GOP Debate Highlights: Newt Gingrich Denies Open Marriage Request, Slams CNN and Mitt Romney
Another Republican debate has come and gone, and as usual there was no shortage of fireworks as Newt Gingrich clashed with his rivals ... and CNN's John King.
Amid reports that Newt asked Marianne Gingrich for an open marriage while cheating on her with Callista Bisek in 1999, King led off the GOP debate with that topic.
Newt was not happy, and he let King know it ...
Reaming out the “destructive, vicious, negative” media rather than his ex-wife, who raised these accusations yesterday, Gingrich said he was appalled by CNN.
Newt, who went on to divorce Marianne and marry Callista in 2000 (they are still married), punctuated his lengthy answer by saying, “The story is false.”
Some other highlights of the second South Carolina debate this week, and the last before Saturday's critical primary in the Palmetto State included:
- Rick Santorum saying Barack Obama stands for “economic squalor”
- Mitt Romney saying "maybe" he'll release his tax returns sometime
- Santorum repeatedly criticizing Newt's grandiosity and stability
- Gingrich and Santorum claiming Romney is not really pro-life
- Ron Paul fans yelling for their man to get more screen time
With time running out for all candidates not named Mitt Romney to post a win and halt his march toward the Republican nomination, the tension was high.
Can any of them do it? We'll find out by tomorrow night. We've posted the entire GOP debate, and invite you to share your feedback with us, after the jump:
Marianne Gingrich Says Newt Wanted Open Marriage, Lacks Moral Character to Be President
Just 48 hours before the critical South Carolina primary, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's ex-wife Marianne is criticizing the former House Speaker's character.
Marianne Gingrich says, in an interview airing tonight on Nightline, that Newt's professed positions on marriage and family values do not line up with his actions.
Their 18-year marriage ended in 1999, and during that span, Marianne says Newt Gingrich admitted to her about a six-year affair with a Congressional aide.
That woman is now Newt's third wife, Callista Gingrich. This is well documented, but it's a comment Newt allegedly made about it that's raising eyebrows:
He asked his wife if she would share him with Callista, according to Marianne.
"I just stared at him and he said, 'Callista doesn't care what I do.' He wanted an open marriage and I refused," Marianne Gingrich tells ABC News.
Marianne also details how Newt was conducting this affair while publicly condemning the unfaithful President Clinton for his lack of moral leadership.
“How could he ask me for a divorce on Monday and within 48 hours give a speech on family values and talk about how people treat people?” she said.
“Truthfully, my whole purpose is to get out there about who I am, so Newt couldn’t create me as an evil, awful person, which was starting to happen.”
It gets worse. Newt divorced Marianne months after she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, she says, and began dating her almost as scandalously.
Rick Perry Drops Out of Presidential Race, Endorses Newt Gingrich
Texas Governor Rick Perry will drop out of the GOP presidential race and endorse rival Newt Gingrich for the Republican nomination, according to news reports.
He will make the announcement shortly in North Charleston, S.C.
The move by Perry to end his flailing campaign was inevitable, yet came a few days sooner than expected, with the South Carolina primary looming this Saturday.
Perry hoped the state's evangelicals and social conservatives would revive his candidacy. Instead, it was Newt who surged after Monday's Republican debate.
Rick Perry was mired in the low single digits in the Palmetto State and nationally, while a revitalized Gingrich has shown an upward trajectory in recent polls.
Perry weighed dropping out of the race after a dismal finish in the Iowa caucuses, only to decide to stay in and make one last stand in South Carolina.
It was not to be. In hindsight, a campaign that began with such promise actually peaked on its first day, after which Perry sank like a stone in popularity.
Clearly not ready for prime time, Perry's substance never equaled his swagger. Amazing debate gaffes came early and often. Other candidates surged past him.
By dropping out now, he may provide a modest boost to Gingrich, who's trying to present himself as a more ideologically potent conservative than Mitt Romney.
Perry said in officially suspending his candidacy today:
Sarah Palin to South Carolinians: Vote For Newt!
Sarah Palin hasn't endorsed Newt Gingrich in the GOP presidential race, but says she would vote for the former House Speaker if she were a South Carolinian.
Way to really put yourself out there.
"If I had to vote in South Carolina, in order to keep this thing going I'd vote for Newt and I would want this to continue," the 2008 V.P. nominee told Fox News.
"These guys are getting better in their debates, they are getting more concise, more grounded in what their beliefs are and articulating what their ideas are."
"If I had to vote in South Carolina, in order to keep this thing going I'd vote for Newt and I would want this to continue. More debates, more vetting of candidates."
"I want to see that taking place this time because America is on this precipice, it's that important. We need this process to continue on," she added.
Todd Palin, Sarah's husband, recently endorsed Gingrich, and Sarah's comments show she thinks of him favorably despite a lack of overt endorsement.
Whether it does him any good in Saturday's primary remains to be seen. Newt's showing at the first South Carolina debate was strong, with another coming up tonight.
South Carolina Republican Debate: Schizo Crowd Cheers Lots of Harsh Sound Bites!
Jon Huntsman may have gotten out just in time.
In front of by FAR the most raucous crowd of any Republican debate held thus far, the five remaining GOP hopefuls squared off in South Carolina last night.
Ostensibly, everybody not named Mitt Romney angled to knock the frontrunner off his pedestal. In reality, it became a game of rhetorical one-upmanship.
The crowd cheered their support of U.S. soldiers urinating on dead Afghan bodies and their condemnation of the Obama administration’s condemnation of it.
Newt Gingrich earned a standing ovation for this quote: “Andrew Jackson knew what to do with his enemies - he killed them.” How professorial he can be.
Even Romney, the most vanilla of all candidates, got into the act, saying “The right thing for Osama bin Laden was the bullet in the head that he received.”
No one here's missing Osama, but really Mitt?
The audience then jeered Ron Paul for suggesting that “we should practice the Golden Rule in foreign policy.” Nice to see we boo NOT bombing people.
The yelled their approval of Rick Perry saying America should “go to zero on foreign aid.” They booed Juan Williams for questioning Newt's big janitor idea.
The South Carolina primary has a reputation for being a bloodbath, and last night's rancor showed why. Just imagine if this race were in any way close.
Newt Gingrich Ad Bashes Mitt Romney For Moderate Views, French-Speaking Abilities
Newt Gingrich is just throwing $h!t at the wall at this point.
During his college years in the '60s, Mitt Romney spent two years as a Mormon missionary in France. Now, Newt is trying to use that time against his rival as part of his desperate, scorched-earth campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
Here's his new ad, titled "The French Connection" ...
The crux of the ad - that Mitt Romney isn't too different politically from failed Democratic Massachusetts presidential hopefuls Michael Dukakis and Sen. John Kerry - might've been effective, but Newt is clearly just bitter at this point.
In a parting shot, the voiceover explains: "Just like John Kerry," the voice in the ad says, "he speaks French too!" Mitt Romney: He's ... multilingual!
Guess he and Jon Huntsman are automatically DQ'd in Newt's mind.
King of Bain Trailer: New Film Slams Mitt Romney
Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker, is striking a populist tone as he looks to fight back against Mitt Romney, the frontrunner in the Republican nomination fight.
In a bid to discredit Romney's economic expertise - the strength of his candidacy, besides perceived "electability" - Gingrich lambasts him for firing people and ruining lives.
In a manner of speaking, of course.
Insisting he is “totally for capitalism,” Newt cited Microsoft for becoming “extraordinarily rich” by “providing a service” while firms such as Bain strip companies down for profit.
It's unclear if this will resonate with voters, but a pro-Gingrich PAC, Winning Our Future, produced a movie about Mitt's tenure at Bain to make its point. Here's the trailer:
A deluge of pro-Romney PAC ads have drawn fire from Newt Gingrich in recent weeks. Now it seems the one-time national frontrunner is firing back in kind.
Time will tell if this line of attacks pays dividends, but it almost seems better suited to a Democratic National Committee ad, not one from a fellow Republican.
Todd Palin Endorses Newt Gingrich For President
Sarah Palin’s husband is endorsing Newt Gingrich for president. Yes, Todd Palin has offered an official endorsement, as Sarah is still - shockingly - making up her mind.
The former Alaska governor and John McCain’s 2008 Republican running mate has yet to decide “who is best able to go up against Barack Obama,” Todd Palin said.
Todd, however, respects Gingrich for what he went through in the '90s and compared that scrutiny in public life to what Sarah Palin went through running for V.P.
Todd Palin said he believes being in the political trenches and experiencing the highs and lows help prepare a candidate for the future and the job of president.
He has not spoken to the Gingrich campaign and did not criticize any of the other GOP candidates and said his “hat is off to everyone” in the Republican race.
But Todd did point to last summer, when a large portion of Gingrich’s staff resigned and the candidate was left, largely by himself, to run the campaign.
Gingrich’s ability to overcome the obstacle and still move up in the polls showed his ability to campaign and survive, according to an impressed Todd Palin.
"Newt Gingrich is not one of the typical beltway types" and his campaign has “burst out of the political arena and touched many Americans,” he said.
No word if the First Dude plans to appear on the former House Speaker's behalf or if his wife will follow suit in the run-up to the South Carolina primary.
[Photos: WENN.com]
Newt Gingrich to Mitt Romney: Cut "Pious Baloney"
Mitt Romney has a sizable lead in most New Hampshire polls heading into the first primary of the Republican nomination race, but did he take on water today?
With the election set for Tuesday, Romney is expected to win, with Ron Paul in second in every survey to date. Thus, the rest of the field is playing catch-up.
Newt Gingrich, in particular, took Mitt to task today twice over:
- Romney's insistence that he is not a career politician
- His connection to Super PACs running attack ads
After Rick Santorum asked Romney why he didn't run for reelection in 2006 if he was such a successful governor, Newt told him to cut the "pious baloney."
Later, Gingrich chastised the deluge of negative ads run by pro-Romney PACs, and specifically Mitt's failure to disavow them in a public setting. Watch:
GOP Debate: Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich Spar on Foreign Policy
It's hard not to see how Dr. Paul got the better of this one.
At last night's GOP presidential debate in New Hampshire, Newt Gingrich was asked to respond to Ron Paul referring to has a Chicken Hawk in the past.
After a long-winded, largely irrelevant response by Gingrich, Paul said that description of Newt was correct, launching into his own opinions on veterans affairs.
When it comes to the power to wage war, and foreign affairs in general, Paul is unflinching in his views, even if they're diametrically opposed to his counterparts'.
Moreover, Paul reiterated that he, despite being married with children, served in the Vietnam War when drafted. Watch the heated exchange below:
