Republican Newt Gingrich may be down and out with respect to his poll numbers and campaign war chest, but there was no sign of it while stumping in Buffalo Friday.
Gingrich appeared during the noon hour at the Ellicott Square Building. Buffalo businessman, lawyer and former republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino warmed up the estimated 250 to 300 in attendance.
When the former congressman from George, former Speaker of the House, stepped to the podium, he immediately paid homage to the late Western New York Congressman Jack Kemp.
"It was a great honor for me to have worked with Jack Kemp and to have learned from Jack Kemp. I think Kemp was the second most important republican of the last 40-years, second to Ronald Regan," said Gingrich.
In his distinctly partisan 20 minute speech, without the aid of a teleprompter, Gingrich talked about America's energy needs, about jobs and President Obama.
"President Obama, who has amazingly combined the worst job record since the great depression, with the highest gasoline prices, not an easy achievement. The President got so rattled by my speeches on energy that he gave several speeches in rebuttal," said Gingrich. "It was fans to watch just how far to the left his mind is."
The former speaker gave every indication that he will be in the party contest all the way to Tampa in late August.
At one point during his speech, Gingrich was heckled and someone yelled out for Obama. But Gingrich kept his cool and responded by saying "one of the joys of a free society is you can be noisy even if wrong."