CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- While Newt Gingrich seemed to enjoy the media spotlight during the Republican National Convention, with journalists flocking to his "Newt University" courses -- even at times filling one-third of the room -- the former House speaker called out the Washington media on Sunday for having "reached new levels of absurdity" in Tampa, Fla.
"Completely at a loss for truthful or substantive criticism yet determined to derail the Romney-Ryan ticket, they resorted to accusations of imagined racism," Gingrich wrote in an email blasted out from his Gingrich Productions account.
"To listen to some TV commentators, you'd think that conservatives oppose President Obama out of prejudice," he continued. "Indeed, the charge that Republicans were using their convention to race-bait was leveled again and again and again through the week."
In the email, Gingrich specifically mentioned one "TV commentator" -- MSNBC's Chris Matthews -- while otherwise taking vague swipes at "media personalities," "media commentators" and the "elite media." During a Tampa appearance on "Hardball," he took issue with Matthews suggesting that Gingrich's own description of Obama as the "food stamp president" had a racial element.
Gingrich's harsh take on Republican Convention coverage is reminiscent of his media-bashing presidential campaign -- from a top adviser poetically decrying media "minions" early on to the candidate sparring with primary debate moderators like Fox News' Juan Williams and CNN's John King.
However, on the campaign trail, Gingrich could often be found palling around with journalists off camera. And for all his media criticism this past year, he continues to be a mainstay of cable news green rooms -- except at Fox News lately -- and a frequent guest on the Sunday morning chat shows. Gingrich made his 42nd appearance Sunday on "Meet the Press," during which he suggested there's a double standard in how the media covers the Democratic and Republican party platforms.
During the Republican convention last week, Gingrich even made a bit of media news himself. Talking up his own ambitions, he told New York magazine at one Newt University seminar that he and wife Callista "are exploring whether or not we could do a daily show."
المشاركات
