THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Newt Gingrich has launched a new political attack advertisement against his Republican rival Mitt Romney – accusing him of speaking French.
The advertisement by Mr Gingrich tries to draw an unflattering parallel with another Massachusetts politician, John Kerry, the Democrat who lost to George W Bush in 2004.
"The French Connection" paints Mr Romney as another tax-raising, moderate, elitist who will "say anything" to get elected – "anything". Over Parisian accordion music, it continues: "And just like John Kerry he speaks French too."
It then delivers its coup de grace: a clip of a promotional video Mr Romney recorded for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, which he served as chief executive.
"Bonjours, je m'appelle Mitt Romney," he says.
The snippet has already been used several times in a documentary, "When Mitt Romney Came To Town", released by supporters of Mr Gingrich to expose Mr Romney's "predatory" record as head of the corporate buy-out firm Bain Capital.
That attempt to denigrate Mr Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, has apparently backfired, with several prominent party figures deriding Mr Gingrich for attacking capitalism and free enterprise.
But Francophobic attacks on Mr Kerry worked in 2004 when feelings about French opposition to the Iraq war were running high. Republicans even said the senator "looked French" when it was learnt he had relatives in the country. » | Alex Spillius, Greenville, South Carolina | Friday, January 13, 2012
Newt, you're full of sh**! To attack a man for being able to speak French is low down. It shows that you have no style or class. You're a populist; and there should be no room for populists in the White House.
If you can't get to the White House on your own merits, then you don't deserve to be there. So go on home, and wait till the next election. By then you might have grown up. – © Mark
