Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign is scaling back, cutting one-third of its full-time staff and replacing his campaign manager as part of an effort to sustain itself, campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond told The Fix.
Gingrich has already replaced his top aide, Michael Krull, with Vince Haley, who had been deputy campaign manager and a policy advisor. In addition to the other staffing cuts, Gingrich will not travel as frequently to the remaining primary states and will instead focus on communicating with voters through the internet, videos and social media.
“We’re readying the campaign for the convention floor,” Hammond said, citing the campaign’s commitment to stay in the race until the end.
The news was first reported Tuesday by Politico’s Mike Allen.
The former House speaker has won just two states and is a distant third in the delegate count. His campaign has also seen a significant dropoff in fundraising and is strapped for cash. His recently filed campaign finance report, covering the period through the end of February, showed the candidate had more debt than cash.
“The money’s very tight, obviously,” Gingrich said during an appearance in Maryland on Tuesday. “We have the money to keep going.”
In addition, a super PAC supporting Gingrich that had received $16.5 million from casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and his family has largely run out of cash, with no indication that the Adelsons have continued to fund it.
In addition to having won just two states, Gingrich has seen some of his most lackluster performances in recent states. In the Illinois primary last week, for example, Gingrich finished in fourth place, behind Rep.Ron Paul (R-Texas), with just 8 percent of the vote.
Despite this, Gingrich has pledged to stay in the race until the August convention in Tampa, Fla., provided Mitt Romney doesn’t secure the nomination before then. Currently, Romney is on pace to win the nomination, securing a majority of the available delegates.
“If we get to June 26 and Gov. Romney does not have a majority, I think you’ll then have one of the most interesting open conventions in American history,” Gingrich said Tuesday.
It’s the second major shakeup for Gingrich’s campaign, but the first wasn’t by design. The campaign experienced a staff exodus in June when the former House speaker was floundering in the polls.
Verona, PA – Both Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney have stood on the side of radical environmentalists and supported the junk science of global warming – and actually pushed for job-crushing cap-and-tax programs. However only one candidate – Rick Santorum – has consistently stood on the side of the American worker and for growing our economy by opposing the radical environmental lobby.
Hogan Gidley, National Communications Director, said: “Newt Gingrich and Nancy Pelosi should’ve gotten a bigger couch – so Mitt Romney could’ve joined them. While all three support job-killing cap-and-tax, at least Pelosi is honest enough to stand by her position – unlike Gingrich and Romney who are trying to change for an election.
Rick Santorum has never wavered, never backed down from supporting energy exploration, good paying American jobs, and lower energy costs. We need a conviction conservative in the White House, and Rick Santorum is the only candidate in this race to never fall prey to the environmental fringe.”
ROMNEY AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL FRINGE
A Romney-Signed 2004 Report Stated Massachusetts Was Committed To “Active Participation” To Build A Multi-State Cap And Trade Program.“Massachusetts is committed to active participation in the effort to develop a multi-state cap and trade program covering greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. At the invitation of NewYork Governor George Pataki, Governor Romney has joined the initiative to reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions through a CO2 cap and trade program, starting with the electrical power sector.” (Gov. Mitt Romney et. al., “Massachusetts Climate Protection Plan,” Spring/04)
Romney, In July 2003 Letter To Then-Gov. George Pataki (R-NY): “Now Is The Time To Take Action Toward Climate Protection.” “I concur that climate change is beginning to affect our natural resources and that now is the time to take action toward climate protection. … (Shaun Sutner, “Romney Joins Bid To Curb Emissions,” Telegram & Gazette, 8/6/03)
Romney Believed The Carbon-Trading Pact Was A Potential Model For The Nation – “I Am Convinced It Is Good For Business.” “As governor of Massachusetts, Romney supported a carbon-trading pact among Northeastern states that, like his health care bill, served as a potential model for a national version. Romney even said of the plan, ‘I am convinced it is good for business.'” (Andrew Schenkel, “Mitt Romney’s Environmental Record,” www.forbes.com, 6/3/11)
GINGRICH AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL FRINGE
Newt Gingrich actually supported a ban on offshore oil and gas drilling all four years he served as Speaker before being thrown out by conservatives in his own party.Speaker Gingrich had four years to open up oil and gas production in the Gulf and other parts of the country and did nothing, content to let radical environmentalists dictate our nation’s energy future.
Gingrich also co-sponsored legislation which stated that climate change was happening “at an unprecedented rate by pollutants resulting from human activities”, that “global warming will accelerate the present sea level rise”, and that “global warming imperils human health and well-being” and “will jeopardize prospects for sustainable development.” The goals of the bill were to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by at least 20% from 1988 levels by the year 2000, establish an International Global Agreement on the Atmosphere by 1992, and require the EPA and Energy Department to report within two years whether to pursue even higher levels of carbon dioxide emissions reductionsafter 2000. (H.R. 1078, “Global Warming Prevention Act of 1989)
It was well publicized that Gingrich sat on the couch with then-Speaker Pelosi in 2008 and demanded “action from our leaders”, saying “Our country must take action to address climate change.” What is less known is that the web site Gingrich asks people to visit on the video directs visitors to TheClimate Reality Project which isfounded and chaired by Al Gore. The site asks supporters to “Join our project to reveal the complete truth about the climate crisis“, and says the organization is guided by one simple truth: “The climate crisis is real and we know how to solve it.” (www.wecansolveit.org, www.climaterealityproject.org)
To learn more about former Senator Rick Santorum, please visit www.RickSantorum.com.
SANTORUM TRUTH SQUAD TO DEPLOY IN ALABAMA & MISSISSIPPI
Via Nancy Phillips Estes:
Montgomery, AL – Newt 2012 announced it will deploy the Santorum Truth Squad Saturday and Sunday in Alabama and Mississippi, a group of former legislators and Pennsylvanians who can share with voters the truth about Rick Santorum’s record.
The Challenge with Newt’s plan of sending out a truth squad is that he has some issues to deal with before he starts re~writing Santorum’s history.
Newt Gingrich has to do this because his own past is so damning. Read what some of his colleagues have to say about him:
Gingrich is “not really a conservative” “erratic,” “egotistical,” and “confused”
If Gingrich is the nominee it will have an adverse impact on Republican candidates running for county, state, and federal offices.
“He is at his worst and most self-destructive when he swells with his own sense of invulnerability and moves to the front and center,”
ALEXANDER HAMILTON: “Of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people, commencing demagogues and ending tyrants.”
Verona, PA – The more people learn about the records of both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, the less difference they see between them and President Obama.
Hogan Gidley, National Communications Director, said: “Three years ago the Tea Party movement began because of the explosion of the government, trampling on our freedom. Millions of Americans stood up against the bailouts, the threat of cap-and-tax, amnesty for illegal immigrants and finally the individual healthcare mandate – that stole the most personal decision you can make from you and put it into the hands of a Washington bureaucrat.
Both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have agreed with President Obama on these issues and there isn’t a dime’s bit of difference between them. Voters called for freedom in 2010, not more government. We cannot nominate moderates who will tell voters whatever they want to hear now, and then continue the same dangerous policies of Barack Obama.”
Gingrich “Agreed Entirely” With Romney’s Approach To Health Care In Massachusetts, Arguing That Individuals Have A “Personal Responsibility” To Purchase Health Insurance. “In a 2006 memo, Gingrich said he ‘agreed entirely’ with then-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s healthcare plan, which some have said was the model for President Obama’s national reform law. Romney is one of Gingrich’s top rivals for the 2012 GOP nomination. ‘We also believe strongly that personal responsibility is vital to creating a 21st Century Intelligent Health System,’ Gingrich wrote. ‘Individuals who can afford to purchase health insurance and simply choose not to place an unnecessary burden on a system that is on the verge of collapse; these free-riders undermine the entire health system by placing the onus of responsibility on taxpayers.'” (Jonathan Easley, “Gingrich Argued For Individual Mandate In 2008,” thehill.com, 12/27/11)
A Romney-Signed 2004 Report Stated Massachusetts Was Committed To “Active Participation” To Build A Multi-State Cap And Trade Program.“Massachusetts is committed to active participation in the effort to develop a multi-state cap and trade program covering greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. At the invitation of New York Governor George Pataki, Governor Romney has joined the initiative to reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions through a CO2 cap and trade program, starting with the electrical power sector.” (Gov. Mitt Romney et. al., “Massachusetts Climate Protection Plan,” Spring/04)
GINGRICH:
Gingrich Called A Cap-And-Trade Plan “Very, Very Good” And “Frankly, It’s Something I Would Strongly Support.” Gingrich: “I think if you have mandatory carbon caps combined with a trading system, much like we did with sulfur, and if you have a tax-incentive program for investing in the solutions, that there’s a package there that’s very, very good. And frankly, it’s something I would strongly support.” (“Interview With New Gingrich,” www.pbs.org, 02/15/07)
ALL THREE SUPPORTED AMNESTY
ROMNEY:
Romney found efforts to legalize illegal immigrants like Arizona Senator John McCain’s and former President Bush’s to be “reasonable proposals” back in 2005. Commonsense conservative voters realize that any proposal to legalize illegal immigrants, which does not first require illegals to depart the U.S. and apply legally from their home countries, constitutes amnesty. “In a November 2005 interview with the Globe, Romney described immigration proposals by McCain and others as ‘quite different’ from amnesty, because they required illegal immigrants to register with the government, work for years, pay taxes, not take public benefits, and pay a fine before applying for citizenship. ‘That’s very different than amnesty….It’s saying you could work your way into becoming a legal resident of the country by working here without taking benefits and then applying and then paying a fine.’ (Scott Helman, “Romney’s words grow hard on immigration,” Boston Globe, www.boston.com, 3/16/2007)
GINGRICH:
In A November Debate, Gingrich Suggested Other Republicans Reconsider Their Opposition To Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants. “In his first debate since jumping into the lead in the polls, Newt Gingrich took the lead on a controversial topic Tuesday night when he suggested that his fellow Republicans might reconsider their outright opposition to amnesty for illegal immigrants. ‘I do not believe that the people of the United States are going to take people who’ve been here for a quarter of a century … [and] separate them from their families and expel them,’ Gingrich said during a discussion about illegal immigration and border security.” (Kim Geiger, “Gingrich ‘Prepared To Take The Heat’ With Talk Of Amnesty,” Los Angeles Times, 11/22/11)
Gingrich Claimed He Was Prepared To “Take The Heat” In His Support Of Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants Because His Position Was “Humane.” Gingrich: “I don’t believe that the party that says it’s the party of the family is going to say it’s going to destroy families that have been here for more than a quarter of a century. … I’m prepared to take the heat in saying: Let’s be humane in enforcing the law.” (Kim Geiger, “Gingrich ‘Prepared To Take The Heat’ With Talk Of Amnesty,” Los Angeles Times,11/22/11)
To learn more about former Senator Rick Santorum, please visit www.RickSantorum.com.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON: “Of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people, commencing demagogues and ending tyrants.”
These are cheap Political tactics that undermine America and what the Tea Party movment is all about and will backfire and expose what the voters in Iowa knew. The only real Conservatives in this race were Santorum and Bachmann. The case could be made for the Establishment Republicans that Newt should step down because he is splitting the moderate vote. After Florida when Newt loses then let’s duke it out between the moderate Mitt Romney and the True Consistent Conservative Rick Santorum. Then we must all come together and take on Obama!! Game On!!
As my good friend Lisa Graas wrote
Since some Tea Party groups are getting behind Newt Gingrich, a man who supported everything they were against, they may not have a leg to stand on at all when the Left calls them racist. After all, if the individual mandate, cap and trade, and bailouts never *really* mattered, as Newt has supported all of those things, then what was the core reasoning for the Tea Party movement to begin with? That’s the big question.
The Good news is the Tea Party movement is made up of individual people and voters and the majority of us are tough, we are fighters, we are Patriots. We understand that now is our time to fight for our country and we want a leader who is a fighter. The poll linked below clearly shows that these 37 individuals do not represent the Tea Party in Florida or across the nation.
The 2,567 likely primary voters questioned by the Dixie Strategies/First Coast News Public Opinion Survey supported Gingrich with 35.46 percent while Romney had 35.08 percent.
The poll also reported that 76 percent of its respondents had a “very positive” or “somewhat positive” view of the tea party.
Among voters who identify with the tea party movement, 31.3 percent had a “very positive” view of Romney and 56.9 percent had a “very positive” view of Gingrich.
But Rick Santorum racked up the biggest number, with 59.9 percent giving him a “very positive” rating.
Many Grassroots/ Tea Party members have taken a look at what is happening on the ground across the country and have chosen to take a stand, speak out and publicly endorse the True Consistent Conservative candidate.
If you are a member of any of the groups listed below I urge you to contact the leader listed and let them know you do not appreciate them selling out to the political establishment and allowing the Tea Party name to be marginalized and used by a candidate who has gone against everything the Tea Party movmement stands for by supporting a healthcare mandate, cap and trade, and bailouts. Now is the time to take a stand and be Bold!!
Coalition members include:
Patricia Sullivan, Patriot Army founder
Karin Hoffman, DC Works for US founder
Karena Morrison, State Advisory Team for GOOOH in Florida
Tom Gaitens, former state director for FreedomWorks
Sharon Calvert, Tampa Tea Party
Tom Tillison Central Orlando Tea Party Council
Juan C Torres, Latino American Tea Party
Mike Hill, NW Florida Tea Party
Alan Berkelhammer, Gainesville Tea Party
Alice Beutien, Putnam County Tea Party;
Audrey Rumsey, Hernando County Tea Party coordinator
Bob Knox, American Citizens League
Carol Knighton, Leesburg Regional Tea Party co-founder