Newt Gingrich, speaking after his big victory last night, thanked the state’s voters for supporting him, praised his opponents and took a shot at the “elites in Washington and New York.”
“It is very humbling and very sobering to have so many people who so deeply want their country to get back on the right track,” he said to a huge crowd tonight.
He spoke highly of each of his GOP opponents, saying the diversity of the field shows “you can come from a wide range of backgrounds” and still “make your case” in America.
Rick Santorum, he said, “showed enormous courage in Iowa,” and praised his views on Iran.
Though he said he disagrees with Ron Paul on many issues, Paul “on the issue of money and the Federal Reserve has been right for 25 years.”
Mitt Romney, he said, is “a good example of an American” despite their differences, saying Romney had been successful in business and did good work with the 2002 Winter Olympics.
But Gingrich, reveling in his victory here, also took the opportunity to hit the “elites in Washington and New York,” saying they’re out of touch and “have no understanding, no care, no concern, no reliability and in fact do not represent them at all.”
“The American people feel that they have elites that have been trying for a half-century to force us to quit being American,” he said.
Gingrich also addressed the strong debate performances that helped fuel his last-minute momentum in the state.
“It’s not that I am a good debater,” he said. “It’s that I articulate the deepest values of the American people.”
He said the campaign is heading to Florida, full steam ahead: “With your help, we are now moving on to Florida and beyond,” he said.
{Burns and Haberman/Matzav.com Newscenter}
