Toomey 'disappointed' in Gingrich over Bain attacks, moon base

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), an influential and unaffiliated Rust Belt Republican, dealt Newt Gingrich another blow as the former Speaker tries to shore up evaporating support before Florida's pivotal presidential primary, calling Gingrich's plan for a moon base "grandiose" and denouncing his attacks on Mitt Romney as anti-capitalist.

"I haven't made an endorsement, so I'm not going to pick a preference at this point, but I do have to say I've recently been critical of some of the things that I've seen Speaker Gingrich saying or doing in this campaign," Toomey said during an interview with Scranton radio station WILK-FM.

Toomey said he was dismayed by Gingrich's criticism of Romney's record at Bain Capital, which the Pennsylvania senator characterized as "attacks, really, on capitalism and free enterprise." Gingrich has knocked the former Massachusetts governor's time leading the venture capital firm, pointing out that Bain would sometimes make millions in consulting fees from companies that went bankrupt and laid off employees.

"Fact is, Speaker Gingrich knows our dynamic system of of opportunity creates far more jobs than are lost, and for him to attack private equity for focusing on those jobs are lost and ignoring the fact that many more are created is really feeding into the liberal narrative that is hostile to our free enterprise system. I was disappointed with him for that," Toomey said.

Toomey also said Gingrich's proposal — articulated in a speech Wednesday on the Florida coast and in a book penned by the former Speaker — to create a colony on the moon didn't "make any sense."

"I can't even imagine how costly that would be. It's hard to imagine that would not run into the trillions of dollars," Toomey said.

The senator also dismissed Gingrich's argument that commercial partnerships could help to finance the moon base.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not aware of any commercial market for a colony on the moon. It's not at all clear to me that there's a marketplace, any demand for this," Toomey said. "I don't think we're in a position to afford that. I'm in favor of further space exploration, but sometimes Newt gets a little carried away with these grandiose ideas, and colonizing the moon strikes me as one of them."

Toomey's "grandiose" comment echoes that of a former Pennsylvania senator — and current GOP candidate. Rick Santorum has blasted Gingrich for his proposals in recent Republican debates.

Gingrich embraced the idea that his proposal was "grandiose" while giving the speech Wednesday.

”I was attacked the other night for being grandiose,” Gingrich said. “I would just want you to note: Lincoln standing at Council Bluffs was grandiose. The Wright Brothers standing at Kitty Hawk were grandiose. John F. Kennedy was grandiose. I accept the charge that I am grandiose and that Americans are instinctively grandiose.”

But it is unclear whether the voters will coalesce around him — or if they share Toomey's concerns. A Quinnipiac poll released Friday showed Gingrich trailing Mitt Romney by nine points in the crucial Florida primary.

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