Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told The Daily Caller that his presidential campaign’s attacks on GOP nominee Mitt Romney‘s time at Bain Capital during the Republican primary did not help him in the race and will not work for President Barack Obama either.
TheDC asked Gingrich if he could have done anything differently in terms of his criticism of Bain in the primary.
“I think it did not help us, I mean, to be candid, maybe this is because it was in a Republican Party with conservatives, but I think it clearly did not help us. I think people thought first of all, it sounded like Obama; it sounded like a left-wing critique of all free enterprise,” Gingrich said in a video interview at The Daily Caller’s headquarters in Washington.
“The Romney people brilliantly wrapped themselves in free enterprise and said how can you be doing this, and I thought on balance it slowed the momentum of our campaign. I thought we actually had, were gaining ground better on other issues and that’s why I was a little surprised to see the Obama people take it up.”
Gingrich said he regrets criticizing Romney’s record at Bain.
“I think in the end Bain Capital doesn’t work as an issue, in fact, it reminds people this is a guy who knows how to create jobs,” he said. “If you have a really bad economy, who would you rather have? An academic like Obama or somebody who has actually been in business?”
Gingrich also accused the Obama campaign of “lying” about the most recent pro-Obama cancer ad.
“This is a methodically dishonest group, it’s astonishing to watch,” Gingrich said of the Obama campaign.
“They’re lying because they had the exact same person on their web site … no serious person believes they are doing anything but lying.”
For the full interview with Gingrich, check back to The Daily Caller.
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