bizSearchGingrich says win in Delaware could be springboard
Republican brings conservative message to 9-12 Delaware Patriots
Millsboro — Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich brought members of the Delaware 9-12 Patriots to their feet several times during an April 5 speech at the Millsboro fire hall.
The biggest spontaneous standing ovation from the crowd of more than 300 people came when Gingrich talked about his ideas for energy independence. "I want to ensure that a future president never bows to a Saudi king again," he said. Gingrich said opening federal lands and more offshore areas to oil drilling would create millions of new jobs and add trillions of dollars in royalties to help offset the federal budget deficit.
“This is the first step to a balanced budget,” he said.
The former Speaker of the House said victory in the Delaware primary Tuesday, April 24, could serve as a springboard to more wins. "A win in this state changes things and sends out a signal to the remaining states," he said. "People and ideas beat money and machinery. I recruit you to help me."
Delaware has 17 delegates up for grabs.
He said he was in the race all the way to the Republican convention in August in Tampa, Fla. Gingrich said his supporters want a conservative voice to bring real change to Washington, D.C. And he had a few words for Republican front runner Mitt Romney. "Part of the debate for the next two months ought to be, is he prepared to say up front that he wants a conservative platform?” Gingrich asked.
Also included on Gingrich's platform is returning more power to the states and reform of the government management system complete with measures and expectations to gauge performance of government workers. “With a more modern management system we could save $500 billion a year,” he said.
Gingrich said he would push for a new innovative brain science project in a public/private partnership with the National Institutes of Health for more research into diseases such as Alzheimer's, autism and Parkinson's. “If we could postpone Alzheimer's disease by five years, we could save $6 to $8 trillion between now and 2013,” he said.
Reform is also needed in the Federal Drug Administration, he said. “They should be taking the science to the patients as rapidly as possible,” he said.
According to Gingrich, that is not taking place. “The FDA is obsolete and is backwards in the way it's supposed to work,” Gingrich said.
Gingrich, who was introduced by his wife Callista, said the Republican message needs to be more than an anti-Obama effort, but a vision for a better America, yet he would still like to face off with the president. "I stay in the race because of the prospect of debating Obama. That keeps pushing us forward," he said.
Gingrich and his wife made several other stops in southern Delaware including the Delaware Electric Cooperative. They plan to return to Delaware to campaign prior to the April 24 primary.
Currently, Romney leads the Republican delegate count with 651 followed by Rick Santorum with 275, Gingrich with 138 and Ron Paul with 71. A candidate needs 1,144 delegates to clinch the nomination with 1,158 delegates still uncommitted.
THE GINGRICH FILE
Born Newton Leroy McPherson in 1943 in Harrisburg, Pa.
U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 6th District 1979 to 1999.
58th Speaker of the House from 1995 to 1999.
House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995.
Residence is McLean, Va.
Newt can keep his ideas in Georgia where people don't seem to see the hypocrisy of a man who marries and divorces wives every couple years, but sets himself up as a Christian spokesperson and tries to tell others how to live moral lives! Is he for real?