LAS VEGAS, NV — Newt Gingrich called an unorthodox post-caucus press conference Saturday night to assure the press that not only was he in the race for the long haul, but that he had only begun to go negative against Mitt Romney.
“I am a candidate for president of the United States, I will be a candidate for president of the United States, we will go to Tampa,” he said, referring to the site of the 2012 Republican convention. He blamed the Romney team for leaking rumors of a withdrawal to the press, which he called “their greatest fantasy.”
The presser, which was held in the opulent Venetian/Palazzo hotel and casino owned by top Gingrich backer Sheldon Adelson, was a surprising move — usually campaigns deliver a speech before supporters after a state contest. Confused reporters could be spotted wandering the massive property in search of the event in the hour leading up to the press conference, where they were eventually joined by a handful of Newt supporters brought in to cheer him him as he arrived. A navy blue curtain covered the gold-flecked Corinthian columns behind Gingrich as he spoke.
For Newt, it was a chance to cut loose. After delivering an opening statement about his strategy, the event became a mostly casual and freewheeling conversation with the assembled reporters. “Did you miss me?” he said after being asked about his meetings with major donors in recent days.
Gingrich offered some new specifics on his strategy goals, saying he hoped to rack up “a series of victories which by the end of the Texas primary will leave us at about parity with Governor Romney.” That contest will be on April 3, a month after the Super Tuesday races. As for his fundraising, which is reportedly still lagging and suffering from high debt, Gingrich said he planned on running a lean operation that would rely on media appearances to help get his message out. Nonetheless, he said he was aware that “the entire establishment will be against us” and that “the scale of Wall Street money starting with Goldman Sachs will be amazing.”
But most of all, he spent the press conference ripping into Romney — his ads, his spending, his message, his factual accuracy, his record as governor, and even his belief in the nation’s founding documents.
“Unlike Governor Romney, I care very deeply about helping the poorest Americans,” he said. “I believe that the Declaration of Independence’s commitment that our creator endowed us with the right to pursue happiness extends to the poorest Americans and I think one of the great challenges of conservatism is to turn the safety net into a trampoline.”
He challenged Romney to one-on-one debate “anywhere, anytime” without the “gimmicks” his opponent used in two Florida debates where Gingrich admitted he had been flustered by Romney’s combative performance.
“I had nothing to say because I had never seen a person be so fundamentally dishonest,” Gingrich told reporters.
Gingrich said he intended to attack Romney from two fronts. First, by highlighting comments from George Soros indicating he expected the former Massachusetts governor to pursue similar policies to Obama, and second, by attacking his proposal to index the minimum wage to inflation, which he said would destroy low wage jobs.
“I’m actually pretty happy with where we are,” he said, “and I think the contrast between Governor Romney and me is going to get wider and wider and clearer and clearer over the next few weeks.”
Asked whether, after condemning Romney’s negative campaign at every turn, he would consider returning to a more positive one himself, Gingrich quickly slapped down the idea.
“No,” he said.”I tried that, any of you who were with me in Iowa saw that.”
“It’s harder to get your profession to cover totally positive speeches,” he (sort of) joked.