Survey a room of Newt Gingrich supporters and one main common theme always arises; they eagerly await the general election when Gingrich will easily waltz past Barack Obama in every debate. Newt has always thought highly of his skill at the podium. Throughout the fall and winter his stump speech has included a promise that, should he gain the nomination, he will challenge Obama to a series of seven Lincoln-Douglas style debates with no moderator. He took that pledge a step further on Thursday, stating that he would bypass the normal debate commissions. "I would reject the so-called debate commission this fall," he said," because we have had enough of newsmen deciding what the topics are going to be."
Colonel Michael Steele of Black Hawk Down fame introduced Gingrich at the event and threw out the suggestions that broadcasting the Gingrich general election debates on pay-per-view could help solve at least a part of the national debt problem.
The crowd largely agreed. "That's the one thing about Newt, if he loses he'll lose on the issue," said Ernie Masters, an undecided voter who spoke highly of Gingrich following the event. "I just can't be convinced he's the fighter Newt is," Masters said of Mitt Romney.
