Gingrich gives history lecture, spars with students at Georgetown campaign stop

Meet the new Newt, same as the old Newt.

Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich made his first campaign appearance since dramatically reshuffling his campaign team — laying off a third of his campaign staff and swapping campaign managers — with a meandering and anecdote-filled lecture on American political history Wednesday at Georgetown University.

But there was little evidence of the dramatic political upheaval that has renewed questions about Gingrich's viability in the Republican primary.

Instead, the former House Speaker — and history professor — lectured students and faculty on the history of the Wright brothers, brain science and oil production in North Dakota. It took Gingrich more than a half hour to even hit on the given theme of his speech — "Giving Young Americans the Right to Choose a Personal Social Security Account."

Gingrich told the students that privatized Social Security accounts that allowed young Americans to invest their retirement money would provide greater returns and more influence over their retirement accounts.

"This is an example of innovation. It increases your freedom by giving you control over your money," Gingrich said.

Gingrich also sparred with a Georgetown student over his controversial proposal that inner-city students be offered work as janitors. The student, who said he worked as a janitor at his own high school, criticized Gingrich's plan, saying he found the experience embarrassing because other student's wealth became more apparent.

"I'm sorry if you were offended," Gingrich responded, telling the student his own daughters worked as janitors at a local church.

The student responded that it was different, because Gingrich's family came from money.

Gingrich remained defiant, drawing applause from the crowd of more than 400.

"I believe in poor neighborhoods, if you can find people a way to find a job," Gingrich said.

A student from Spain who asked Gingrich why the United States spent so heavily on national defense drew a similar rebuke from the former House Speaker.

"The No. 1 reason we spend so much on national defense? Because you don't," Gingrich said.

But there was scant evidence that Gingrich was switching gears in the aftermath of his campaign shake-up, instead relishing his role in the spotlight debating with students. Gingrich did make a point to single out new campaign manager Vince Haley by name, but only in the context of a history paper he had collaborated on with Gingrich studying the role religion played in key moments in American history.

The only hint of a campaign reboot was that Gingrich refused to refer to his Republican opponents by name, only mentioning them in passing throughout his remarks. Communications Director Joe DeSantis said Tuesday that Gingrich would scale back attacks on his Republican opponents as part of his new strategy.

Earlier Wednesday, Gingrich reiterated that he planned to stay in the nomination hunt until a Republican candidate reached the 1,144 delegates necessary to secure the nomination.

"We’re staying in,” Gingrich told WTOP. “That’s exactly why we’re downsizing and doing what we need to to be able to stay in. I think you have to respond to reality and we’ve had, you know, the cash flow was shorter than we’d like it to be. So we’re doing the appropriate things to be able to campaign.”

"None of you guys would call a football team or a basketball team and say, 'Why don't you drop out?' " he added. "You'd say, 'There's a season. Let's play the season.' "

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