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StumbleGingrich tells Las Vegas crowd he will ‘win the nomination’
Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich spoke today in front of supporters at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country, Fri Feb. 3, 2012.
Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 | 5:53 p.m.
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KSNV coverage of presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich campaigning in Summerlin, Feb. 3, 2012.
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With less than 24 hours to go before caucus time, Newt Gingrich stood in a Las Vegas bar and told voters not just why they should vote for him, but that if they voted for him he could win.
“Come join us,” Gingrich said. “Tell every friend you’ve got: You go to the caucus and speak up for a people’s campaign ... with your help, together, we will win the nomination and we will then win the election.”
Electability has been a recurring question, especially for Gingrich, who has trailed Romney by at least 20 points in the Nevada polls. In his past few campaign appearances, he has looked like he’s feeling the weight of those numbers.
But whether it was the excited fans, the professional lighting, the presence of his wife, Callista, or the mechanical bull — which he didn’t ride — 30 feet away, Gingrich appeared re-energized for the final campaign push — even joking with some supporters that they looked like they’d been in the bar “since last night.”
He was also more focused on Nevada than he had been earlier in the week.
He started with mining.
“(The president) also has an anti-mining policy, remember, when you talk about jobs in Nevada, mining is the No. 2 employer in Nevada,” Gingrich said. “You are a state in which the federal government owns approximately 85 percent of the soil ... the Bureau of Land Management is anti-farming, anti-agriculture and anti-development. It makes you wonder exactly who they think is going to pay their wages.”
He then moved on to energy.
“We need to have an honest, fundamental change in how we approach this,” Gingrich said. “You have an anti-energy president. If we create enough opportunities oil and gas and coal and the rest, and Nevada fuels solar and wind — I am for an all-source energy industry.”
And he wrapped up with a pitch for why Nevada voters ought to pay attention to the Keystone oil pipeline — which also got the biggest cheers (and not just from the strangely high turnout of Canadian observers in the audience who had come to watch a real American rally at a quintessentially American bar).
“This president in an utterly destructive move vetoed the Keystone pipeline ... I was yesterday at Xtreme Manufacturing ... they will actually make forklifts to be used in building the pipeline, so it directly relates to jobs in Las Vegas,” Gingrich said. “This is not some Midwestern problem.”
Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich spoke today in front of supporters at Stoney's Rockin' Country, Fri Feb. 3, 2012.
Gingrich’s substance and style seemed to appeal to the crowd at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country — an establishment owned by Sue Lowden, one of the more prominent Nevada Republicans to have endorsed him.
“He’s intelligent, he’s articulate, and he’s actually getting detailed in his plans,” said Rhonda Besanceney, an IT consultant from Las Vegas and Gingrich supporter. She said she thought Gingrich’s pitch on education — the candidate is proposing an unemployment system that requires people to take training courses to receive checks — is his best offer to Nevada voters.
“His only problem is his intelligence,” said Darwin Rockantansky, also a supporter. “They think he’s arrogant — the man is not arrogant, he’s accomplished ... his mind works at 200 mph while most people’s minds work at 12.”
While polls aren’t foolproof, it would take a lot for Gingrich to convert the positive energy he had at Stoney’s into a surprise sweep at the Saturday caucuses.
But a win isn’t the only way out of Nevada for Gingrich — even a strong showing could help him beat expectations and provide momentum to help him in future states. Even as he campaigns for Nevada votes, Gingrich’s primary focus is clearly on the general election.
“I want us to run an American campaign this fall,” he told voters.
One indicator that Gingrich, despite the poll numbers, isn’t out of this race yet is the attention the Romney campaign is still paying to him.
Romney commercials decrying Gingrich’s background consulting Freddie Mac and suggesting that a vote for Gingrich is essentially a vote for Obama are airing frequently on Nevada TV stations.
Romney’s campaign also trotted out prominent Nevada supporters to spread the message that “Newt Gingrich is an Unreliable Leader for Nevada.”
Discussion: 6 comments so far…
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Even those who compete with Newt and his former colleagues and friends admit that Newt has an idea a minute. They also say that Newt cannot focus on his ideas for so long. Newt was for bailout, cap and trade, individual health care mandate, climate change, supported TARP, NDAA, made money on Fannie Mae and Fredie Mac on tax payers dime, while so many were sinking and people were loosing their homes all over the country including in Nevada. he also voted to raise the debit limit upteen time. Some who know him closely from his home state even call him phony. Although what he stood for were against what TEA Partiers fought and fight for, I am very much surprised to hear that many Tea party members may even caucus for him tomorrow. What happened to the principles that TEA party maintained until November 2011 and still maintains? How about people of faith who used to vote their values and made a difference? it seems to me some may not try to make some slightest research to know a candidates background. Some try to caucus for either Romney or Newt or Ron. These three candidates are personally, professionally and politically flawed. knowing fully that their political baggages which BHO & DNC gladly use tobring them down, I humbly ask Nevadans to wake up and make a difference tomorrow. These guys simply promises to just get a vote by changing their messages from time to time. Romney is unreliable (too much flip-flops); Newt is erratic, narcssistic and arrogant. There is one reliable, consistent conservative with likability and proven leadership. That candidate is Santorum. If you really check his background and know him, you will definitely caucus for him. If conservatives, evangelicals, mormons, republicans and independent minded Nevadans do not coalesce around Santorum and caucus for him tomorrow in Nevada and another flawed candidate is allowed to win and then loose in the genera election, they have nobody but themselves to blame. I hope Nevdans will caucus for the candidate of an impeccable record (Santorum)tomorrow and send a clear message to the rest of the country.
Gingrich won't have the money to buy the position.
His allowance won't hold out from Mr. Adelson long enough.
If it was not for Mr. Adelson Gingrich would already be pretty much done.
There is a fine line between confident and cocky. Mr. Gingrich is nowhere near it.
Well the game with Newt never changes, this ego driven Washington Insider is at it again. In all reality he is toast. No matter how wealthy a backer is, he cannot continue to back a loser. Newt will never hold the reigns of power again, when he had them, he ended up leaving in disgrace, way too unstable. We Independents will never vote for him(needed for the GOP to win). Trump endorsed Romney(the nominee to be )and Angle endorsed Santorum. Gingrich is not in the picture. Lets stop Newt's vendetta against Romney by not voting for him, he will disappear fast.
His chances of winning are between Slim and None, and Slim left town.
yeah, right.. maybe after he starts the colony on the moon !
I was kind of looking forward to a Domino's on the moon in 8 years.
He'll win the nomination-in Costa Rica.
Newt is the establishment Washington insider. Today he is trying to run as the grass roots candidate. What did he say he was yesterday? What will he say he is tomorrow?
rick santorum says it will be Doomsday if gingrich or romney gets the nomination. i agree whole heartedly and the same goes for santorum and old man paul.
Mittens in a landslide here in Nevada. Santorum??? LOL. He has as much chance of winning the GOP nomination as Bachmann. He'll finish in single digits here and everywhere else he "runs for the nomination". Drop out now Rick. You are a loser, as are your crackpot ideals. "Family Values" is the least of this country's concerns.
Sadly most Americans do not know enough about mental conditions to recognize the strong possibility that Mr. Gingrich has a hypomanic personality --- but perhaps the disastrous record of NG when House Speaker and his personal history will keep him from ever getting through that WH door he is obsessed with. His delusions and inability to focus will also help him fail to inflict his will on our country. Many with such a problem will not medicate, they sense a "high" that they do not wish to mitigate.