On Meet the Press, Gingrich continues attacks on Romney; Governor Patrick predicts a Patriots win
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich shows no sign of letting up on his tough attacks against rival Mitt Romney, despite losing yesterday’s Nevada caucuses to Romney by a large margin.
On NBC’s Meet the Press today, Gingrich hit Romney for comments he made on the campaign trail and for positions he took as Massachusetts governor.
“My goal over the next few weeks is to draw very sharp distinctions between [mine and] Romney’s positions, which are very, the Wall Street Journal described them as timid, and in terms of tax policy, as being like Obama,’’ Gingrich said.
He dismissed the importance of the Nevada caucuses. “This is a state he won last time, and he won it this time,’’ Gingrich said.
Gingrich said he is relying on the southern states to boost his delegate count. That includes Georgia, the state he represented in Congress, and Tennessee, which both vote March 6; Alabama, which votes March 13; and Texas, which votes April 3. “We believe by the time Texas is over, we’ll be very competitive in delegate count,’’ Gingrich said.
He also attacked Romney’s Massachusetts record. “His record as governor is very clear: he was pro-abortion, he was pro-gun control, he was pro-tax increase, he ended up third from the bottom in job creation,’’ Gingrich said. “The combination of Romneycare and tax increases made him a very weak governor in terms of job creation.’’
While Romney has said he did not raise taxes as Massachusetts governor, he did raise fees and close tax loopholes. Romney was pro-choice before he became pro-life. He has stood by his health care overhaul in Massachusetts, while opposing President Obama’s overhaul nationally.
Gingrich, who has repeatedly tagged Romney as a moderate, said the last few times Republicans nominated moderates in the presidential race – Bob Dole in 1996 and John McCain in 2008, “we lost badly.’’
The former speaker also criticized Romney’s proposal to index the minimum wage to the inflation rate, saying that would make it more difficult for young people to find jobs.
Gingrich went on to defend his much-maligned comments that he wants to create a lunar colony. He said he would fund such an endeavor not through federal spending, but though engaging the private sector. “I believe it’s possible to unleash the American people, to inspire the private sector, to encourage entrepreneurs and have a dramatically better space program than we have today,’’ Gingrich said.
In another segment on Meet the Press, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, a Democrat, appeared on a panel with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent, and Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, a Republican.
As the New England Patriots prepare to take on the New York Giants in tonight’s Super Bowl in Indianapolis, the three hometown politicians discussed the economy, the presidential race, and football.
Patrick, who has been a surrogate for Obama, took the most optimistic view of the economy, and was most willing to credit Obama. Responding to Gingrich’s refused earlier in the show to credit Obama for a drop in unemployment numbers, Patrick responded: “Facts are unwelcome things to the speaker and to many Republicans today.’’
The governor said the president understands that a mix of increased revenue and spending cuts is needed to grow the economy and reduce the deficit. He said the US must invest in areas like education, innovation in life sciences, information technology, biotech, financial services, and infrastructure.
He also criticized the GOP presidential candidates for “elevating division itself to the top of their political agenda.’’
As for Patrick’s predictions for tonight and 2012, there were no surprises: “The president wins and the Patriots win, that’s what I say.’’
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