Newt Says Mitt's the 'Most Likely' Nominee, Pledges to Endorse Whoever the GOP Selects
Newt Gingrich appeared on Fox News Sunday and talked about his campaign, and what happens next for the Republican party. He wouldn't come outright and say he was endorsing Mitt Romney as the Republican nominee, but said that if Mitt does get 1144 delegates then he would support him:
"I think you have to be realistic. Given the size of his organization, given the number of primaries he's won, he is far and away the most likely Republican nominee. If he does get to 1144 delegates, I'll support him... I'll do everything I can this fall to help him beat Obama. The primary goal of the entire Republican Party has to be to defeat Barack Obama"
He also reflected on his campaign, saying he had "no regrets." He admitted to operating on a "shoe-string" budget and said he financed part of the campaign himself. He also said he's spoken with the RNC Chairman and offered to help in any way he could to help the eventual nominee:
"I'm glad I did this. For me it was important as a citizen to try to do some very important things to try to bring new ideas and new approach.
It turned out to me much harder than I thought it would be. It was the right for me to do in both my life and where I thought the country was. I have no regrets... I'll go back to a post-political career.
If I end up not being the nominee, I've already talked to Chairman Reince Priebus at the Republican National Committee. I'd want to work this fall to help defeat [President Obama] Obama in any way I could. whatever the team thinks I can do."
DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz appeared on CNN's State of the Union and responded to Republicans reactions to the latest job report, and defended the progress the President has made recovering the economy. She accused the GOP of rooting for economic failure:
"What’s really bothersome to me is that it almost seems like my Republican colleagues in Congress and Mitt Romney are rooting for economic failure. I mean, they’ve been hyper-focused on one job, Barack Obama’s, for really the last two years...
And Mitt Romney's plans, the Republican budget take they just put out in the House, they’re focused on making sure millionaires and billionaires can continue to do even better, and that's a pretty huge contrast,”
Watch Wasserman Schultz's interview about the economy here:
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Wasserman Schultz also spoke about the Republican party's recent "war on women":
“The focus of the Republican Party on turning back the clock for women really is something that’s unacceptable and shows how callous and insensitive they are towards women’s priorities... Because the policies that have come out of the Republican Party saying we should have to have a debate again over contraception and whether we should have access to it and it should be affordable, saying that like Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin, you know, he tried to quietly repeal the Equal Pay Act. Women aren't going to stand for that... Gov. Walker just signed a bill that repeals the equal pay law that they had in Wisconsin for years. You have Republicans that have engaged themselves for the entire Congress on trying to redefine rape as only being forceful rape, defunding Planned Parenthood and family planning programs.”
Senator Ron Johnson and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad appeared on Fox News Sunday and talked about the budget with host Brit Hume. Johnson accused the Democrats of not passing a budget in two years:
"You've got 23 Democratic Senate seats up, 16 of those Democratic Senators running for reelection. They don't want their fingerprints on a plan. That's why they didn't pass a budget the last two years."
"They don't want to pass a budget and actually commit to a plan that can be attacked."
Conrad fired back, saying August's Budget Control Act counts as a budget, which is purely a congressional document:
"This notion that we have not had a budget for three years is just wrong... Last year we passed the Budget Control Act. And If you read the Budget Control Act, it makes very clear that it stands in place of a budget resolution."
"What the Budget Control Act does is stand in place of a budget resolution. In many ways, it is stronger than a budget resolution."
"A budget resolution is purely a congressional document. Never goes to the president. The Budget Control Act is law."
Andrew Sullivan of Newsweek appeared on CBS's Face the Nation to debate religion with Richard Land, a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention. Sullivan criticized the involvement of religion in American politics, especially on the right. Lark defended the Republican Party, saying that Clinton mentioned God in his speeches more than George W. Bush ever did. You can watch a clip of their lively discussion here:
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Lark also suggested that Rick Santorum "ought to seriously consider leaving the race now." He called the decision to leave the race, "a very personal decision, and he's going to have to make that."
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NBC's Meet the Press hosted Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin to debate the economy. Kasich attacked the ability of the two parties to accomplish anything financially and advocated tax reform. Durbin fired back and threatened congressional hearings over the GSA spending scandal. Watch the whole discussion below:
CBS announced the death of Mike Wallace during a segment on Face the Nation.
