"You're an embarrassment to our party"

"Why don't you get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself?" a furious Iowa voter asks Newt Gingrich

Published May 17, 2011 2:58PM (EDT)

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at the Kiwanis Club luncheon, Monday, May 16, 2011, in Dubuque, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)  (AP)
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at the Kiwanis Club luncheon, Monday, May 16, 2011, in Dubuque, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (AP)

How many more days of this can Newt Gingrich handle:

IOWA REPUBLICAN: What you just did to Paul Ryan is unforgivable.

GINGRICH: I didn't do anything to Paul Ryan.

IOWA REPUBLICAN: Yes, you did. You undercut him ... you're an embarrassment to our party.

GINGRICH: I'm sorry you feel that way.

IOWA REPUBLICAN: Why don't you get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself?

The reference is to Gingrich's intense criticism on Sunday of Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to phase out Medicare. Gingrich tried to walk back that criticism on Monday, but the damage is basically done.

Here's GOP rising star Nikki Haley, governor of South Carolina, declaring herself "terribly disappointed" with Gingrich.

And here's heavyweight columnist Charles Krauthammer declaring Gingrich's not-a-week-old candidacy over:

Krauthammer makes a fairly compelling case ...


By Justin Elliott

Justin Elliott is a reporter for ProPublica. You can follow him on Twitter @ElliottJustin

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