Gingrich says he would present “widest choice” versus Obama

During a town hall meeting at Nationwide Insurance in Des Moines, Newt Gingrich presented himself as the person who would provide, as the GOP presidential nominee, the “widest choice in American history” in a general election match-up with President Obama.

He started by talking about the “visionary” Abraham Lincoln, who began advocating for building railroads before he had ever seen rails or a locomotive.

“Up until the mid-1960s, we were a country that believed in the future,” Gingrich said, adding the nation’s “elite culture” has a “negative and frightened” attitude toward innovation and progress.

“You don’t get very far into the future if you hide from it,” Gingrich said. “…I think we need a serious, in-depth conversation about the mess we’re in…This mess has been growing for 30 years. ”

Gingrich repeated a theme he’s struck before on illegal immigration, jokingly suggesting that the way for authorities to track down illegal immigrants in America is send them a package via FedEx or UPS.  “And then when we’re delivered we know exactly where they are,” Gingrich said, getting a wave of laughter from the audience.

Gingrich then took pains to ensure everyone in the room knew this idea was “hyperbole and that was not a serious proposal.”

Gingrich touched on a number of different themes, including “gasahol”.  He said “economic nationalism makes sense” in regards to ethanol, Gingrich said, repeating some of the ideas he talked about last winter in Des Moines.  He closed his remarks, as he normally does, by asking people not to be “for me” but “with me.”   Question and answer time began.  I’ll be back with a separate post on that.