Jonathan Szydlo/BBC Managing Editor 

An eye of Newt, a touch of Rivera, and a bit of Burton were the key ingredients to the political brew that was Gingrich’s campaign stop on Jan. 25 at the University.

The FIU College Republicans sponsored a visit by Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich to the University’s Wertheim Performing Arts Center to gather the support of South Florida’s Hispanic voters. He focused his discussion on Latin American policies which will be a key demographic in Florida’s Jan. 31 GOP Primary election.

Present at the event were members of the community at large, a few students and a battalion of media crews gathered to see what Gingrich had to say.

Florida Representative David Rivera delivered opening remarks in both English and Spanish that had supporters in attendance “smelling victory.”

“We’ve got the only Republican candidate in this race that actually has experience dealing with the important issues facing our nation,” said Rivera to a roar of applause.

Dan Burton, representative from Indiana, then came on stage to not only introduce Gingrich, but to “set the record straight” by denouncing recent political ads that were in opposition to the Gingrich campaign rejecting the idea that Gingrich resigned in disgrace as Speaker of the Senate in 1999. He also denounced claims of Gingrich having been, or being a lobbyist and reassured the crowd that Gingrich has always been and will continue to be a conservative.

After claiming that President Barack Obama is taking the country down the path to socialism, he gave the stage to Gingrich, who took the podium and addressed the auditorium.

Gingrich opened up by immediately shooting down remarks made by Obama during the State of the Union Address, claiming that if the President meant what he said, it would cripple the American economy; much like Peronism did in Argentina since the 1960s.

“There are also lessons to be learned from Latin America that are positive. Chile has had the most advanced social security program in the world,” said Gingrich.

“Latin America is central to our future,” Gingrich said, and went on to lay out what he would do in regards to the region if he were elected president.

The presidential hopeful wants to strengthen Southern Command, the division of the United States Military that oversees the majority of Latin America, and wants to shift Mexico from falling under the purview of Northern Command to Southern Command.

“We need to take Mexico, that for some bizarre reasons is currently under Northern Command and transfer it to Southern Command because nobody in Northern Command has a clue why they have Mexico and doesn’t work very well,” said Gingrich. “In fact, Mexico is a part of Latin America and should be treated as part of Latin America.”

He went on to stir up the crowd by hitting points regarding Cuba.

“We need to take a very clear position. Over 50 years of dictatorship is more than enough…It’s never occurred to a single person in the White House to look south and to propose a Cuban Spring,” he said.

In dealing with Cuba, Gingrich promised to use every non-military tool that former President Ronald Reagan and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher used against the Soviet Union.

Continuing down the list of Latin American enemies of the State, Gingrich brought up Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and acknowledge that he is “a growing problem.”

Gingrich began to wind down his speech with remarks on immigration, and how he only wants to allow immigrants that want to legally enter the country and wants to deport any and all known criminal offenders who currently hold illegal status in the United States.

He made no mention of the DREAM Act.  Gingrich closed out his presentation by pushing for a “Cuba Libre”.  He cited the Declaration of Independence as not only being an American document, but a “document for the human race” and that it should apply to Cuba as well because once Cubans are free “they are going to spring to prosperity”.

Anthony Maneiro, a sophomore political science and international relations major, was pleased with the fact that Gingrich came to the University.

“The fact that we have a candidate that is running for president that came to FIU is great, as opposed to Bush and Obama who went to Miami-Dade College instead,” said Maneiro.

But some students, like Jose Villasmil, a freshman criminal justice student, were disappointed with the lackluster turn out of students to the event.

“I feel that more people should have come out. He’s a good candidate and he knows what he’s talking about,” said Villasmil.