Gingrich: Romney carpet-bombing me

Newt Gingrich, who secured Herman Cain's endorsement ahead of tomorrow's Florida primary, has lashed out at the "establishment" for trying to block his path to the Republican nomination and accused his main rival, Mitt Romney, of using his cash-rich campaign to "carpet-bomb" him into oblivion.

Gingrich, who is waning in the polls, played insurgent pitted against the old guard. It is a strategy that has glaring contradictions but taps into Romney's weaknesses: that he is seen by many as a dull, status quo elitist who has more money than empathy.

"Governor Romney has the ability to raise an amazing amount of money out of Wall St. And he has a basic policy of carpet-bombing the opponent," the former House Speaker said yesterday.

Romney is outspending him three-to-one in TV and radio advertising.

The fight is creating a class schism in the party that echoes the ascent of the anti-establishment Tea Party two years ago. While the leadership is not wild about Romney, the notion of a Gingrich nomination causes instant nausea. "If Gingrich is the nominee it will have an adverse impact on Republican candidates running for county, state, and federal offices," the former Senator and Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole wrote in the National Review.

But Gingrich has cavalry of his own. As well as Cain's backing, Sarah Palin, who built her career tilting at the Republican establishment in Alaska, stopped just short of an endorsement. "You've got to rage against the machine ... to defend our republic and save what is good and secure and prosperous about our nation," she said. "We need somebody who is not afraid to shake up the establishment. So, if for no other reason, annoy a liberal, vote Newt."

Nonetheless, the former House Speaker looks to be heading for a crash tomorrow. A Marist Poll gives Romney a 15-point lead. Romney is favoured to gain momentum beginning with a likely win next weekend in the Nevada caucuses.

But Gingrich vowed at the weekend to stick with it for the long haul whatever the Florida result. At a Florida rally Gingrich won standing ovations with a succession of conservative bromides including pledges to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and to make English the official language of government. And he vowed to get started even before his inauguration. "By the time Barack Obama has landed in Chicago we will have deconstructed 40 per cent of his programme," he declared.

He wants to be the outsider YET he served in Congress from 1979 to 1999, four years as speaker.

So, who is the real Newt?

He wants to be Main Street guy versus rich-brat YET peddled his influence, earning about US$1.6 million ($1.95 million) from Freddie Mac.

He seeks the family values vote YET this description of him went viral: "Using children from your first wife to convince everyone that your second wife is lying about your third wife."

The republican race

January

4: Iowa caucuses (Rick Santorum)
11: New Hampshire primary (Mitt Romney)
22: South Carolina primary (Newt Gingrich)

February

1: Florida primary
5: Nevada caucuses
8: Colorado and Minnesota caucuses, Missouri primary
12: Maine caucuses
29: Arizona and Michigan primaries

March

4: Washington caucuses
7, Super Tuesday:
Georgia primary
Massachusetts primary
Ohio primary
Oklahoma primary
Tennessee primary
Texas primary
Vermont primary
Virginia primary
Alaska caucuses
Idaho caucuses
North Dakota caucuses
Wyoming caucuses
11: Kansas and US Virgin Islands caucuses
12: Hawaii caucuses
14: Alabama and Mississippi primaries
21: Illinois primary
25: Louisiana primary

April

4: Washington DC, Maryland and Wisconsin primaries
25: Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island primaries

May

9: Indiana, North Carolina and West Virginia primaries
16: Nebraska and Oregon primaries
23: Arkansas and Kentucky primaries

June

6: California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota primaries
27: Utah primary

August

28: Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida
Caucus: A meeting of party members and activists at which they choose which candidate to back for the party nomination.
Primary: A state-level election held to nominate a party's candidate for office.
National convention: The party assembly held every four years at which state delegates from across the country gather to nominate the party's candidates for president and vice-president.

- Independent