Is Newt caving? Gingrich calls on his super-PAC to correct inaccuracies or pull anti-Bain ads

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Newt Gingrich has called on the super-PAC funding a series of ads critical of Mitt Romney's job-creation record at Bain Capital to fix inaccuracies in the ads or remove them from the air.



“I am calling for the Winning Our Future Super-PAC supporting me to either edit its 'King of Bain' advertisement and movie to remove its inaccuracies, or to pull it off the air and off the internet entirely," Gingrich said in a statement released Friday.



“Furthermore, I am once again calling on Governor Romney to issue a similar call for the Super-PAC supporting him to edit or remove its ads which have been shown to contain gross inaccuracies, something the Governor has thus far refused to do."

Gingrich hopes that the call will help him regain the high road in what has become a blistering battle in South Carolina — and preempt a set of looming attack ads from pro-Romney groups upset by the Speaker's criticism of the presumptive Republican front-runner.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/204057-gingrich-calls-on-his-super-pac-to-correct-inaccuracies-or-pull-anti-bain-ads

Or cunning? Since the ads already made an impact.

Either way. I love Republican presidential primary season!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Newt isn't caving; he's playing games.

He knows he can't legally control the PAC; in fact, he's pushing the envelope at bit by just "calling on" it to edit the ad. But he's calling attention to it while at the same time seeming to placate the 1%-ers who don't like criticism of vulture capitalism, while also amping up his vendetta against Romney. Newt is evil, but you can't say he's stupid.

[denem]

6. + $10,000

[Richardo]

2. Um, Newt? You can't really 'pull something off the internet'.

You can take it off your site, but I wouldn't count on that to remove all copies, caches, etc.

[MisterP]

7. off! the! internet!

but more on topic, Gingrich is here pulling a Jack in the Box ploy--just like the restaurant can BOTH show us a terrible "Joombako" ad AND show the ad being denounced as terrible, Gingrich can both strike a major blow against Romney AND denounce the ad as anticapitalist (likewise Obama having his cake and eating it too, with anti-inequality speeches AND hard-neoliberal policies, or appointing both Cordray and Lew)

[Enrique]

3. he added, "anyone who wants to see it should watch it now"

"since I'm calling for my PAC to take it down"

[KansDem]

4. "Gingrich Claims Pressure from 'Extraordinarily Wealthy Institutions' to Drop Bain Criticism"

From "Democracy Now!"

Republican presidential candidates continue to flood South Carolina ahead of next week’s primary. Much of the campaign talk has focused on front-runner Mitt Romney’s record at the private equity firm Bain Capital, where he oversaw hundreds of job losses through buying and restructuring a number of companies. Romney’s rivals have cited his Bain tenure as evidence he’s a "job killer," but they’re now facing a major pushback from Republican and corporate-backed groups who fear their message will promote further resentment of Wall Street. On Thursday, Newt Gingrich said he’s received pressure from "extraordinarily wealthy institutions" to stop criticizing Romney’s record at Bain, saying they’ve told him: "You’d better shut up." At a speech in Washington, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donohue, defended Romney.

Thomas Donohue: "I think it’s just been foolish for the—for the Republicans to carry on that line of attack, because they’re not doing anything other than setting up the ad base for the—for their opponents. Romney, at least, has experience beyond most of the candidates throughout both parties in terms of having operated successfully in the global marketplace and in the free enterprise system."

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/1/13/headlines#4

[denem]

5. Who let the dogs out, Who? Who?

and a lot of free publicity. The film they tried to ban.

[EC]

8. They won't pull the ads,

and he'll say "well, I told them to stop"

[MGKrebs]

9. If they do pull the ads, isn't that "coordinating" with the campaign?

FEC violation!

[wtmusic]

13. Bingo. Two-edged swords really suck. nt

[bluestateboomer]

18. That was my thought too.

Those ads are "supposed" to be "independent". A la the Colbert Super PAC
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/405889/january-12-2012/indecision-2012---colbert-super-pac---coordination-resolution-with-jon-stewart

[Marie Marie]

23. That was my first thought.

Goes to show what a joke the rules govering these Super-PACs are.

[harmonicon]

26. exactly what I thought.

One of these things will eventually create a case that will end up in court.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. Even if Newtie is caving, the damage is indeed done. He has made Democrats' fight

easier.

Thanks, Newtie!!

[Iliyah]

11. I guess

Newt was sorta pissed huh?

Newt and his cronies can dish it out but can't take it, how repub is that - LOL

[jimbo92107]

12. How clever is Newt?

Hey, if his Super PAC does what he says, that might be interpreted as coordination, which the FEC says is illegal.
Therefore, Adelman must ignore Newt's call to back off.
Clever, clever Newt!

[DallasNE]

14. Ruthless Romney

When you dare to criticise Romney you can be sure the response will be immediate and ruthless -- a response he honed while CEO at Bain Capital. And something that needs to be called to attention far more than it been to date. Romney goes beyond mean to ruthless.

[jonthebru]

15. I tried downloading the video

but my effort did not work. I hope someone else got it on to their hard drive.
It gave details of only three of the vulture capitalist schemes that Mitt Romney, the probable Grandiose Opulent Pervert Party Presidential Candidate for 2012, hatched effectively destroying the lives of thousands of honest hardworking citizens.
The questions are: How many more schemes like these are there?

And: Will Americans reward this narcissist with the white house so he can further destroy peoples lives?

[grantcart]

16. now they will turn to abortion, pretty clever actually

[glowing]

17. Wink, Wink.. Super-Pac's cannot work in concert with

the candidate... So, they are allowed to continue on with their Super-Pac ways... LOL. Look at what unfettered corporate corruption has unleashed... Its become the "Bain" in the side of the Republicans who thought the Supreme Court ruling would help them out.. LOL

[Grateful for Hope]

19. Not sure.

I'd like to think he's caving.

[cbrer]

20. The Boot got Newt

This is a done deal. It's the manifestation that results from campaigning on a moral high road. Not only does NG have more baggage. It's more outrageous to the GOP fundamentalist right wing "backbone". Also, this man is less perceived to be able to beat the entrenched Liberal incumbent.

What's going to be interesting in 14-40 days is the battle of the economic recovery give aways, or magic bullets. Debt ceiling extension talks are under way. How that will be dealt with in the upcoming caucuses (cauci?) should be a hoot. Might even turn the tables for RP.

[southernyankeebelle]

21. Whatever happen to "Politics ain't bean bag"?

[pnwmom]

22. What inaccuracies? n/t

[fire_guy266]

24. Romney is a scumbag with a haircut

I saw the Ginrich adds. I think he was too easy on Romney. Romney takes credit for jobs he created for such companies as the Sports Authority. This actually true. The only problem was Bain was one of six companies that invested in the Sports Authority. Bain was not the lead in the deal. So, if you do the math, how many jobs did he create? You also need to remember to subtract all the jobs that he eliminated from the companies that he bankrupted. The best that the GOP has is a fat cat who moved wealthy investor's money around to game the system and make them more money. Mitt would put people out of work and on the street. He didn't lose any sleep over that. Mitt is a disgrace and he is what's wrong with the country. Companies like Bain Capital don't make anything. I can't wait until November.

[cstanleytech]

25. Did he just commit a crime new? Newt I mean because I thought that by law they "cannot" communicate

with these Super PACs?

[Major Hogwash]

27. Gingrich's guy was on Matthews this evening and he said . . .

"Wha? We didn't say anything wrong."

Then he acted like he hadn't coordinated with Noot about what type of ads to use against Romney.

5 minutes later Matthews played a tape from Colbert's tv program from Thursday night where he said he was going to jump into the South Carolina race and he turned control of his Super Pac over to Jon Stewart, who both agreed they wouldn't coordinate with each other.
*wink wink*

It was classic Colbert.
And classic Matthews that he just had a real, in-the-flesh Pacman on his program and then used Colbert's tape to totally expose him as a complete and utter fraud.

Oh, the irony was soooo ironic.

[rebel999]

28. All Republicans are capitalistic pigs!

Capitalism has it's good side and it's bad side. The Republicans represent the bad side. Mr. Romney brags about creating jobs in the private sector yet most of the jobs he createde were in the retail industry which is an easy marketplace to create jobs. After all you will go to Staples to buy something you need and not go to the Far East to buy it. But how many manufacturing jobs did Romney create and how many manufacturing jobs did he cut?! Read my web page at www.mybetteramericaplan.com to see why and how the Republicans are bad for America.

[underpants]

29. Got caught lying again huh Newt?

[denem]

30. No - it's Romney who faking it.

I don't think the Sargent Shultz defense I know nothing is going to cut it this time. I cant talk and chew chumps at the same time. Nup.

[jmowreader]

31. I'm not sure Newt really wants the King of Bain stuff pulled

What he WANTS is for the Romney super-PAC to pull its anti-Gingrich ads.

I don't envy the GOP: their top-three guys are all corrupt and all the kind of scumbag The Real America hates--one is a corporate raider, one a lobbyist and the third a senator. Okay, that's good for our side--but it's not so hot for the people who claim to be America's Morality Party.

[johnnyrocket]

32. Woah, timeout... I thought Super-PACs could NOT coordinate with candidates!!

It's the law...what the hell is going on here? This SuperPAC pro-Romney, that one's got Newt's back. All shady, and should be totally illegal.

Where the hell is the FEC?

[Lil Missy]

33. He's not caving, he's lying and pulling (another) con. n/t