As Newt Gingrich surges, rivals raise questions about his temperament
By JONATHAN MARTIN | 11/14/11 5:50 PM EST Updated: 11/14/11 6:04 PM EST
With Newt Gingrich emerging as serious contender, some Republicans are questioning his fitness for a general election campaign by seizing on comments the former speaker made in 2007 about Hispanics.
Making the case against bi-lingual education at a National Federation of Republican Women event, Gingrich said children should be taught "the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto."
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In the wake of his comments, Gingrich recorded a video in rudimentary Spanish, saying: "The words I chose to express myself were not the best."
"It is indicative of Gingrich's propensity to say crazy things off the cuff," said an adviser to one of the former speaker's presidential rivals. "He hasn't had the spotlight on him up until recently, and I think it's only a matter of time before he says something that's inexcusable, nutty, or insulting."
This adviser, who shared the video, also noted with some awe that the former speaker himself had last month blamed "Republican incompetence" for losing Latino votes.
"This video could be devastating to GOP efforts to court Hispanics if he were the nominee," said the adviser.
Asked what Gingrich's "ghetto" comments say about his discipline, a Gingrich spokesman suggested the candidate's performance so far in this campaign answered the question.
"The final merits of whether a candidate is capable of leading the country will be decided beginning in Iowa and going through Tampa," said Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond. "Based on what we’ve seen on the campaign trail so far in debates and other forums, there is no question that Newt Gingrich is capable of being commander-in-chief."
By JONATHAN MARTIN | 11/14/11 5:50 PM EST Updated: 11/14/11 6:04 PM EST
With Newt Gingrich emerging as serious contender, some Republicans are questioning his fitness for a general election campaign by seizing on comments the former speaker made in 2007 about Hispanics.
Making the case against bi-lingual education at a National Federation of Republican Women event, Gingrich said children should be taught "the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto."
Continue Reading
In the wake of his comments, Gingrich recorded a video in rudimentary Spanish, saying: "The words I chose to express myself were not the best."
"It is indicative of Gingrich's propensity to say crazy things off the cuff," said an adviser to one of the former speaker's presidential rivals. "He hasn't had the spotlight on him up until recently, and I think it's only a matter of time before he says something that's inexcusable, nutty, or insulting."
This adviser, who shared the video, also noted with some awe that the former speaker himself had last month blamed "Republican incompetence" for losing Latino votes.
"This video could be devastating to GOP efforts to court Hispanics if he were the nominee," said the adviser.
Asked what Gingrich's "ghetto" comments say about his discipline, a Gingrich spokesman suggested the candidate's performance so far in this campaign answered the question.
"The final merits of whether a candidate is capable of leading the country will be decided beginning in Iowa and going through Tampa," said Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond. "Based on what we’ve seen on the campaign trail so far in debates and other forums, there is no question that Newt Gingrich is capable of being commander-in-chief."