GOP Debate: The Gingrich Sandbag & Santorum Blew It
For months now former Speaker Newt Gingrich has fielded allegations that he was paid $1.6 million by Freddie Mac for lobbying efforts, trying to tie him to the housing collapse and subsequent 2008 “Great Recession.” In last night’s debate, however, his answer was somewhat different than usual.
When faced with the $1.6 million – Freddie Mac – allegation from Mitt Romney last night Newt Gingrich said, paraphrasing, that he was not paid that money. He had a company with three offices that was paid $1.6 million and his income from that was only about $35,000 per year, the implication being that some of the money went to office/company overhead and the rest went to staff. He then looked at Mitt Romney and asked the gross income of Bain Capital and if that was considered his, Mitt Romney’s, income. The answer was clear.
If all of Gingrich’s answer last night was true, it was the perfect political sandbag over the past 6 months.
Rick Santorum was asked if increased drilling off Florida’s coast was worth the potential loss of tourism dollars in the event of a “BP-style oil spill” and he went off on some energy filibuster without actually answering the question.
The correct answer was, “there are over 4,000 oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, how many spills have you ever heard about? What if an asteroid hits earth tomorrow?”
