Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney slug each other in Florida GOP debate, but neither land knockout punch
Rivals trade haymakers just five days before crucial primary
Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich traded haymakers Thursday in a testy Republican debate - but the ex-Speaker couldn't land the KO insiders say he needed with Florida's crucial primary fast approaching.
The duo, desperate to open up a lead in the neck-and-neck Sunshine State polls, exchanged shots on hot-button Florida issues like immigration and home foreclosures.
Romney parried Gingrich's shot that he was the most "anti-immigrant" candidate in the GOP field, hitting back at the Georgian harder than he has in any previous debate.
"The idea that I'm anti-immigrant is repulsive," said Romney, noting his father was born in Mexico.
He took issue with Gingrich's more liberal policy on immigration and claim that under the former Massachusetts governor's plan, grandmothers and grandfathers would get the boot.
"Our problem is not 11 million grandmothers," Romney argued. "Our problem is 11 million people getting jobs that many Americans, legal immigrants, would like to have."
Romney also got in a sharp jab at his rival's loose-cannon tendencies. "This is the type of over-the-top rhetoric that has characterized American politics for too long," he said.
The Jacksonville debate was the 19th in a Republican race that has returned three different winners in the first trio of contests.
Thursday night's debate was critical for Gingrich, whose momentum from his South Carolina win has slowed somewhat — leaving him at risk of being drowned out by a pro-Romney advertising blitz.
Romney's better-financed campaign and its supporting super-PACs have blanketed Florida's airwaves in advance of Tuesday's primary, dwarfing the ads purchased by Gingrich and his allies.
But the ex-Speaker stumbled, failing to deliver a decisive blow in attacking Romney for not disclosing a Swiss Bank account or for having investments in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as in Goldman Sachs — which had investments linked to thousands of Florida foreclosures.
Romney, who has taken heat in recent weeks for his vast personal wealth owing to his years as a venture capitalist, defended himself by saying that his investments were made through a blind trust.
"Romney helped himself and stabilized his situation," an unaligned GOP political consultant said. "Gingrich performed well, but played more defense and never dominated. He peaked in South Carolina."
Romney did face a spirited challenge from Rick Santorum on the Massachusetts health care plan that he shepherded while governor, but he beat back Gingrich's punches — and slammed his odd plan to colonize the moon.
"If I had a business executive come to me and say I want to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, I'd say, ‘You're fired,'" Romney said.
Earlier in the day, the man whose job they want made it clear that he didn't care who came out ahead in the debate.
"Whoever their nominee is, they represent ideas that I think are wrong for America," President Obama said as he continued to barnstorm across swing states following his State of the Union address Tuesday.
The President stopped in Nevada and Colorado, touting his efforts to improve the nation's economy, before landing in Michigan for the night. He won all three states in 2008, but the trio is expected to be up for grabs this time around.
With Thomas M. DeFrank
jlemire@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...nti-immigrant-article-1.1012707#ixzz1kfPna3UL
Rivals trade haymakers just five days before crucial primary
Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich traded haymakers Thursday in a testy Republican debate - but the ex-Speaker couldn't land the KO insiders say he needed with Florida's crucial primary fast approaching.
The duo, desperate to open up a lead in the neck-and-neck Sunshine State polls, exchanged shots on hot-button Florida issues like immigration and home foreclosures.
Romney parried Gingrich's shot that he was the most "anti-immigrant" candidate in the GOP field, hitting back at the Georgian harder than he has in any previous debate.
"The idea that I'm anti-immigrant is repulsive," said Romney, noting his father was born in Mexico.
He took issue with Gingrich's more liberal policy on immigration and claim that under the former Massachusetts governor's plan, grandmothers and grandfathers would get the boot.
"Our problem is not 11 million grandmothers," Romney argued. "Our problem is 11 million people getting jobs that many Americans, legal immigrants, would like to have."
Romney also got in a sharp jab at his rival's loose-cannon tendencies. "This is the type of over-the-top rhetoric that has characterized American politics for too long," he said.
The Jacksonville debate was the 19th in a Republican race that has returned three different winners in the first trio of contests.
Thursday night's debate was critical for Gingrich, whose momentum from his South Carolina win has slowed somewhat — leaving him at risk of being drowned out by a pro-Romney advertising blitz.
Romney's better-financed campaign and its supporting super-PACs have blanketed Florida's airwaves in advance of Tuesday's primary, dwarfing the ads purchased by Gingrich and his allies.
But the ex-Speaker stumbled, failing to deliver a decisive blow in attacking Romney for not disclosing a Swiss Bank account or for having investments in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as in Goldman Sachs — which had investments linked to thousands of Florida foreclosures.
Romney, who has taken heat in recent weeks for his vast personal wealth owing to his years as a venture capitalist, defended himself by saying that his investments were made through a blind trust.
"Romney helped himself and stabilized his situation," an unaligned GOP political consultant said. "Gingrich performed well, but played more defense and never dominated. He peaked in South Carolina."
Romney did face a spirited challenge from Rick Santorum on the Massachusetts health care plan that he shepherded while governor, but he beat back Gingrich's punches — and slammed his odd plan to colonize the moon.
"If I had a business executive come to me and say I want to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, I'd say, ‘You're fired,'" Romney said.
Earlier in the day, the man whose job they want made it clear that he didn't care who came out ahead in the debate.
"Whoever their nominee is, they represent ideas that I think are wrong for America," President Obama said as he continued to barnstorm across swing states following his State of the Union address Tuesday.
The President stopped in Nevada and Colorado, touting his efforts to improve the nation's economy, before landing in Michigan for the night. He won all three states in 2008, but the trio is expected to be up for grabs this time around.
With Thomas M. DeFrank
jlemire@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...nti-immigrant-article-1.1012707#ixzz1kfPna3UL
