Newt Gingrich released a new Web ad today accusing Mitt Romney of sharing too many positions with President Obama and linking him to liberal fundraiser and conservative boogeyman George Soros.
"Last week, George Soros said he saw little difference between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. How can a candidate like Obama defeat Obama in November?" Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said in a statement.
The ad's narrator introduces Soros as the "ultra-liberal financial supporter of liberal groups like moveon.org" who "would sacrifice his entire fortune to defeat President Bush, 'if someone guaranteed it.'"
Then, a clip of Soros saying that "there isn't all that much difference" between Romney and Obama plays, prompting the narrator to ask, "Is he correct?"
From there, a montage of clips showing Romney and Obama seemingly agreeing with one another on hot-button issues including abortion rights, gun rights and healthcare reform flashes across the screen.
The narrator returns to Soros in a final push to tie the liberal fundraiser to Romney.
"We can’t afford two George Soros-approved candidates this fall. We need a candidate who will fight for hardworking taxpayers," the narrator says. "We need a candidate who left wing billionaires like George Soros fear, because they will fundamentally change Washington."
Soros said in 2010 that he was no longer going to donate to Democratic politicians, focusing his money instead on progressive causes. But in 2011 he gave money to political action committees aimed at aiding Democratic candidates for the House and Senate. He notably did not donate to the president's reelection PAC.
Gingrich is hoping to claw back into a Republican race that looks increasingly bright for front-runner Mitt Romney. A Public Policy Polling survey released Friday showed the former governor with a 25-point lead over Gingrich in Nevada.
