Gingrich campaigns across Ohio

COLUMBUS — Newt Gingrich evoked Ohio's hero aviators Wilbur and Orville Wright in Dayton and Columbus Tuesday as part of an effort to get his campaign off the ground again after being buffeted by what he said was the massive campaign spending of Mitt Romney.

The former House speaker called the Wright brothers "the perfect model" of how the energy of the American people could be "unleashed" without burdening taxpayers.

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"We need more courage to invent the future, not more timidity," Mr. Gingrich said at a later stop Tuesday in Columbus.

Mr. Gingrich is on a bus tour that started in Cincinnati, stopped at Memorial Hall in Dayton, and continued Tuesday night with an appearance in Columbus.

In Cincinnati he spoke in a restaurant, and held gatherings in small halls in Dayton and Columbus, thus ensuring standing room only for the couple of hundred supporters and spectators who attended. A stop is planned for Wednesday morning at Jergens Inc. in the Cleveland area.

Mr. Gingrich blasted the U.S. 9th District Court of Appeals' ruling striking down California's referendum barring same-sex marriage that was released earlier in the day.

"This is a court seeking to impose a radical secular view by using the power of the judiciary to change America against the will of the American people," Mr. Gingrich said.

Ohio Republicans are to vote for a GOP nominee on March 6, with early balloting already under way.

Mr. Gingrich is the first of the four remaining candidates to campaign recently in Ohio. The state has 66 delegates, second-highest of the 11 states that have primary elections or caucuses scheduled March 6.

Michigan's primary election is Feb. 28.

As of Tuesday, former Massachusetts Governor Romney led in the quest for 1,144 delegates with 85 to Mr. Gingrich's 29, followed by former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennysylvania and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, according to a count by the Associated Press.

Mr. Gingrich's campaign has plummeted to Earth since he won the South Carolina primary. He lost to Mr. Romney in Florida and Nevada.

"Governor Romney can raise massively more money. I've got people power," Mr. Gingrich said.

Mr. Gingrich said he has been derided for his proposal in Florida to set a goal of establishing a colony on the moon.

"Several of my opponents lack both vision and the ability to read. I never mentioned additional federal funding. My opponents made fun of it. They assumed we had to do it stupidly," he said, explaining that his plan is to encourage the private sector to rebuild the space program.

"I am not comfortable allowing the Chinese and the Russians to dominate space," Mr. Gingrich said.

He visited Hawthorn Hill, Orville Wright's home in Dayton, after his speech. His wife, Callista, stood with him during both speeches.

The former speaker of the House, Mr. Gingrich was all history professor as he recounted the story of how the Wright Brothers came up with their idea for a flying machine and developed it to a working model without the need of federal bureaucrats and grants.

In the spirit of discussing entrepreneurs, Mr. Gingrich called for a revitalized manufacturing economy.

"We have to rebuild our manufacturing base. We have to reinvest in science and technology," Mr. Gingrich said.

He called for a flat tax of 15 percent, elimination of the capital gains tax, and giving businesses the ability to deduct all expenses for new equipment in a year's time.

He asked for the crowd's support and laid out the things he expects to be able to do within days of being sworn in as president.

No. 1 on the list was to abolish "Obamacare."

He also promised to speedily reverse President Obama's decision not to allow the Keystone pipeline from Canada to go forward.

"I would like to produce so much energy that no American president ever again bows to a Saudi king," Mr. Gingrich said.

Mr. Gingrich said Egypt's decision to arrest and try 19 Americans smacks of the 1979 hostage crisis in Iran under President Jimmy Carter -- "a weak American president signaling timidity.

"I want to develop the kind of programs that so dramatically improve the government that we shrink its costs very dramatically at the same time that we grow a jobs program that is so powerful that we put people back to work," Mr. Gingrich said.

"I would be the best paycheck president and he is the best food stamp president."

He urged Republicans not to nominate a moderate, the word he has used to describe Mr. Romney.

He said "moderate" Republicans lost in 1996 and 2008.

Holding two fingers closely together, he said that was the difference between "Obamacare" and "Romneycare," and said there'd be nothing for Mr. Romney to debate President Obama on.

"With a genuine conservative, now you have a debate," Mr. Gingrich said.

One of the spectators at the Columbus event was Kerry Jones, 60, of Warren County, in the Cincinnati area. He followed Mr. Gingrich to all three of his events.

"He has a positive vision of the country and he knows how to work big. I don't think we need another person who has to learn on the job," Mr. Kerry said.

The Romney campaign issued a statement drawing attention to Mr. Gingrich's former association with federal mortgage giant Freddie Mac and said Ohio's housing market was damaged by Freddie Mac's excesses.

"As Newt Gingrich visits Ohio, he still has questions he needs to answer about his work for the lobbyists at Freddie Mac. Ohioans have suffered during the housing crisis while Speaker Gingrich was using his influence and connections to promote Freddie Mac's agenda in Washington. Speaker Gingrich likes to compare himself to the Wright Brothers, but it's become increasingly clear that his vision for America isn't taking flight with conservative primary voters," said Ryan Williams, Romney campaign spokesman.

Contact Tom Troy at tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058.