Newt Gingrich: Confidence in anti-media message

 (LIN) – As much as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., despises the mainstream media, they have twice indirectly propelled his momentum in the race for his party’s nomination.

The prelude to the first incident occurred in June 2011, when virtually all of Gingrich’s top advisers departed his campaign after calling him a “loose cannon.”

"To have the entire leadership of a campaign walk out of a door simultaneously this early in a campaign is really unprecedented, so it's really damaging to Mr. Gingrich," noted Darrell West, a political analyst from the Brookings Institution.

Gingrich took exception to the walkout and the media backlash, using the opportunity to reorganize the hierarchy of his organization. He opted for more of a grassroots approach instead of a traditional campaign structure loaded with top advisers.

 “The campaign begins anew Sunday in Los Angeles,” Gingrich said in response and his campaign train continued to chug along as he made a big summer push in Iowa for the January caucuses. But he still couldn’t shake the media’s spotlight on the walkout.

“Mr. Speaker,” said Fox’s Chris Wallace during the first Republican presidential debate. “In June, almost your entire national campaign staff resigned…how do you respond to people who say that your campaign has been a mess so far?”

Gingrich, obviously prepared for the question, let loose.

“Like Ronald Reagan,” Gingrich began. “Who had 13 senior staff resign the morning of the New Hampshire primary and whose new campaign manager laid off 100 people because he had no money…Like John McCain, who ran an inexpensive campaign. I’m running on ideas.”

He continued, “I took seriously Bret’s [Bair, Fox debate moderator] injunction to put aside the talking points. And I wish you would put aside the gotcha questions.”

It was the “gotcha questions” remark that generated a thunderous roar from the audience, and to Gingrich it became quite clear he’d found Republican support that will stand behind him in a fight against the mainstream media.

That strong debate moment helped him surge in the polls. It eventually forced supporters of frontrunners like former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., to release an array of negative advertising in response.

Gingrich’s second anti-media moment occurred this year in late January, when he brought his battle to South Carolina. He was already showing strong in the Palmetto State, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

On the first debate question of the night, CNN moderator John King quizzed Gingrich on adulterous revelations from his ex-wife, and Gingrich went off again.

"I think the destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern this country, harder to attract decent people to run for public office, and I am appalled that you would begin a presidential debate with a topic like that," he said to King amid thunderous applause.

The speaker surged and won South Carolina with 41 percent of the vote.

With strong confidence in his anti-media message, Gingrich threatens to boycott debates when audience participation is limited.

 “The media is terrified that the audience is going to side with the candidates against the media, which is what they’ve done in every debate,” said Gingrich of his decision.

But without any anti-media buzz-worthy debate moments since South Carolina, the former speaker has faded in the polls and sits in third place nationally. He will join the rest of the Republican presidential field for a critical debate Wednesday night in Arizona, where he will likely be eyeing another moment to change the shape of the race.