Gingrich gets game back in interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace

This video from Townhall originally produced by CNN sets the record straight on an ad run by the Romney campaign.

Former Speaker of the US House Newt Gingrich got his game back during an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News. Gingrich explained an issue that arose during the CNN debate in Jacksonville .

An ad aired by the Romney campaign claimed Gingrich said Spanish was the language of the ghetto. This claim has been parroted by Leftist bloggers and even by some newspapers that claim to “fact check.”

The claim is false. Some so-called fact checkers resorted to saying Gingrich “implied it.” That is not true by a long shot.

USA Today (Jan. 27, 2012)  summed it up:

“The Miami Herald reported this week that the Romney campaign released a Spanish-language radio ad in Miami that argues that Ronald Reagan would not have agreed with Gingrich. The Herald translated it as saying, ‘Reagan would have never offended Hispanics as Gingrich did when he said Spanish is the language of the ghetto.’"

What Gingrich actually said was that all students should be immersed in English rather than speaking the language of the ghetto. He pointed out there are hundreds of languages spoken in the U.S.

Gingrich set Wallace straight on the matter. During the debate, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer actually corrected former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney when he said he didn’t think the ad was his. Although Romney approved the ad for publication, he claimed he did not know what was in it.

Ironically although both Gingrich and Romney spoke to the Hispanic Leadership Network, the group has endorsed Gingrich. On Mike Huckabee’s show on Fox News Saturday evening, he mentioned the network but didn’t point out the endorsement for Gingrich.

Another ad the Romney camp has run has to do with Gingrich’s reprimand as Speaker. The ad uses a news clip more than a decade old but does not reveal what came after—Gingrich was cleared.

In March, 2011, Erick Erickson at Red State noted that Romney had hired a political strategist who had “attacked” and distorted former Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio’s record when he ran against Charlie Crist in hopes of winning the GOP nomination to oppose a Democrat for a US Senate seat. The strategist worked for Crist.

In Florida Romney has made good use of a vast war chest, focusing on negative campaigning targeting Gingrich.

Romney’s top donors for the 2012 cycle are affiliated with Goldman Sachs. President Barack Obama listed those affiliated with Goldman Sachs as his second highest  donor in the 2008 cycle.

Conservatives who back Gingrich are aware of controversies in his past but fear vulnerabilities in Romney like comparisons between ObamaCare and RomneyCare despite the governor’s defense of his healthcare plan from a states’ rights angle. Both plans contained mandates.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin pointed out via Twitter that there is no such thing as “GingrichCare.”

Gingrich has received endorsements from Michael Reagan, son of President Ronald Reagan, Texas Governor Rick Perry and businessman Herman Cain.

Romney has received numerous endorsements from members currently serving in the US Congress.

Gingrich told Wallace his own campaign was “precisely about challenging the establishment.” He also said he is “willing to take a lot more challenges to the old order.”

During the exchange, Gingrich was calm and articulate, setting the record straight and saying he is taking a message of prosperity to voters. He says he is the only candidate in the race who can really bring change to Washington because he led in balancing 4 consecutive budgets and was successful in efforts to reform welfare. Gingrich was instrumental in returning a Republican majority to the House after 40 years of Democrat rule.

Most voters would rather hear specifics about how a candidate plans to address the country’s problems instead of hearing ongoing attack ads.

Recommended Articles

Fact Checking Romney’s Attacks on Gingrich –at Examiner.com by Anthony Martin

Quinnipiac shows Mitt leads but supporters more committed to Newt –at The US Report

What really happened in the Gingrich ethics case? –at The Washington Examiner 

(Analysis by Kay B. Day/Jan. 29, 2012)