Newt Gingrich on this Sunday's "Face the Nation"

(CBS News) 

The frontrunner comes to "Face the Nation."

This Sunday's guest is Republican Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House.

Based on a string of strong debate performances, Gingrich has seen a rise to the top of the polls that has caught most of the political establishment off guard. Now, with only a few weeks until the first in the nation Iowa caucuses, Gingrich is looking to solidify his support among Republican primary voters.

"My campaign will focus on positive ideas and positive solutions. I'm frankly taking the gamble that the American people care about actually solving Americas' problems, not just watching politicians beating each other up," he said this week in Iowa.

As Gingrich has soared to the top of the polls, leading many statewide polls in Iowa, South Carolina, and Florida - his opponents have been on the offensive - saying that Gingrich's time in Washington makes him unfit to bring serious change, questioning his conservative credentials, and saying he's unreliable.

Gingrich, who has kept his promise not to attack his opponents, has responded.

"I have a 90 percent American Conservative Union voting record for 20 years. I balanced the budget for four straight years, paid off $405 billion in debt. Pretty conservative. The first wealth entitlement reform of your lifetime, in fact, the only major entitlement reform until now was welfare. Two out of three people went back to work or went to school. Pretty conservative. First tax cut in 16 years, largest capital gains tax cut in American history, unemployment came down to 4.2 percent. Pretty conservative," he said at last night's Fox News debate in Iowa.

"I think on the conservative thing, it's sort of laughable to suggest that somebody who campaigned with Ronald Reagan and with Jack Kemp and has had a 30-year record of conservatism is somehow not a conservative?" he said.

But Gingrich also has acknowledged that all of the negative ads, from both candidates and their supported, though unaffiliated political action committees, has made his run in Iowa more challenging.

"You have everybody firing away simultaneously in a relatively small market. And so it's going to require two weeks of my going around, telling the truth, letting people look at the negative ad, look at the truth and decide do they really want to give their vote to someone who is not telling the truth?" he said earlier this week.

The former speaker of the House has promised a campaign of bold ideas to turn the country around. While he's been hesitant to attack his opponents, he has not spared President Obama from harsh criticism.

In Thursday's Fox News debate, he was asked about the White House's threatened veto of a Republican bill to extend the pay-roll tax cut that also approved an oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The pipeline's proponents say the project will create thousands of jobs, but environmentalists say it could harm drinking water supplies in the Midwest; the White House has delayed a decision on the pipeline pending further environmental studies.

"The Canadian prime minister has already said to the American president, if you don't want to build this pipeline to bring -- create 20,000 American jobs and bring oil through the United States to the largest refinery complex in the world, Houston, I want to put it straight west in Canada to Vancouver and ship the oil direct to China, so you'll lose the jobs, you'll lose the throughput, you'll lose 30 or 40 years of work in Houston. And the president of the United States cannot figure out that it is -- I'm using mild words here -- utterly irrational to say, I'm now going to veto a middle-class tax cut to protect left-wing environmental extremists in San Francisco, so that we're going to kill American jobs, weaken American energy, make us more vulnerable to the Iranians, and do so in a way that makes no sense to any normal, rational American," he said.

Asked how the Republicans should proceed on the issue, Gingrich continued his attack. "I'd say to the president, you want to look like you are totally out of touch with the American people? Be my guest, but I'm not backing down when we're right and you are totally wrong," he said.

Can Gingrich's big ideas turn the country around? Can he win the battle of ideas and win the Republican nomination? Are Republican voters willing to look past his years in Washington and back him as the best candidate to bring change? Can Gingrich survive the barrage of criticism that's he's come under since rocketing to the top of the polls? Those will be among the issues discussed as the Republican frontrunner, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich sits down with Bob Schieffer to Face the Nation.

Full CBS News coverage: Newt Gingrich

31 Photos

Newt Gingrich on the campaign trail

View the Full Gallery »

[MapoftheWorld]

Newt Gingrich's idealized story about the immigrant family who has been here for 25 years is for 1st graders. He also said, "Go to a better deportation program to move people out who shouldn't be here." Why didn't Bob Schieffer ask Newt who all those other people are?
Reproducing here while illegal doesn't really sanctify the couple. Pretending that it does is sending the U.S. into a dark ages. There are a lot of feminists around still and the sexual and reproductive domination of illegal immigrants is unacceptable. Vaginal entry citizenship for the offspring of illegal immigrants is a loser choice for the U.S. in the 21st century.

[cowabunga4131]

Why let Newt Gingrich ramble on about combating the elite, combating judges; keeping God in our government and allowing Mexicans who go to church and have been here 20 years stay. The issue that Americans want to hear about is JOBS. I did not hear one peep about how Newt is going to provide jobs. This whole debate process and media coverage of it has been a circus.

[blewisTN01]

I don't know about the circus part - but with everything else you say I totally agree!

[iloveeurope]

Well....I would say that he was answering the questions that Mr. Schieffer asked him. The show is only a half-hour so there's only so many questions/answers you can fit into a half-hour. If you want to see Newt's position on the job crisis, I would suggest you go to his website, newt.org , where you can get some pretty good solutions.

[structuraldad]

It's Gingrich Time! It's interesting that with notoriety that Tim Tebow's "spirituality" is getting, and Gingrich's commitment to keeping God a part of our Government. I'm not questioning Mr. Gingrich's faith, just his arrogance that it was the intention of our forefather's to make it the basis of our government. The basis of virtually all faiths is essentially the same. I find it interesting that with all of his historic references, he never mentioned Thomas Jefferson's successful efforts to minimize any specific religion's inclusion in our government. There are many religions that worship "God," but, I think he is wrong to assume it is the God of his understanding, based on the concepts that he has been told by other people's limited abilities to see other concepts.

Doesn't Mr. Gingrich understand "God" could have revealed himself/herself to each us in a way appropriate to help us deal with our individual lives the way we were intended? What makes the Western Judeo-Christian interpretation of "God" better or more correct than another?

Finally, on God, I think it is very dangerous to say ANY religious group should have preference in our government's policies. I agree that landmarks that have played a role in our country's history should not be destroyed or removed because they are do not depict religious neutrality. I also believe that we should not legislate prayer before public events, our National Anthem has worked for many years. The Pledge of Allegiance, in its original form should be acceptable. The addition of "under God" in 1954 was just one of many changes since the 1890's, but, the first of religious or spiritual nature. Why? Reportedly, because some Chaplain wanted it included.

This is the kind of pervasive and dangerous beginnings of religious governments. It is exactly the kind of trend I believe Thomas Jefferson was afraid of. If we haven't seen how this has caused problems throughout history, with medieval European governments and leaders, the Middle East, and others, then our country and our people are doomed. Hopefully, we are educated enough to think independently.

[blewisTN01]

Unfortunately, education seems to be 'out the window' both with Newt and the vast majority of the extreme right - it has been traded in for greed, and the motivation of the wealthy, power hungry, and religious extremists.

[zbcbs]

Bob, your idea for a new "one year" congress is about as idiotic as voting for a Republian/Tparty candidate to fix the problems they created. I'll assume, or at least hope, you meant it for humor but given the lunacy of the Republican/Tparty candidates (and by extension the people who vote for them)I can't be sure.

[boogiepeters]

I usually look forward to watching Face the Nation. Today is the exception. I watched the first few minutes and could not handle it any longer. Newt Gingrich is an idiot. He is so full of himself that it pains me to look at him. Fact the Nation would have been smarter to give him maybe 15 minutes but no more. Big mistake today folks.

[zbcbs]

Newt is wrong on the law, the constitution, and the facts, and a hypocrite in the process. He invokes the Federalist Papers (wrongly) to declare his views of the court but ignores the Papers on their views about religion. Guess what, we are a secular nation. In addition to the 1st Amendment seperation of religion from government, the constitution specifically says religion shall not be an issue with regard to the presidency:

Article 6

"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."


In the end however, Newt, and the entire Republican/Tparty have become the party of lunacy.

[blewisTN01]

After watching the show this morning, I guess my statement would be, "How out-of touch can any one millionaire be?" Mr.Gingrich, wants to act as if courts are an issue to the vast American people - not so.

Really, ninety-plus percent of the American people are more worried about our economy, their jobs and just getting by, than the philosophical arguments of Federal Courts and Politicians. - Stop trying to 'think-up' new issues Newt!

In addition, he claims to be a Historian and uses Jefferson in his examples; Grand gesture, but he needs to study his History more. Jefferson was very much and Atheist - his goals were NOT to create a 'Christian' society - rather, he and the majority of our founders, were fighting for a society that was free of any one religious control in Government; a society that would be inclusive, excepting, and allow freedom of choice in that issue.

The Catholic, and Church of England, had magnificent power and wealth garnered from a strong relationship with European Governments and ruling class. Newt - you and the Republican Right - need to stop trying to take us back to pre-revolutionary religious-political symbiosis. It is exactly that type of society that our founders were attempting to get away from - It's referred to as, "Separation of Church and Government" - and includes your conservative, non-Catholic, judgmental, hypocritical belief system.

[Rationally_Speaking]

It is appalling that Shieffer did nothing, absolutely nothing, to challenge this moron about separation of church-state issues.

We are not a Christian nation...you are free to worship your imaginary friend, but you do NOT get to impose your delusions on the public arena where there will be others who practice another religion or none at all.

In the words of the late, great Christopher Hitchens "What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof."

Grow the hell up and live in the 21st century, please. That goes for Newt, too.

[MacDerb]

Why does mass media think there are only 5 people that live in the United States and they must interview all 5 every day as if anyone else cares what these 5 people think about anything?

Bob, start looking at other people in Washington and asking them what they think about life. Seriously dude, your vision is extremely limited and scope of journalism so restricted.

I see a nation brimming with 312,796,698 on this Sunday morning - but you repeat asking the same 5 people the same 5 questions every Sunday.

[terrorbyGOP]

Face the Nation, once a serious program devoted to serious issues, is turning into Dancing with the Anti American GOP economic terrorist Skanks.

Shame on you, Bob.

[MarineVet46]

True that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[blewisTN01]

I understand your frustration, but honestly it is very important to know what "these terrorists" are thinking. Realize that if they get their way (the religious/right aligned, and Tea-Party) we may have no public schools, social security, minimum wage, child labor laws, working class protections, or religious freedom left.
Just my thoughts.