2012 candidate discusses Monday's debate, his S.C victory and the Florida primary
What was your reaction to last night's debate? The audience was taken out of it and up until this point, the audience has been your fan.
NEWT: You know, I protested because Brian Williams took him out of it. I think it's wrong. He's scared that the audience is going to side with the candidates than the media. We will serve notice on future debates, we're not going to allow that to happen. That's wrong. Media doesn't control free speech. People ought to be allowed to applaud if they want to. It's almost silly. It's obvious that romney has a new debate coach. That's fine. He was aggressively delivering what he was saying.
It was fairly dishonest, as usual. But that's just part of the business. I'm going to continue to focus on president obama. I want to continue to focus on helping the housing situation which is so really, really difficult here in florida.
HOST: Newt, for the first time that i can remember, you're in the debate as the frontrunner. I understand that maybe the strategy changes. I know -- i saw your younger debate coaches so i'm not sure if you're rotating anybody else in.
HOST: The grandkids.
HOST: It was hard not to notice you were focusing more on the president and less on the others on the stage. Do you regret that strategy?
NEWT: No, i talked with maggie and robert before the debate and we, you know, they went through the drill and she's 12 and he's 10 but they've had good advice. We agreed that, you know, i should be positive and very seriously, they said look, be positive. Focus on obama. If the other guy attacks you, smile pleasantly. We talked about what do you do if there's a bully on the playground?
You have to not let them intimidate you. I thought my debate coaches came through last night and i was very comfortable. I didn't want to get into some kind of brawl with romney. What he's saying is patently untrue. We'll prove that at newt.Org and put up a section on romney's falsehoods but i want to focus my time talking with the american people about things like iran. Things like what's happening in egypt. Concerns we have for cuba and for south america.
HOST: True.
NEWT: Difficulties in our own economy. I think, you know, when you have a chance to have the nation with you, you ought to focus on things big enough that it will change the lives of people.
HOST: Sure. But, of course you're here this morning to talk a little bit about what you did talk about last night and you and mitt did have quite a spirited punch fest, if you will, he seemed to get under your skin, though, when he referred to you -- and i know you were a consultant much that's how you were defined by your contract with freddie mac. I know you were a consultant. He said, you know, more of a lobbyist and used the term influence pedaler a couple of times. That seemed to get under your skin.
NEWT: You know, somebody who is as wealthy as he is, as well educated as he is, who has been a governor, there ought to be some minimal level of honesty. When i first started running, several of his former to me, you need to understand this guy will be dishonest. We actually have a commercial up that shows both mike huckabee and john mccain talking about romney's dishonesty. It was sort of frankly surprising to stand next to this guy and have him say things that were so outrageously dishonest.
HOST: Sure. Pardon the interruption. What did he say in particular that you just said oh, that is such a big, fat lie. I can't take it.
