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Romney Campaign Press Release - Newt's Moon Talk is Cheap - But His Promises are Expensive

February 08, 2012

"Speaker Gingrich just doesn't seem to get it. Our staggering national debt and recurring deficits are jeopardizing America's fiscal future — yet he attacks critics of his moon base proposal for being 'cheap' and 'stingy.' Combined with his record as the 'granddaddy of earmarks' and his past criticism of fiscal conservatives, it's not surprising that his campaign hasn't left the launch pad." —Amanda Henneberg, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Yesterday, Gingrich Argued That Anyone Opposing His Moon Colony Proposal Is "Cheap":

Gingrich, On Those Critical Of His Moon Colonization Plan: "They're Cheap." GINGRICH: "This is the difference between the Republican establishment, which is the cheap version of the Democratic establishment. I mean, why did my two Republican competitors instinctively decide we couldn't go into space? Because they're cheap." (Newt Gingrich, Remarks in Dayton, OH, 2/7/12)

Newt Went On To Rail Against The Very Idea Of Cutting Government Spending:

Gingrich: "I Am Not Into Some Idea That Says, Oh Gosh, We're Going To Have To Cut This And Cut That ... And We're Going To Somehow Cut Our Way Into A Better Future." GINGRICH: "This campaign — in the Republican Party — is about two very different philosophies. I am not into austerity and pain. I am not into some idea that says, oh gosh, we're going to have to cut this and cut that and cut the next thing. And you're going to have to take a cut in Social Security, and you're going to take a cut in Medicare, and you're going take a cut in something else and we're going to somehow cut our way into a better future." (Newt Gingrich, Remarks in Columbus, OH, 2/7/12)

Gingrich: "This Is Not A Country Which Is Stingy." GINGRICH: "This is a race where there's a big difference between Newt Gingrich and Romney and Santorum. Both of them said, 'Oh no, this — we can't go do this.' Well, let me tell you, this is not a country which is stingy." (Newt Gingrich, Remarks in Columbus, OH, 2/7/12)

A Reminder — The Gingrich Lunar Colony Could Cost Up To Half A Trillion Dollars:

Gingrich's Plan Could Ultimately Cost Half A Trillion Dollars. "In 2004, when President George W. Bush introduced a space exploration initiative that aimed to establish a base on the moon costs were projected to be about $100 billion through 2020. President Obama, however, canceled the mission in 2010, because it was running behind schedule and was costing too much money. ... John Logsdon, professor emeritus at George Washington University and founder of the school's Space Policy Institute ... says a similar mission today could cost somewhere between $250 billion to $500 billion." (Blake Ellis, "Newt's Moon Colony: What Would It Cost?" CNN, 1/30/12)

America Is Burdened With Over $15 Trillion In National Debt And Is On Track For Four Straight Years Of Trillion-Dollar Deficits:

The National Debt Recently Hit $15.3 Trillion — And Is Still Climbing. (U.S. Treasury Department, www.treasurydirect.gov, 2/7/12)

The CBO Now Projects A Fourth Consecutive Year Of A Budget Deficit Exceeding $1 Trillion. "For the fourth year in a row, Washington faces a $1 trillion-plus deficit and just servicing the nation's debt will soon cost as much as paying for Medicaid ... Indeed the $1.079 trillion deficit now projected for the 2012 fiscal year ending Sept. 30 is wider than what the added CBO had predicted in August..." (David Rogers, "Congressional Budget Office Reports Another $1 Trillion Deficit," Politico, 1/31/12)

Gingrich's Comment Is The Latest Reminder That He Has Never Been A Small-Government Fiscal Conservative:

Gingrich Has Said He Does Not "Favor ... Passive, Lean, Inactive Government." QUESTION: "Several years ago you described yourself as a 'Jeffersonian populist.' Could you please explain that?" GINGRICH: "It's one of the points I make to conservatives who often describe themselves as 'Jeffersonian conservatives.' It usually means they want passive, lean, inactive government. That I would never favor, nor did Jefferson." ("A Conversation With Newt Gingrich," The Ripon Forum, 5/89)

Earmarks Doubled During Gingrich's Four Years As Speaker, Opening The Pork-Barrel Floodgates For The Next Decade. "Over the next four years, while Gingrich was speaker, the number of earmarks doubled to more than 6,000 projects, while total earmark spending increased by more than 30 percent, according to data from the Congressional Research Service. ... The use of earmarks took off under Gingrich and continued to escalate over the next decade, peaking at $31 billion for 11,320 projects in 2010, according to congressional data." (Kimberly Kindy and Dan Eggen, "Expansion Of Earmarks While Gingrich Was Speaker Could Alienate Tea Party Voters," The Washington Post, 6/8/11)

"'Speaker Gingrich Set In Motion The Largest Explosion Of Earmarks In The History Of Congress,' Said Tom Schatz Of Citizens Against Government Waste." (Jonathan Karl and Gregory Simmons, "Newt Gingrich: Big Spender," ABC News, 12/15/11)

After Pushing Through A Pork-Laden Spending Bill Weeks Before His Resignation, Gingrich Slammed Fiscal Conservatives As "Perfectionists" Who Did Not Understand Compromise. "As in the House, the Republicans in the Senate were unhappy with the final package. ... One of the angriest Senators was John McCain, Republican of Arizona, who compiled a 52-page list of 'objectionable items' in the bill ... He took strong issue with Speaker Newt Gingrich's characterization on Tuesday night of conservative opponents of the bill as 'perfectionists' who did not understand compromise." (Katharine Q. Seelye, "Spending Bill, Laden With Pork, Is Signed Into Law," The New York Times, 10/22/98)

"The Dispute Still Festers Among Many Conservatives, Especially After Gingrich Chided Them On The House Floor As The 'Perfectionist Caucus.'" (Guy Gugliotta and Juliet Eilperin, "House Leadership Challenge Weighed," The Washington Post, 10/30/98)

Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - Newt's Moon Talk is Cheap - But His Promises are Expensive Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/299941

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