(Original photos: Mike Segar, Lucas Jackson and Chris Keane/Reuters)
A return of Newt "Occupy" Gingrich?
Newt Gingrich on Monday accused Mitt Romney of not understanding the importance of lowering gas prices because his rival is “rich enough,” as he shot back at the former Massachusetts governor for recently calling his promise of $2.50-per-gallon gasoline a “pander.”
“If you’re Mitt Romney and you’re rich enough, maybe you don’t get it — $2.50-per-gallon of gasoline is more than responsible,” Gingrich said on “Fox & Friends.” “It was a $1.13 when I was speaker, it was a $1.89 when Barack Obama was sworn in as president.”
It's been about six weeks since Newt Gingrich has "gone there" on Mitt Romney's wealth and track record at Bain, but even though the GOP establishment flipped out at him for doing it, when Gingrich wielded them as weapons against Romney, he was rewarded with a huge South Carolina win. But since then—perhaps at the request of his sugar daddy, Sheldon Adelson—Gingrich has shut his trap.
Gingrich's "class warfare" attack might have just been a random blurt, but even if that's all it was, it shows that Gingrich is still willing to hit Mitt Romney where it hurts. His presence on the ballot may ultimately help Mitt Romney win the nomination by taking votes from Rick Santorum, but saying things like this still hurt Romney's overall image. Gingrich might be the longest of longshots, but he still thinks he's got a chance of winning—and he knows where Romney's weak spot is.