Newt Gingrich appeared on CNN this week as a surrogate for Mitt Romney's campaign, and accidentally told the truth. Pressed on Romney's lie about welfare policy, Gingrich conceded there's "no proof" to support Romney's claim, and he wishes the attack ad had been worded in a more accurate way.
That was Wednesday. Yesterday, Gingrich returned to the airwaves, talking to MSNBC's Chris Matthews about the race and Romney's search for a running mate. Pay particular attention to the exchange that begins at the 5:52 mark.
For those who can't watch clips online, Matthews asked why is it that people who spend time competing with Romney, including Republicans like Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani, end up disliking him so much on a personal level.
Gingrich responded, "Well, let me say, first of all, I think that Mitt and I get along fine. We get a lot of stuff done together. And I don't particularly dislike him as a person."
Remember, the former House Speaker was there in his capacity as a high-profile Romney supporter. Asked why so many people have an active aversion to Romney, best Gingrich could say is he doesn't "particularly dislike him."
This comes a month after House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), hoping to generate some support for his party's presidential candidate, conceded, "The American people probably aren't going to fall in love with Mitt Romney."
I've been keeping an eye on quotes from Romney surrogates for a while, but the problem appears to be getting worse.
Of course, it's not just Romney's surrogates who have trouble liking their candidate; it turns out President Obama has grown to really dislike him, too.
At a certain level, this isn't at all interesting. Obama and Romney are rivals; of course there's going to be some animosity between them.
But it appears there's more to it than that.
"One factor made the 2012 grind bearable and at times even fun for Obama: he began campaign preparations feeling neutral about Romney, but like the former governor's GOP opponents in 2008 and 2012, he quickly developed a genuine disdain for the main. That scorn stoked Obama's competitive fire, got his head in the game, which came as a relief to some Obama aides who had seen his interest flag when he didn't feel motivated to crush the opposition. Obama, a person close to him told me, didn't even feel this strongly about conservative, combative House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the Hill Republican he disliked the most. At least Cantor stood for something, he'd say.
"When he talked about Romney, aides picked up a level of anger he never had for Clinton or McCain, even after Sarah Palin was picked as his running mate. 'There was a baseline of respect for John McCain. The president always thought he was an honorable man and a war hero,' said a longtime Obama adviser. 'That doesn't hold true for Romney. He was no goddamned war hero.'"
As the "Hardball" interview showed, it's awkward to talk about, especially just a few months before Election Day, but it's worth kicking the subject around, if only as an intellectual exercise. Romney was governor for a term, and he quickly became widely disliked. He ran for president four years ago, and he was the only candidate all the other Republicans held in contempt. He's running for president now, and not only do voters find it hard to warm up to the guy, but his own surrogates struggle to praise him in public.
This hardly seems like a recipe for success.
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I'm sure Rick Santorum, if he could, would just as well scream, "I told you so!"
"Rick Santorum Chuckes When Asked to Defend Mitt Romney on Health Care"
http://tinyurl.com/8t47sfe
I can't help but wonder if Romney waited too long to choose a running mate...he needs some kind of attack dog with a face America knows and trusts...Therein lies the problem, I guess.
Being percieved as unlikeable may very well be the death knell for him, and any potential VP candidate with serious 2016 ambition won't touch him. Unless they're insane.
Rand Paul, anyone?
In this exchange from yesterday, it sounds to me like he is describing Paul Ryan:
CHUCK TODD: What do you want your running mate to say about you? What do you want your selection to say about what kind of president you’re going to be?
GOV. MITT ROMNEY: I don’t think I have anything for you on the VP running mate. Other than I – I certainly expect to have a person that has a strength of character, a vision for the country that adds something to the political discourse about the direction of the country. I happen to believe this is a defining election for America, that we’re going to be voting for what kind of America we’re going to have.
largenose, something occurred to me reading your post. If Mitt is so despised by even his fellow GOPpers that they can't contain their disgust, why wouldn't Ryan want to run as VP? And why wouldn't the GOP tea baggers lobby for Mitt to choose him? It would only be a matter of time before Mitt would be impeached by his "supporters" in order to elevate the guy who would otherwise have no chance to be president.
Lennybruce48 - Interesting theory, but I still don't think Ryan would chance it if he was serious about 2016. Plus, if for whatever reason Mitt got impeached, whoever the VP is would be tied to that administration, poisoning his (Ryan's) chance at election.
We are all so very tired of hearing Gingrich thrill at hearing himself talk....... Such a luddite
In light of Mitten's definition of what a VP running mate should bring to the table, I believe that Peter King meets that 100%.
Mittens is actually correct that we are going to be voting for what kind of America we're going to have. Our choice is a) a kind of America where all people count or b) an America where only the 1/10th of 1% count.
Peter King? No way! Mitt can't have a running mate with more charisma than himself. He should pick Louis Gohmert (R, TX)
That will lock up the Stupid Vote-and therefore insure a Republican landslide.
I don't know - Louie Gohmert? He doesn't have charisma, but he sure does have more spark in him than Mittens. A kind of creepy bat@!$%# insane spark, but definitely a lively fellow.
Reading over the quote LennyBruce48 put in the comments above, it just reminds me of how Romney sounds like his words came from an online-Mitt-Romney-Speech-Generator. So generic, so vague, platitude following cliche following broad visionary statements. There's no there, there, as the saying goes.
The man in the Ad doesn’t say Romney murdered his wife, but the lack of concern Romney has about other people is true. Romney created his money machine business to make money at any cost, what do you expect. These types of businesses never have any concern or caring about others, except to use any deception and lies available to get what they want, even if it leads to someone’s death. You see how Romney plays his game by the Ads he puts out with no truth in it at all, but so easily squeals and cries, when the truth comes back to bite him in the butt. Romney is belly aching about the truth coming out about what he has really done to other people and none of it is good, except to serve his own selfish interests. Just as Romney threw the gardener down the steps as his sons stood by laughing, as he violently attacked a teenage boy to cut his hair, and how he dressed as a police officer to demand power and control over other people. This is what Romney takes pleasure and amusement in, but when any factual truth comes out about him he cries foul like an immature baby. But this is the nature of men like this and they do have a very hidden violent nature, when they do not get their way. Americans and people of the world need to be very careful with a man like this, because you will regret everyday of your lives, if he ever gets any form of real power and control over others. Romney looks like he more leans toward being a Political Psychopath.
"Romney looks like he more leans toward being a Political Psychopath."
Exactly! And I don't believe that his psychopathic tendencies are limited to politics only.....
He certainly lies like a sociopath. No concern whatsoever for the truth on any level.
It's especially odd because George Romney was incredibly well liked as governor even as he ook huge stands that put him at odds with the Republican party. Not only did he dedicate his life to volunteerism, but also basically stands as a symbol of everything Mitt now runs against.
The lesson he should have learned from his father's failed presidential bid was that the Republican party is filled with clowns, and instead of being marginalized, the clowns are considered party standard-bearers.
Why does he not stand on his governorship more? Why don't we hear about his volunteerism or the things he stood for then?
I'm not advocating for the man, but it sounds like he's sold out everything good about himself to get more in line with what the Republican Party expects him to be.
NeedMoreCoffee" You need more coffee. The comment is about Willard's FATHER, not Willard.
Speaking of Republican 'Surrogates' who are deserving of criticism, I have Chuckie Todd on MSNBC now defending Romney's ads and criticizing Obama's ads "because Obama should be held to a higher standard".
What a flipping tool! So glad that The Morning Joke and The Daily Rundown 'of Democrats' show us how correct the repukes are about the 'liberal media'.
Decent teams win in baseball against those who cheat, by using steroids to gain an edge. The decent teams don't win by cheating themselves, they win by picking up their game, putting more sweat, heart, and courage into it, playing harder and closer to the edge.
They don't win by knocking their own team mates.
Todd's merely paying attention to the desires of those who write his paycheck. As Orwell pointed out, it's ridiculous to expect a man to act against his own interests and say something that would harm them. Like the rest of the otherwise-unemployables of the MSM.
Yep, Mitt Romney is seriously unlikable. I repeat myself. It is just not possible for people to like a lying, amoral, phony dickweed.
'Like' is a relative term. Mittens is not a n!gger; therefore the republicans like him more than Obama.
I think Hank Kimble the county agent from Green Acres would be a great running mate for Mitt who is the Mr. Haney of politics.
Romney had to do an entire personality shift in order to become the nominee.
Folks don't like him, because he's just not one of "us", and you can feel his disadain for having to do anything to convince "us" people to give him something he feels he's entitled to.
You can hear it in his speeches, and when he gets that cockeyed look and smirk on his face when he expects applause. He talks down to his listeners, with an attitude that says "you're too stupid to understand anything I'm saying."
There's something WRONG with this man.
He's out of touch with the human race.
What did it take to get Newt to "go over" to Mitt? It seems to me that Newt's main motivation is money. So... has Mittens perhaps helped him out with his campaign debt? How do we find out if he did? It would be a drop in the bucket to Romney.
Gingrich should carry a sign: "Will B.S. for food"
Has anyone else noted how closely Romney resembles the Martin Sheen character in the film, The Dead Zone? You know, the phony "man of the people" Senate candidate that Christopher Walken's character touches and flashes to a future where the man is now president and is about to set off nuclear war. At the end of the film, after Walken's character tries to assassinate him, he picks up and holds a child in front of him to protect himself. Does anyone doubt the parallels? Seriously. Even looks like him. I mean, Martin Sheen today could play Romney in whatever movie is inevitably made. Steven King should write an updated version of The Dead Zone where that character DOESN'T tank his career and goes on to be, well, Romney.
Has anyone ever liked a smarmy, entitled little rich prick?