In which I found out Newt added me on Twitter himself

I was already excited the last couple of weeks when Newt started following me on Twitter and also responded to a Tweet of mine. I was rather confident Newt sent out the tweet, but I wasn't sure if he actually manages his account and adds people. Even so, I thought, that's pretty cool.

But then I read this tonight:

"He tweets and manages his Twitter feed himself, his campaign confirmed to POLITICO."

"He’s a lot more interesting than other guys," said Jeff Jacobs, a Democratic consultant who advises candidates on online strategy. "Romney’s tweets by and large read like press releases, and Gingrich...jokes more, it's just a lot more casual, and definitely responding to individual users is a big thing."

In one instance, when a Twitter user asked Gingrich if he really believed in dinosaurs, Gingrich replied by bragging about the dinosaur fossil he owns: "Not only do I believe in dinosaurs I had a t rex skull in speakers office to remind us they used to think they were important too."

In March, when the famed polar bear Knut died at the Berlin Zoo, Gingrich took to Twitter to share his condolences.

"Sad news! Just learned knut the polar bear died suddenly at 4," Gingrich tweeted. "Callista and I visited him in Berlin when he was 5 months old-he was cute."

Last month, Gingrich took the bait from Rainn Wilson, when the comic actor who plays the eccentric character Dwight Schrute in the television show "The Office" sought to engage him.

Just after Gingrich campaign staffers resigned en masse, Wilson tweeted with an offer to be Gingrich’s new campaign manager "because of the many Newt/Schrute rhyme options."

Gingrich, showing a willingness to make light of the grim situation, decided to respond with an inside joke that would be familiar to viewers of the show: "We have a campaign manager. What about assistant TO the campaign manager?"

Newt: "One of our themes will be, 'We've done it before, we can do it again."

While a lot of the focus of the news on Newt's campaign debt, what has not received nearly that level of attention is the debt has been steadily going down every week since many of the staffers walked out on June 9th.

Politico:

"Since then, the campaign has been regrouping: Gingrich has taken cost-saving steps, such as flying commercial, and has focused on recruiting political professionals willing to volunteer their time to his effort."

...

“We’ve been weathering a storm and the ship is starting to right itself,” Hammond [Newt's spokesman] said. “The infusion of professionals volunteering their time and talent to the campaign is further proof we are weathering the storm and forging on.”

Newt:

“My path has always been to see whether substance could outlast gossip and whether or not you could mobilize enough people...who decide that having a real solution and having real knowledge and having actually done it,” he said. “One of our themes will be, ‘We’ve done it before, we can do it again."

Newt has said he expects the campaign's third quarter finances to be "very healthy."

Quotes from Newt's speech to Maryland GOP

In a speech at the Maryland Republican Party fundraiser Thursday, Newt assailed President Obama's foreign policy. From Kendra Marr:

He told the audience that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, and challenged the notion that the Libyan rebels have America’s best interests at heart. He said political correctness is inhibiting the fight against Islamist terrorists. Gingrich also charged that Obama has been “strangely quiet” about Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and that the president no longer cares about Israel’s safety.

“I’m not very comfortable that Egypt is going to work out well,” he said. “I’m not very comfortable that Tunisia is going to work out well. I’m not very comfortable that Libya is going to work out well.”

Gingrich ended his speech with a few solutions. He proposed that Congress force the president to make foreign policy decisions at home, not through foreign organizations like the United Nations, and revamp the Intelligence Act so that American can have “real effective spies.” He also called for the firing of Attorney General Eric Holder, who Gingrich charged with undermining American security.

From ABC's Arlette Saenz:

"Is the tide of war receding or is there a potential tsunami of violence building offshore?" Gingrich repeatedly asked the crowd.

"I want to challenge the president to withdraw the phrase because it totally misleads the American people and it represents a delusion of the real world."

Also from Saenz:

Prior to his speech, Gingrich held a roundtable fundraiser for his campaign. Earlier this week, two top fundraisers for the campaign quit.

The Gingrich campaign is planning fundraisers as they head into the final week of the fundraising quarter.

"I ask everyone I can for money. I’d love to have your support," Gingrich told reporters.

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 still has "a half dozen people on the staff" raising money

From Kendra Marr of Politico:

Gingrich spokesman RC Hammond confirmed that fundraising director Jody Thomas and consultant Mary Heitman had left the team this morning. But he stressed, “There are still a half dozen people on the staff who are dedicated to helping us raise money on different platforms.”

“They’re professionals and we wish them the very best,” Hammond told POLITICO.

Today Gingrich is attending a fundraising luncheon in Savannah with prospective donors. And Hammond said Gingrich’s “number one tactic” is aggressively working the phones.

“Newt spends the majority of his awake time on the phone with potential donors,” he said.

The initial news of two staff departures threw me back on my heels a bit, but after reading reports of Newt hosting another fundraiser and "dialing for dollars" -- which some of the staffers who quit two weeks ago said he did not do -- it makes me more optimistic after the future finances of the campaign.

Newt: "I commit myself to actively advancing pro-life policies"

Newt was one of five GOP Presidential candidates who last week signed the Susan B. Anthony's pro-life pledge. (Mitt Romney and Herman Cain were the two who did not.)

In their morning e-mail, the "Morning Score," Politico writes:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is the latest 2012 candidate to tout his support for the Susan B. Anthony List’s anti-abortion pledge, sending a message to his supporters in Iowa and South Carolina this morning that emphasizes his "deep belief in the sanctity of every human life." GINGRICH: "By signing this important pledge, I commit myself to actively advancing pro-life policies and legislation if I have the opportunity to serve as your next President...On the first day of my administration, I would immediately reinstate President Ronald Reagan’s Mexico City Policy, so that no U.S. taxpayer money is used to pay for abortions overseas. I would also reinstate President George W. Bush’s Conscience Clause, so that no medical professional is forced to perform any procedures that violate their religious beliefs."

Those two executive orders he mentions have long been among the four examples (with 150 or 200 total) of the orders he would sign on his first day. The other two being the elimination of all White House czars and allowing Israel -- as we do every other country -- the choice of where we place our embassy.

During the debate last Monday, Newt's campaign sent out a tweet touting his pro-life record, writing "Newt has a 98.6% lifetime voting record from National Right To Life."

Politico also mentioned that already Mitt Romney has got heat for his refusal to sign the pledge as it adds to the concern that his pro-life conversion may not have been completely sincere.

Politico seems to be hunting for Soros cash. Or they're just awful journalists.

Jonathan Martin of Politico has a new column out in which he takes a nasty, unprofessional tone throughout. (Remember, Politico poses as a fair journalistic outlet, not one that is composed of partisan, left-wing hacks. Maybe they are not doing well and need some of that money George Soros has been tossing around to different media outlets.)

Worse than his unprofessional tone is when he claims Newt is "nearly devoid of paid staff." Had he read this piece in National Review, he would have seen numerous staffers mentioned, and the article did not even mention all of Newt's.

As I have shown, Politico is not real great at doing actual research, though.

The media claims Pawlenty was the first to unveil an economic plan

In a speech yesterday, Tim Pawlenty outlined his economic plan. It is quite good -- though much of it is similar to the one Newt gave a speech unveiling on May 13. Notice the date Newt released his plan -- May 13, almost a month ago -- because the media obviously doesn't notice the date.

The mainstream media, even some mainstream conservative outlets, spent yesterday and this morning talking about how Pawlenty was the first Republican to have a plan on the economy. As should be expected, Newt's camp wanted to set the record straight.

Newt's spokesman, Rick Tyler, tweeted that one of the members of the Wall Street Journal editorial page, Stephen Moore, was at the very speech in which Newt laid out his nine-point plan.

POLITICO:

"Apparently, according to the Journal, its editorial board neither looked at nor has seen Gingrich’s jobs and prosperity plan, even though one of its members was present when he revealed it," Tyler told POLITICO. "It’s posted on our website and it’s been distributed to hundreds if not thousands of political reporters."

Kendra Marr: "Though the Journal apparently hasn’t been impressed, Investors Business Daily’s editorial board gave Gingrich an “A” grade for the plan, calling it “one of the most laudable economic plans in memory.”

Marr doesn't mention it, but as I have written about, Peter Ferrara has called it the best reform plan of any of the candidates.

Art Laffer, vital to the Reagan economic policies and the man who hosted the speech Newt laid out his plan in, said of the plan: "The combination of pro-growth tax reform, spending restraint, and sound money will restore robust economic growth with low unemployment and low inflation."

Newt's speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition will be on foreign policy

Politico reports:

RJC executive director Matt Brooks said Gingrich is planning on giving a "major foreign policy speech," which would focus on "his view of the world" but also specifically on Israel.

The other topic Gingrich, whose aides approached Brooks a week ago about speaking, will discuss is "how he wants to reform the State Department," Brooks said.

The event's website.

Brooks sent out a tweet:

Romney blaming Iowa and South Carolina problem on religion?

I have written previously about the apparent strategy of Mitt Romney to not "play" in Iowa and South Carolina. Two recent columns -- one by Craig Robinson of the IowaRepublican and the other by Ben Smith of Politico -- discusses that strategy.

Robinson, in writing that the former Massachusetts Governor has not been in the Hawkeye State for 195 days, destroys that claim by Romney's camp and the mainstream media -- including Smith of Politico -- that Romney does not do well in conservative states because he belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints. If conservatives were such bigots -- to a religious group, by the way, that is one of the most conservative -- Robinson asks wouldn't have Orrin Hatch faced such criticism when he ran for President? And if Iowa Republicans were so opposed to Mormons, how could Matt Schultz have won a "contentious primary" against the Republican favored by the establishment in the 2010 race for Secretary of State? (Robinson does not mention him, but Jon Huntsman, who will likely be running for President this cycle, has not been dragged down by being a Mormon either.)

So, Robinson asks, maybe it's not Romney's religious faith but his record? His record of flip-flopping on abortion and marriage. His health care bill that is essentially the same as Obamacare. (Romney supporters who distinguish the two bills by saying one was a state and one was a federal statute miss the point of federalism. If government is controlling your life, it does not matter much if the bureau is located in your state capital or the nation's. Federalism is essentially a legal argument: the states have domain over certain issues and the federal government has domain over a few, which does not include forcing citizens to buy health insurance. That makes Obamacare unconstitutional -- on top of bad policy. Romneycare is not unconstitutional -- just terrible policy.)

Robinson quotes Chuck Lauder, a former Executive Director of the Republican Party of Iowa, saying: "The entire fiction [that Romney is being dragged down by his faith] is a twin of the same loser argument that to be opposed to Obamacare means you're a racist."

If Romney hopes to do better in Iowa and South Carolina, along with other states with large numbers of conservatives, he would be well served to not have his campaign hint that the only reason people could possibly have to oppose him is his religion.

Politico once again omits facts about Newt's fundraising

Once again, a Politico reporter writes a story in which they make it appear that Newt's entire fundraising success is due to millionaires writing checks to his groups. While he has received such contributions, those are the exception, not the norm.

This time, it is Ken Vogel who alleges that because Newt will not be able to accept contributions above $2500 that he will struggle to raise enough money. What Vogel -- and his colleagues Andy Barr and Zachary Abrahamson -- either does not know or is willfully omitting (and for alleged hard-news journalists, either is a damning statement) is that Newt's 527, American Solutions, received 300,000 contributions of $200 or less.

The source of that? The Washington Post, which talked of Newt's "fundraising prowess." CNN recently said that Newt would likely be the only possible GOP candidate who could match up with President Obama in fundraising.

The reason for those two mainstream outlets talking up Newt's ability to raise cash is obvious: the aforementioned 300,000 contributors, the roughly two million names and e-mail addresses of members of American Solutions, and the names and contact information from the numerous fundraising letters that different groups that have asked Newt to help them raise money over the years. (The groups, as part of the agreement with Gingrich, allow him to use the list of names that respond to his fundraising pitch.) A question for Politico: If Newt is such a terrible fundraiser, why do so many groups ask him to help them raise money? Is it because they wish to have as little money as possible?

Vogel also raises the question of why Newt's American Solutions PAC raised a comparatively little amount in the first quarter of 2011 -- then proceeds to give the answer: that the PAC started to wind down its fundraising push as Newt inches closer to becoming a Presidential candidate. So, by giving the reason that the PAC raised the amount it did, Vogel clearly shows that he understands the reason. However, the headline alleges that Newt is "struggl[ing]" raising money. If Vogel was being honest, he would have stopped writing the article once he realized that the PAC started to wind down. And he would never have started the article if he either did his homework or stopped misleading readers.

Barr did not reply to my question two months ago about his omission, and I asked Vogel tonight on Twitter. I have yet to hear from him. If I do, I will post his reply.

CNN touts Newt's fundraising prowess. Also, Liberty University straw poll results.

-- "[T]he vast fundraising groundwork Gingrich has been constructing over the last several years instantly makes him the fundraising powerhouse in the GOP presidential race.

There's no doubt few Republicans will be able to match the president's fundraising machine, but Gingrich just might," CNN writes

-- Over the weekend, Newt spoke at Liberty University, and the gathering voted on who their preference for the GOP nomination is:

Michelle Bachmann: 23%
Mike Huckabee: 22%
Newt Gingrich: 21%
Ron Paul: 12%

"[M]ore people choose “other” than voted for Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney or Haley Barbour," writes Politico.

Politico on how a Gingrich campaign would look

In a mostly even-handed and thorough article, Jeanne Cummings of Politico detailed the strengths, challenges, and strategies of a Gingrich for President campaign.

The campaign's thoughts on the early states:

But if conservative voters are willing to cut him a break on his three marriages, the Gingrich team believes he has a shot at winning or doing well in Iowa.

With that momentum, the former speaker would emphasize his fiscal conservative credentials in New Hampshire. Gingrich believes he’ll have an advantage because he’s the only candidate who can say he balanced the federal budget. The others can only talk about it.

Gingrich’s strategists concede that Romney would be a formidable opponent in New Hampshire, a state the former Massachusetts governor has never stopped courting since his 2008 bid.

In addition, the former speaker will face an influential, behind-the-scenes adversary in New Hampshire: former White House Chief of Staff John Sununu, who served under President George H. W. Bush. Many Bush loyalists blame Gingrich for leading an intra-party revolt over tax increases that contributed to the president’s re-election defeat in 1992.

(The fact that "Bush loyalists" still harbor bad feelings toward Newt nearly twenty years later is telling. Bush sunk his re-election chances by hiking taxes, and to blame Newt and other Republicans for opposing the wrong-headed strategy -- instead of the strategy itself -- is a perfect example of shuffling the blame.)

Cummings continues:

Still, the speaker’s advisers hope he can make a strong showing, if not a win. If all goes according to plan, Gingrich would head to friendlier turf in South Carolina, where he could face a key and – they hope — a crucial showdown with Barbour.

Cummings believes that the campaign's headquarters would be in Virginia -- which I have not seen anywhere else. Everyone else has reported it would be in Georgia -- where the campaign is "planning a major presence," writes Cummings.

Whether Cummings is speculating or has inside information that no one else has is not known.

Regardless, she continues:

So, Gingrich enters the race without the traditional home-state anchor that most presidential candidates use as a platform to launch and define their candidacies.

The speaker’s advisers are betting that geography is less important in the Internet age. They also are focused on coalition politics by assiduously courting tea party activists, as well as evangelicals.

Palin and Huckabee are clearly the tea party favorites, according to polls. But if both of them sit out the race, which seems increasingly likely, Gingrich is positioning himself to take their place.

During the 2010 midterms, he made appearances for tea party candidates – including Sharron Angle in Nevada, an early primary state. He’s become a regular at tea party rallies, including a recent one in South Carolina.

In addition, American Solutions, a Gingrich-founded conservative think-tank, last month organized a letter supporting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, another tea party ally, signed by 86 local and national tea party activists. American Solutions also has been holding regular conversations with more than 300 tea party leaders throughout the country.

I beg to differ that Huckabee is a "tea party favorite," but the point stands: that without the former Arkansas Governor and Sarah Palin, Newt is helped.

The extensive outreach to tea party activists by Newt is something I have written about before.

Cummings writes that Newt's ability to be the only candidate who can say that he has actually balanced the federal budget before -- and not just talk about it -- is key to the courting of the Tea Party.

She then moves onto the issue of raising money, and as her colleagues at Politico did recently, skews the truth when it comes to who gave money to American Solutions. She makes it appear that all the money came from a few millionaires -- when in fact, as I have written before, citing the Washington Post, Newt had 300,000 donors give under $200.

Cummings then, however, cites some advantages that Newt will have over his competitors:

For instance, during his political hiatus, Gingrich signed fund-raising appeals for the Republican Governors Association, National Rifle Association, Republican National Committee, and other organizations. In exchange for his autograph, he received the names and addresses of everyone who sent in a check in response to his appeal. He still has those lists.

Through Facebook, he’s collected hundreds of thousands of followers and his Twitter account has more than a million. His private consulting firm, which manages his book sales, also has stored more than a million names of potential donors.

So, while Gingrich could use his core group of backers to build a big donor base, he also starts the exploratory phase of his candidacy with a small-donor list that stretches into the millions.

Building a massive grassroots operation is the only way to beat President Obama, and Newt has a significant leg up on the other Republican nominees when it comes to names and contact information.

More urgently, Newt, like every other candidate, will not be able to write himself a $50 million check as Mitt Romney could do if needed. He will need to have a wide base of financial support to supplant that.

Of his ability to stay on message, which I believe may be his biggest obstacle to the nomination, and ultimately the White House, Cummings writes:

However, those who have covered Gingrich for a long time know of another, more disciplined side to the speaker. He was an early convert to the notion that repetition is vital to breaking through with voters.

In 1993, when campaigning for House members, the former speaker delivered the same address, multiple times a day, for months, without significant or headline-grabbing variations.

The 67-year-old also has shown no signs of slowing down, flying coast-to-coast in a single day to make appearances only to get up and do it again the next day.

If Newt stays on message -- talking about jobs, energy, reducing the size and scope of government, civil society, and foreign policy -- and can build a large base of support online and on the ground, there is not a candidate who can match him in the GOP. And unless the economy improves against all forecasts, that would be enough to elect him the 45th President of the United States.

More news on Gingrich's executive order proposals: "Maybe as many as 150 to 200 of them" on first day of Presidency

Politico reports of Newt's speech at the Pastors' Policy Briefing in Iowa Friday:

The former House Speaker said that after the inaugural address, there's a break before the traditional lunch — an opportunity for a newly-elected president to get right to work.

“Walk into a room, have all the documents already prepared, already on the Internet, already reviewed by the American people, already written by people who were in the Bush and Reagan White Houses, so they’re all technically correct,” he told the audience. “And just sign as fast as you can.”

Gingrich called for abolishing the Ninth Circuit Court, which he sees as part of an activist judiciary, abolishing all “czars” created by the Obama administration and ensuring no American money pays for abortion (the Constitution specifically gives Congress the power to "ordain and establish" lower courts).

“This is not hyperbole,” he said.

Three weeks ago Newt included in his executive order proposals allowing Israel to choose the site at which the United States would put its' embassy. (Currently, Israel is the only country we do not allow to choose.)

Tim Pawlenty had courted Dawson and Whetsell, both part of Newt's team now, to be in his campaign

From Politico in August 2010:

According to multiple South Carolina GOP sources, Pawlenty senior adviser Terry Nelson met recently with four of the state’s most influential consultants: Warren Tompkins, Richard Quinn, Walter Whetsell and former state GOP chairman Katon Dawson.

Tompkins is yet to sign on with any Presidential candidate, while Quinn is with former Utah Governor and U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman.

POLITICO skews the truth -- again

POLITICO.com once again fudged the facts when it came to a conservative.

In an article about Newt's fundraising, the website makes it seem that Newt's groups only get money from millionaires. The article says, "And because Gingrich raises little money that comes with the strings of FEC rules limiting donations, his actual fundraising ability as a presidential candidate remains unclear."

To get a contrasting view, one need not read a conservative web site or get a statement from Gingrich's camp.

One would just need to read the Washington Post, in whose pages was an article last week that talked of Newt's "fundraising prowess" and mentioned that "Gingrich's donor base includes nearly 300,000 contributors who gave $200 or less to American Solutions."

Having the name and e-mail addresses of 300,000 small dollar contributors would seem to indicate that he could raise money as a Presidential candidate, no matter how POLITICO wants to spin the facts.

Newt's PAC raises second most among GOP, spends more in Iowa than anyone else.

According to FEC reports, American Solutions PAC raised $314,000 in the last quarter. Among Republicans, only Sarah Palin had more, with $469,000. Both her and Gingrich outpaced, as the Washington Post put it, "longtime fundraising leader" Mitt Romney. Of all the prospective Presidential candidates -- Palin, Romney, Mike Huckabee, Haley Barbour, Tim Pawlenty, etc. -- Newt was the last to start a PAC. Yet in less than a year, he is competitive with the two top fundraisers: Palin, whose committee has been up for a couple of years, and Romney, whose PAC is nearly three years old.

So where was Gingrich spending this money? He spent the third most -- behind Romney and Palin -- on contributions "to other candidates and state parties."

And interestingly, much of Gingrich's money went to the state that has held the nation's first Presidential contest since 1972: Iowa.

Danielle Kurtzleben writes:

American Solutions, a political action committee founded and chaired by Gingrich, contributed $107,500 to Iowa politicians and the state party. Pawlenty's Freedom First PAC donated $82,000 in the state, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gave $50,100. Other possible presidential hopefuls spending on 2010 Iowa elections included Huckabee, who dropped $15,500; Palin, with $15,000....

Cary Covington, professor of political science at the University of Iowa, says that contributing to state officials' campaigns can go a long way toward mobilizing Republican voters. 'You need the support of the party at the local level,' says Covington. 'Getting people to come out on a cold winter night isn't easy, and (state-level politicians) are the people who have the connections and the organization to do that.'

On top of that, Newt's 527, American Solutions for Winning the Future, raised over 9.9 million dollars the first nine months of 2010. (527s can raise money in unlimited amounts, unlike PACs.)

Alexander Burns of Politico:

And even those figures won’t provide a full reckoning of Gingrich’s fundraising activities this cycle. According to data shared with Morning Score, Gingrich helped Republicans raise more than $7 million over the 2009-2010 cycle, through dozens of speeches and nearly $1.9 million raised for GOP campaign committees through direct mail. He also participated -- along with many others -- in a joint NRSC/NRCC fundraising dinner that brought in over $14 million for the two committees.

Gingrich spread his attention widely, but also put down deep financial markers in early primary states: In Iowa, Gingrich’s donations, speeches and other appeals guided some $256,000 to Republican candidates. In South Carolina, he generated $68,000 for the GOP. His New Hampshire presence was more limited, but he still brought in $5,000 at a speech to a state GOP breakfast and raised $18,000 for Sen.-elect Kelly Ayotte in combined small-dollar donations.

Given the earlier numbers, that means that through his "speeches and other appeals" in Iowa that Newt raised nearly $150,000.

Though it is not clear, it would appear that Newt's role in the larger campaign to remove three Iowa judges who called gay marriage a "constitutional right" does not count toward that above total as it was not a Republican Party effort.

New Newt biography out late 2010 or early 2011

A few weeks ago it was announced that Craig Shirley, author of books chronicling Ronald Reagan's 1976 campaign and 1980 campaign, would write Newt Gingrich's biography after Gingrich approached him. Mel Steely, a colleague of Newt's from West Georgia college, wrote The Gentleman from Georgia, a biography written in 2000.

But this one will focus more on politics, specifically the 104th Congress -- the first Republican-led Congress in 40 years. In an interview with Politico, Shirley said, “One thing that I hope to get into very deeply is the role of the 104th Congress...that Congress accomplished a lot.”

Of Gingrich in general, the conservative author said, “How many speakers have had so much of an effect on national politics before the speakership, during the speakership and after the speakership?....From my standpoint I think he’s one of the most interesting, complex and durable political figures of our time. “I know he liked my books on Reagan and we’re both fascinated by history and political science.”

For now, the title of the book is "Citizen Newt" and is tentatively scheduled for release late this year or early next year.