Gingrich touts the 'Newt Gallon'

GAINESVILLE - Newt Gingrich supporters who filled the ball room at the Gainesville Civic Center Wednesday night to listen and get a look at their candidate learned about a new form of campaign currency...the 'Newt Gallon'.

Gingrich repeated his $2.50 a gallon gasoline campaign pledge and turned it into a finance tool for supporters who would visit his web site, reminding them that when he was Speaker of the House, gasoline was $1.13 a gallon.

"We'd like everybody to go on line and give at least one 'Newt Gallon', that's $2.50," Gingrich said. "If you get excited and you'd like to give 10 'Newt Gallons', that's $25."

Gingrich told his audience he cannot win by himself, but with their support, he could and was confident about next Tuesday's primary election results. Gainesville was his final stop as he wrapped up a hectic Wednesday sweep across North Georgia.

The former Speaker also recalled that while he was in office the federal budget was balanced and he pledged to balance it again. Gingrich essentially promised to undo everything Democratic President Barack Obama has done, saying he has a dramatically different vision than Obama for the country's future.

"And it's dramatically bolder than the management approaches of my two major competitors for the nomination," Gingrich added.

He pledged to repeal government mandated health care, establish a simple flat tax, and restore America's energy independence.

Louis Sanchas of Gainesville was one of hundreds of Gingrich supporters who crowded into the Civic Center. Sanchas said he liked what he heard from Gingrich about a balanced budget and restoring energy independence.

"I also liked how he talked about how we have all this oil and resources here, and it's about time we drilled and got it out," Sanchas said.

Gingrich said America has the potential, with its still untapped petroleum resources in North Dakota, to become the world's leading source for oil, not the Middle East, and balance the budget with the oil revenues.

The presidential candidate was accompanied on stage by his wife Callista, who introduced him, and by Governor Nathan Deal, who supported Gingrich and who introduced Mrs. Gingrich.