reputation; conducts a balanced and effective foreign policy with maximum results and minimal loss of American lives; supports women's rights; promotes the development of multiple energy sources, while also granting QUADRUPLE the oil rig leases granted under Bush.

President Obama is a man of vision for the FUTURE of our country, rather than trying to restore failed policies of the past.

There are MANY accomplishments to be pointed out, not just one. They too will be in the forefront during the campaign. Keep an open mind and listen; you may find out there is MUCH to admire and be grateful for.

You may find his record is not only defensible, it is laudable.

President Obama, 2012.

[jmn122736]

The most damaging aspect to Republican candidates attacking each other is; if these ads were aired by a democratic opponent they would be ignored or perceived as unbelievable by many voters and by most in the same party as the target of the ads.
However,it is much harder to ignore or disbelieve something being said by members of your own party.