CEDAR RAPIDS — Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Thursday pleaded with a group of Linn County Republicans to help him revive a campaign that he said has been “savaged” by the media, so he could perform his own rescue mission — saving business from “centralized bureaucratic control.”
“You have a government whose attitude towards business is, at best, destructive. You have policies of regulatory overkill. You have threats of the cost of health care,” Gingrich warned a 50-person audience at the Cedar Rapids Country Club that included company presidents and entrepreneurs.
“Every time I talk to business leaders, I ask them, ‘How many of you are likely to hire somebody new?,’” he said. “And the answer is, ‘Not in the United States.’”
Gingrich proposed a plan modeled after former President Ronald Reagan’s policies of the 1980s that includes tax cuts, developing American energy sources and rolling back government regulation in the private sector. During Reagan’s time as president, Gingrich was a junior congressman from Georgia.
Equally important to the policy would be taking time to “psychologically build the morale of people who create jobs, constantly praising them, talking about how important they are and talking about how important work is, Gingrich said. “All you have today is the opposite.”
For Bob Latham, 68, president of Latham and Associates in Cedar Rapids, a presidential candidate must do more than talk about jobs, he said. His company offers scientific and technical consulting services.
The nation, Lantham said, needs a leader “who actually has a plan for getting this country back to work again.”
Latham dined on a croissant sandwich alongside Gingrich at a 10-person table prior to the 50-minute speech. He said he thought Gingrich’s message was thorough, but added that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is still his top choice for president.
Romney has largely been absent in Iowa, only making one visit to the first-in-the-nation caucus state so far this year. His second visit is scheduled for next week. However, Romney has been an early front-runner nationally, with a message of challenging President Barack Obama on his ability to create a good climate for jobs.
In contrast, the Gingrich campaign has suffered repeated blows since he declared his bid for president on May 11. He immediately had to do damage control after he said on NBC’s Meet the Press that U.S. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s Medicare plan is “right-wing social engineering” and “radical change.”
Reports of extravagant spending at Tiffany’s, a high-end luxury retailer, and allegations that some of Gingrich’s 1.3 million Twitter followers are paid, have also drawn unwanted attention.
Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond this week vehemently denied the Twitter allegation, calling it a lie and a smear. In June, all of Gingrich’s paid Iowa staff resigned, citing a lack of confidence. And financial reporting at the end of July showed the campaign more than $1 million in debt.
“The fact is the elite media savaged me for weeks,” Gingrich said Thursday. “We are gradually recovering. I am running in part because I think substance outlasts gossip, but I need your help. Iowa will be central to my future.”
The substance of the former speaker’s resume, which in addition to Congress includes writing more than 20 books and gaining stature as a public speaker and historian, impressed 63-year-old Cedar Rapids farmer Dwight Hughes.
“He understands history. He understands politics. He understands business. He’s an excellent communicator. He has a vision,” Hughes said. “I mean he has the whole package.”
As the owner of Hughes Nursery and Landscape, Hughes said looks for a candidate who understands private enterprise.
“We don’t need a whole lot of government intervention. The more that government comes in and puts in restrictions and rules and setbacks, more policies and procedures, it just holds back private enterprise,” Hughes said. “In my view, nothing happens in America until somebody sells something — until there’s commerce. And without commerce, you don’t have any tax money.”
Gingrich advocates replacing the Environmental Protection Agency, an “anti-farmer, anti-government” body, with an ‘Environmental Solutions Agency.’
For 63-year-old Gary Skogman, president of Midwest Home Distributors Inc., an undecided voter who attended the event just to gather more information, “clearing up the tax code” and a record of job growth are key signs of business-friendly governing. Midwest Home Distributors sells residential and commercial flooring products.
“They act like there’s only a certain tax out there, but there’s so many loopholes,” said Skogman, who remains undecided about which candidate he will support for 2012.
Gingrich said he wants to end the capital gains tax and abolish taxes on inheritance, as well as lower corporate taxes.
Though his campaign declined to bid on space at next week’s Ames Straw Poll, Gingrich encouraged anyone who might attend to cast a vote for him. He will continue campaigning in Iowa this week to drum up support.
