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Republican hopefuls trade greed jibes
Source: Agencies |
December 14, 2011, Wednesday
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NEWT Gingrich and Mitt Romney, the leading candidates in the contest for the Republican presidential nomination, exchanged accusations of greed as the campaign to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012 turns nasty in the final weeks before primary election voting begins.
Former House speaker Gingrich has become the frontrunner among Republicans, especially the deeply conservative voters who typically dominate the nominating process and who distrust Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and venture capitalist.
Until recently, Romney had been coasting at the top of the polls - albeit with just 20-25 percent backing - as the favorite of the more moderate party establishment.
Both men insist they are best suited to turn Obama out of the White House at the end of his first term.
The president remains vulnerable with voters disappointed with his handling of the economic recovery from the Great Recession.
Gingrich made his surprise move to the top of the polls through slick performances in a series of Republican debates and by playing the role of older and wiser conciliator among the seven candidates. Romney had largely avoided disputes with his fellow Republicans, choosing instead to level political fire at Obama.
But with Gingrich now in the lead nationally, Romney has refocused his campaign on his rival, who has shown himself at ease in returning acerbic barbs. It was Gingrich who led the Republicans to reclaim a majority in House of Representatives in 1994 after 40 years out of power.
The intensity of the Romney-Gingrich battle has risen as Iowa caucuses draw near. The January 3 Republican precinct meetings in that state, in which political activists cast votes for their favored candidate, is the first in the nation and can set a pattern for the series of state primary elections and caucuses that stretch on for months. The eventual nominee is determined according to a candidate's accumulation of delegates by the opening of the national convention in August.
On Monday, Romney called on Gingrich to return the estimated US$1.6 million he received for providing strategic advice to Freddie Mac, the quasi-government agency that guarantees home mortgages. Gingrich has said he acted as a historian, not a lobbyist.
"That would make him the highest-paid historian in history," Romney told Fox News Channel.
Gingrich countered quickly, saying that Romney should give back the millions he made at Bain Capital, a venture capital firm founded by Romney. Romney has been accused of making millions through massive layoffs and heartless cost-cutting at businesses acquired by Bain.
"If Governor Romney would give back all the money he's earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over the years at Bain, then I would be glad to listen to him," Gingrich said.
Neither man is paying attention to the five other candidates. Only Texas Representative Ron Paul is showing well in the Iowa polls, but is well behind Romney and Gingrich.
Former House speaker Gingrich has become the frontrunner among Republicans, especially the deeply conservative voters who typically dominate the nominating process and who distrust Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and venture capitalist.
Until recently, Romney had been coasting at the top of the polls - albeit with just 20-25 percent backing - as the favorite of the more moderate party establishment.
Both men insist they are best suited to turn Obama out of the White House at the end of his first term.
The president remains vulnerable with voters disappointed with his handling of the economic recovery from the Great Recession.
Gingrich made his surprise move to the top of the polls through slick performances in a series of Republican debates and by playing the role of older and wiser conciliator among the seven candidates. Romney had largely avoided disputes with his fellow Republicans, choosing instead to level political fire at Obama.
But with Gingrich now in the lead nationally, Romney has refocused his campaign on his rival, who has shown himself at ease in returning acerbic barbs. It was Gingrich who led the Republicans to reclaim a majority in House of Representatives in 1994 after 40 years out of power.
The intensity of the Romney-Gingrich battle has risen as Iowa caucuses draw near. The January 3 Republican precinct meetings in that state, in which political activists cast votes for their favored candidate, is the first in the nation and can set a pattern for the series of state primary elections and caucuses that stretch on for months. The eventual nominee is determined according to a candidate's accumulation of delegates by the opening of the national convention in August.
On Monday, Romney called on Gingrich to return the estimated US$1.6 million he received for providing strategic advice to Freddie Mac, the quasi-government agency that guarantees home mortgages. Gingrich has said he acted as a historian, not a lobbyist.
"That would make him the highest-paid historian in history," Romney told Fox News Channel.
Gingrich countered quickly, saying that Romney should give back the millions he made at Bain Capital, a venture capital firm founded by Romney. Romney has been accused of making millions through massive layoffs and heartless cost-cutting at businesses acquired by Bain.
"If Governor Romney would give back all the money he's earned from bankrupting companies and laying off employees over the years at Bain, then I would be glad to listen to him," Gingrich said.
Neither man is paying attention to the five other candidates. Only Texas Representative Ron Paul is showing well in the Iowa polls, but is well behind Romney and Gingrich.
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