FIRST PERSON | IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Wednesday turned into a day that Newt Gingrich will not forget.
Gingrich was invited by the student organization UI Students for Newt Gingrich to speak at the Medical Education Research Facility at the University of Iowa.
I'm sure Gingrich was excited to see so many promising constituents while looking over the crowd. A large number of protestors were intermingled amongst the crowd. Just as Gingrich began his speech, the protestors called for a "mic check."
The protesters were not the only problem during Gingrich's speech. Several Gingrich supports yelled back at the protesters informing them they had their turn at free speech and needed to give Gingrich fair time. The verbal exchange got very heated prior to the protesters removal from the gathering. At least four protesters were escorted from the building by security personnel and officers in plainclothes.
Gingrich did speak to the audience and told them he was going to talk over the "one percent" of the people who did not want to listen. I think he was off on his estimate by several percent. The protesters did finally quiet down but the mood that was set within the group was unsettling.
One topic that Gingrich spook about was the appeal of the so-called Obamacare. There were many individuals within the group that felt Obamacare was a step in the right direction. This even included several individuals in the crowd who supported Gingrich.
Outside of the building, protesters assembled and sang "How Gingrinch Stole Christmas." The song definitely provided the protesters with an avenue to express their feelings without being out of control.
Kathleen Serino, writer for the Lee-Gazette Des Moines Bureau, stated in her article entitled 'Protesters surprise Gingrich in Iowa City,' that Gingrich's public relations specialist Gordon James felt that the appearance of Gingrich in Iowa City stated, "It was a mess. A total mess." I agree with Mr. James. This appearance for Gingrich was not a pleasant one for me.
