Round 2: Gingrich, Perry and Bachmann Address The Republican Jewish Coalition

By Scarlette Whyte

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he plans to take a few pages out of the Reagan playbook to help the economy. If elected president he will cut taxes, repeal Obamacare and reward job creators.

As for unemployment benefits Gingrich said there needs to be job training conditions tied to compensation. “We rebuild human capital not by paying people to do nothing,” the former speaker stated.

The crowd laughed when Gingrich said he would challenge the president to 7 three hour debates and let him use a teleprompter.

Texas Governor Rick Perry criticized President Obama’s handle on foreign policy. “He’s engaged in failed outreach and intellectual conversation with Iran,” Perry said.

Perry also said that Obama has turned his back on Israel. He made a biblical reference  by comparing himself to Nehemiah building the wall in Jerusalem. “Prayerfully he urged the people to keep building with a brick in one hand and sword in the other.”

The Texas Governor said if elected, he would cut down working days in Congress. “Let them go home and work a regular job and live under their laws.”

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) was last to speak at the RJC forum. Out the gate, she addressed the United States/Israel relationship. ” As president of the United States I will once again have Israel’s back.” She said that “Palestine must recognize Israel’s right to exist and condemn violence.”

As it relates to issues here at home, Bachmann referred to the Occupy Wall Street movement as the “Obama re-election team.” She went on to say that high tax rates are punishing job creators for politician’s greed.

Republican Jewish Coalition Hosts GOP Presidential Contenders

The Republican Jewish Coalition hosted six of the GOP Presidential candidates at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington D.C. Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum  kicked off the event by outlining his plan if elected.

When asked what a first week “Santourm Administration” would look like, the candidate said he would repeal Obamacare, get rid of regulations for businesses and “take a meat axe to the State Department”. 

Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman made light of his daughters’ infamous Youtube video when he took on stage.

He wasted no time taking jabs at the other GOP contenders, “I am not going to contort myself into a pretzel by signing pledges. I will not attend a Don Trump debate either,” Huntsman said.

There was a standing ovation as former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney walked up to podium. “We’ve had a lot of change and not a lot of hope,” Romney said about President Obama’s  leadership. Romney added that Obama wants to make America an entitlement society and not an opportunity society. “He does not understand America,” he said.

The former Massachusetts Governor said that a Romney presidency would repeal Obamacare, reduce the number of federal employees and put a halt on all regulations installed during the Obama administration.

Texas Governor Rick Perry, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will speak at the RJC forum later this afternoon.

Poll: Gingrich Leads Iowa

Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich appears to hold a comfortable lead over Mitt Romney in Iowa, the first battleground state of the 2012 election season.

According to a new Washington Post-ABC poll,  33 percent of likely caucus-goers would vote for the former Speaker of the House. In comparison, Mitt Romney and Texas Congressman Ron Paul both come in with 18 percent. Rick Perry, at 11 percent, is the only other candidate to score double digits.

The poll initially included Herman Cain. However, after the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO left the race this weekend, his supporters’ second choices were selected instead.

Interestingly, the poll found that more likely caucus voters trust Gingrich to handle the economy over Romney, a former CEO at Bain Capital, by 27 to 20 percent. 

The Iowa Caucus is scheduled to take place on January 3rd. The poll was conducted between November 30th and December 4th among 858 potential Republican caucus-goers and 356 likely caucus-goers.

The full results can be seen here.

Poll: Gingrich Benefitting Most From Cain's Departure

Former House Speaker and GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich is basking in the aftermath of pizza mogul Herman Cain’s campaign suspension announcement on Saturday. 

According to a Poll Position survey, Gingrich now holds a double digit lead over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Gingrich is likely reaping the benefits of Cain’s weekend announcement, raking in 37 percent support from likely voters. Romney, on the other hand, continues to rake in the 23 percent that he’s seen throughout the camapign. 

Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), along with Texas Governor Rick Perry, are only seeing single digits with 7, 6 and 3 percent, respectively. Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum round up the GOP field, each earning 2 percent support.

Gingrich is now building a wider support base, specifically among conservatives who are searching for the best alternative to Romney. With Cain’s supporters now on the hunt for a new candidate to support, the remaining candidates are sure to see an influx, but the first post-Cain poll indicates that those voters are already signing on to the Gingrich campaign. 

With less than a month before the Iowa caucuses, the remaining candidates are making moves to shepherd the wandering Cain supporters. Perry is now calling himself “the only Washington outsider left,” and Bachmann said Sunday that a number of Cain supporters have been calling her campaign offices. 

With reports circling about a possible Cain endorsement of Gingrich, it’s clear the former Speaker will benefit most from the pizza mogul’s departure. 

Ron Paul Boycotting Trump Debate

Presidential hopeful Ron Paul will not be attending a debate later this month that will be moderated by real estate mogul Donald Trump.

In a statement released this weekend, the Paul campaign said that the decision to include Trump was “beneath the office of the Presidency and flies in the face of that office’s history and dignity.”

The campaign specifically pointed to Trump’s ongoing stint as the host of the NBC program The Apprentice its offshoot the Celebrity Apprentice.

“Mr. Trump’s participation will contribute to an unwanted circus-like atmosphere,” Jesse Benton, the Paul campaign’s national chairman, said.

In addition, the Paul campaign cited Trump’s public flirtation with a possible 2012 run.

“[Trump toyed] with the serious decision of whether to compete for our nation’s highest office, a decision he appeared to make frivolously,” Benton said.

Paul’s decision to sit out of the debate is not the first time the Texas Congressman and Trump have been at odds. During an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this year, Trump remarked that Paul had no chance of being elected President. In response, Paul gave an interview in which he blasted Trump for never winning elected office himself.