Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich thought he was about to deliver a lecture on brain science and other policy issues at the University of Iowa medical school building yesterday. But some in the crowd had other ideas.
While giving his opening remarks, the Republican front runner found himself mike-checked by a group of Occupy Wall St. protesters who had infiltrated the talk and were prepared to give him hell.
“Mike-check, mike-check. Mr Gingrich we are here to protest your speech today,” the protesters chanted as the Republican candidate launched into his speech.
Gingrich stood at the podium caught off guard as he was forced to watch a group of about a dozen protesters in the 250 seat auditorium read off a list of complaints. The group accused Gingrich of having a callous and arrogant attitude towards the poor, of demonizing welfare mothers during his time as Speaker of the House during the 1990s, and of using recent remarks to support the return of child labor, among other issues.
As 2 of the protesters were escorted from the room, Gingrich said: “I appreciate the fact that 95% of you — maybe even 99% of you — wanted to actually have an intelligent discussions and are not going to be drowned out by the 1% who imposed their will by making noise.” He then attempted to continue with his speech.
But just as Gingrich began to settle comfortably into his remarks regarding his political expertise, someone in the crowd told Gingrich the only expertise he could claim was in cheating on his wife. “You talk about money not being everything but you have taken plenty of short cuts to get your millions publishing your books and marketing them,” the protester said. “It seems like you have a PhD in cheating on your wife.” OUCH!
In recent days, Gingrich has been on the receiving end of a slew of attacks from detractors as well as fellow conservatives, who are hell bent on bringing his presidential hopes crashing down to an end.
<span>The looong knives are out for Mr. "intellectual"..HAH. He's being sliced and diced by ALL factions, it seems, save his talibangelical and teajihadist supporters, aka the GOP *base.* Well…we'll see how long Newt can maintain his cool while navigating some mighty hostile waters. In related news….the editors over at National Review Online (NRO), a very infuential "Conservative" commentary weblog, have come out Hard against Newt setting off a major firestorm among its readers. NRO: "Winnowing the Field" Excerpt: Gingrich’s colleagues were, however, right to bring his tenure (as Speaker) to an end. His character flaws — his impulsiveness, his grandiosity, his weakness for half-baked (and not especially conservative) ideas — made him a poor Speaker of the House. Again and again he combined incendiary rhetoric with irresolute action, bringing Republicans all the political costs of a hardline position without actually taking one. Again and again he put his own interests above those of the causes he championed in public. [….] Read:… Read more »