Surrounded by young students from local southern California cities including La Cañada Flintridge, Pasadena, and Altadena, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich lashed out at President Obama and offered a five-point program in his campaign for the presidency. Gingrich was the invited guest of TeaPAC, the national Tea Party organization, and the local Pasadena Patriots. His California swing included Pasadena where he was introduced to an overflow audience at the Green Hotel on Monday evening, Feb. 13. Donna Lowe, the Republican candidate for the 51st Assembly district, introduced him. The host for the evening was local attorney and TeaPAC chairman Michael Alexander.

In his comments, Gingrich promised that if elected he would guarantee $2 a gallon gasoline.

“I want to campaign in California on jobs and $2 gasoline … versus food stamps and $4 gasoline,” he told the audience. Gingrich has often labeled President Obama the “food stamp president.”

Supporting his claim that $2 a gallon gasoline was a possibility, Gingrich said that he disagrees with scientists who claim that the world is reaching its peak in oil production and pointed out that there are vast reserves in Alaska and other parts of the United States. He added that these reserves are untapped due to the opposition of environmentalists who want to block oil production.

The candidate noted that he draws inspiration from former president Ronald Reagan and called for the elimination of the capital gains tax. Earlier at a stop in El Monte, the Republican candidate spoke to a large group of Latinos assembled, saying that he wants to form a citizen’s commission to oversee individual cases allowing illegal immigrants to become residents and not citizens. He added that he supports a guest-worker program. Leaving Pasadena, Gingrich promised to take the fight for the nomination to the national Republican Convention in Tampa this summer, adding that California is in play and should not be written off by anyone.

Courtesy of Al RESTIVO

  AL RESTIVO