Gingrich delivers foreign policy speech at FIU

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich speaks at FIU's Wertheim Performing Arts Center

A week before the Florida primary, FIU students had the opportunity to sit in on a foreign policy speech by Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. While on the campaign trail, the former speaker of the House made a stop at FIU’s Wertheim Performing Arts Center Jan. 25 to talk Latin America.

“In a Newt presidency, there will be a rethinking of foreign policy,” he said. “Europe is less important. Latin America is more important.”

Communication arts major Yonaton Goldstein heard about about the speech from a friend and jumped at the opportunity to see what a presidential candidate had to say without TV edits. “Usually all you hear are soundbites. I wanted to get a personal impression,” said Goldstein, who was in the Israeli special forces for three years. Goldstein was listening for a proactive plan, not just political bashing.

Makayla Mier, a psychology major, wanted to learn about Gingrich’s proposed policies. “My parents are very Republican. I want to figure out what I think.”

Playing to a South Florida audience, Gingrich focused on Venezuela and Cuba. To Chavez, he said, “We know who you are. We believe what you are saying. So we regard you as a mortal enemy of the United States.”

He questioned the Obama administration’s commitment to a free Cuba. “I don’t think it has ever occurred to anyone in the White House to look south and propose a Cuban spring.”

Biomedical engineering major and Puerto Rican native William Jose Velez – who considers himself a fiscal conservative, social liberal – supported President Barak Obama in 2008, even though he was not eligible to vote. When Velez saw Gingrich’s speech was on Latin America, he wanted to see what the candidate had to say about Puerto Rico.

“I found the speech to be disappointing on several accounts,” said Velez. “For a policy speech on Latin America, I found it to be lacking in policy.

“The fact that Puerto Rico was not even mentioned, although somewhat expected, adds to my disappointment of all the candidates, but in particular of Gingrich, who has known about the issue since his years as Speaker, and who, standing 20 feet from the flag of the U.S. territory, decided to talk more about Venezuela than the 3.7 million Americans who don’t have their full citizen rights.”

Gingrich did discuss Haiti. As president, he would rethink from the ground up how the United States approaches foreign aid. What are we doing wrong? “Eighty years after we intervened in Haiti, the Haitian people are still suffering. We have a moral obligation to them. The Declaration of Independence is not an American document. It is a human race document.”

He called for immigration reform. “It makes no sense that it’s harder to come here legally than illegally.”

After claiming victory in the South Carolina primary, Gingrich has essentially pulled even with Mitt Romney in Florida. With just six days to go before the Sunshine State’s crucial GOP contest, Gingrich argued he is the only candidate in the race who has “methodically done things that matter.” Gingrich said, “When I have had authority in the past, I have kept my word.”

English major Laura Creel admits she’s generally disenchanted with the whole political process. But, she added, “I need to vote and attending events like this help me make the best possible decision.”