Reporting from Sioux City, Iowa, today:
Mitt Romney is going negative. Newt Gingrich is trying to stay positive. We’re about to find out which tactic will work.
I would think that Romney’s negative attacks would erode Gingrich’s poll numbers. Remember, Ron Paul is running negative ads against Gingrich, too, so it’s going to take a toll.
The question is how much? I can tell you this: Ever since I’ve landed in Iowa and flipped on the television, there have been tons of campaign ads blasting Newt.
I think what we’re going to see is Newt stay positive with his campaign ads but zing Romney in debates and in other spots with reporters in one on one interviews.
By the way, it’s one thing to go negative but it’s quite another to get personal. Romney is getting nasty when he calls Gingrich, “zany” and “erratic.” Is that really called for?
Romney clearly doesn’t care but it's one thing to draw a contrast. It's quite another to resort to name calling. Romney has shown he’ll do anything to win the nomination.
And that’s been his big problem all along with GOP voters. They think he’ll do or say anything to get elected.