Newt's Fourth of July

Newt walked the July 4th Parade in Clear Lake, Iowa on Monday. He estimates that in his career he has walked 150 parade routes.

Jennifer Jacobs quotes him when he was asked about the campaign: "Did there seem to be enough support to proceed?" Gingrich told reporters after the parade. "I just wish all the guys in Washington would come out and walk one parade with me and go to one town hall meeting with me. I think they’d have a different attitude."

From The New York Times:

"The attention comes and goes," Mr. Gingrich said, reciting rhythms of the Republican presidential race. "Sometime around October and November, it will settle down and be a race."

...

"I like campaigning face-to-face with people and being able to talk to folks," Mr. Gingrich said, adding that he intended to spend 16 days here in July and August. "It’s important to lay the base of support that will be there in January."

For all the speculation in political circles about the future of Mr. Gingrich’s campaign, there were no questions from Republicans who turned out for the parade.

They called out his name, waving him over for a handshake or a picture. He beamed as he walked from one side of the street to the other.

The sun was hot and the breeze was slow, but Mr. Gingrich barely broke a sweat. "Campaigning in August in Georgia is great training," he explained.

A gallery of pictures from the event.

Newt to visit Iowa 12 days in July; Reagan lost 13 staff in 1980

(Update: the July 4th parade starts at 10 A.M. Monday. "Iowa House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer, who has served as state chairwoman of Gingrich’s presidential campaign, said Gingrich will be in the parade and then spend the rest of the day enjoying the sights in Clear Lake," writes Peggy Senzarino.)

-- Lost behind all the media reports the last day is a story that will actually be important to the nomination process: Newt will be in Iowa twelve days in July. That is in addition to the Tea Party Bus Tour event he will be taking part of this weekend.

Politico with a few details of the July swing: "a July 4 parade in Clear Lake (schedule of July 4 events) and a visit to Luther College in Decorah at the end of July. That's the alma mater of Callista Gingrich and she'll play in an alumni band there."

-- Another bit of information no one in the media wants to bring up: Ronald Reagan's staff in his 1980 campaign was in a constant state of flux. (Just read Craig Shirley's Rendezvous with Destiny.)

Reuters writes of Newt's trip to Atlanta today:

Gingrich, a former history professor in Georgia, said 13 of Ronald Reagan's aides quit during his 1980 presidential primary campaign. Reagan went on to win the nomination and the U.S. presidency.

"If I had to choose Reaganomics or 13 staffers quitting, I think for the average working American, Reaganomics was a much better deal," Gingrich said, referring to Reagan's policy of cutting taxes and reducing government regulations.

Not many are paying close attention to the race right now; hardly anyone is paying attention to staff news.

The voters who will decide who wins the GOP nomination are concerned about what a candidate will do to reduce the tax burden, to get the federal budget balanced, to get job creation, to make energy more affordable. Not the inside baseball coverage the D.C. media loves to drone on and on about.

-- Speaking of D.C. media: Am I supposed to take the Washington Post serious on other stories about Newt when they can't even get Newt's birthday right? Note to WaPo: it was June 17. Which you could have found out by searching for "Newt Gingrich birthday."

Newt to be back in Iowa over July 4 holiday

It was announced Saturday that Newt will be back in the Hawkeye State over the Independence Day holiday.

Newt's upcoming calendar (which can be viewed by clicking on the calendar heading above or by clicking here) will put him in New Hampshire a few days this next week, then out to California for a Republican Jewish Coalition dinner, then back to New Hampshire for a debate on June 13.

P.S. For those who missed them the first time, here are some posts from Newt's first Iowa trip:

The Iowa Republican on Newt drawing bigger crowds than the other campaigns.

Photos of Newt's crowds.

Attendance figures for twelve of Newt's seventeen events.

Video of Newt in Mason City.

Video of Newt in Le Mars.