BURLINGTON, Iowa ? Newt Gingrich has had his highs in Iowa. But with hours to go before the start of caucuses that polls show have slipped away from him, he was at a low all day long on Tuesday.
On his final day of campaigning in Iowa, he made two final speeches before small, unenthusiastic crowds ? and didn?t do much to change the mood. At the first stop, there was no introduction music. There were no signs waving. No chants from the crowd. There was barely a crowd, leaving enough room for every reporter to get a seat and for people to move around the room with ease. A couple seated in the middle of the room got up and left early, exiting the room without causing a disruption.
Continue ReadingEven with all the caffeine flowing at that coffee shop, those that stayed remained sedate.
Gingrich?s tone was calmer, too. Proven crowd-pleaser lines ? like when he ?concedes? that he will let Obama use a teleprompter during debates ? drew laughter, but not the kind of applause they have before.
Gingrich himself was back wandering off message, departing on a long digressions about the Federalist Papers and Adam Smith?s economic theory.
Gingrich said the lack of enthusiasm he?s generating isn?t a problem for the kind of campaign he?s running.
?These people are so intense and so serious and the talks I give tend to be so much about government policy that people really get into it,? Gingrich said when asked about the lack of excitement in his crowds Tuesday.
He said his campaign is reach thousands of people, particularly through tele-town halls that dial Republican voters and allow them to answer questions. He?ll host a final one in Iowa just before voting starts.
His insistence on taking questions at the two events led him even more off message.
One woman asked how to stop the spread of socialism at colleges and universities. Another wanted to know how to protect ?rednecks like me? from having her guns taken.
It prompted him to talk about the need for National Rifle Association chapters in Sudan to stop the killing of innocent people ? not an issue likely to drum up much enthusiasm from the Republican base.
A supporter trying to thank Gingrich for talking about issues mentioned at least four times that Gingrich has ?baggage,? offering a reminder for the rest of the crowd who are already seeing a barrage of attack ads.
Then, Newt unprompted brought up his television advertisement with Nancy Pelosi.
?I was stupid,? he said. ?I had no idea how radioactive she would become.?
The final stop on Monday night was at a bowling alley and martini bar in his hotel for the night in Davenport. There were empty seats in the lounge area. He spoke for about two minutes, shook hands and then went to the hotel restaurant to eat.
A staffer, who has been battling being sick, leaned against the wall holding two beers, drinking from both of them at the same time.
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