By Luke Vargas
Newt Gingrich made a subdued return to the DC political scene Friday with remarks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s national conference.
After being introduced as a preeminent historian of the Civil War, European history, and an excellent choice to be Mitt Romney’s Secretary of State by Georgia Faith and Freedom Coalition Chair Tom Scott, Gingrich took the stage and set about commending the efforts of Republicans in pushing Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to victory in a contentious recall election two weeks ago.
“Imagine if Scott Walker had been defeated, how much [time] the elite media would have spent explaining that it was the beginning of the end of the Romney campaign, the beginning of the end of the right wing Republicans,” Gingrich said. “You haven’t quite seen the same level of exploration of what did it mean that all that money and all that union energy went in [to the recall effort], and they got beaten.”
Media hypocrisy was a regular theme of Gingrich’s unsuccessful campaign for the Republican campaign, which ended May 2 after victories in two primary states. Gingrich also resumed his long-running attacks on President Obama, noting that in contrast to his 2008 “Yes We Can” campaign slogan, Obama is “running this fall on the slogan, ‘why we couldn’t.’”
Although Gingrich criticized Mitt Romney during the primary campaign – regularly emphasizing that Romney’s record of healthcare reform in Massachusetts would invalidate one of the strongest arguments Republicans have against Obama – he assured the crowd today that he’s focused on ensuring a Romney win this November.
“We want to make it clear in a calm, pleasant, but direct way: Barack Obama and the values he represents, and the amateurish incompetence he has proven, are a direct threat to the survival of America as we know it, and defeating him is a national and patriotic duty,” Gingrich said.
Rick Santorum and Herman Cain, both of whom also fell short in their bids for the Republican nomination, will address the conference tomorrow, along with a remote appearance by Mitt Romney.
