WSJ PANEL: GINGRICH 'AGGRESSIVE' ON ECONOMIC GROWTH, ROMNEY 'TIMID'

Gigot: The former House speaker kicked off his jobs-and-growth bus tour on Wednesday and hit the Iowa airwaves with this ad, called "Winning the Argument."
Gingrich: The American people create jobs, not government, OK? . . . It starts very simple--lower taxes, less regulation, an American energy plan and actually be positive about people who create jobs, the opposite of the Obama plan. . . . Nothing will turn America around more than election night, when Barack Obama loses decisively.
Gigot: James, the Gingrich campaign putting a big buy behind this ad in Iowa in the closing days. And they say--the campaign says it's showing some results already in the polls. His slide has stopped, and he's beginning to come back. What do you think about that?
Freeman: Not a surprise. It's a great message, and it's getting to the key issue, which is economic growth. And his plan, really the most aggressive now, and it shows you how timid Romney's is in comparison. Gingrich going for an optional flat tax, down to 15%, cutting the corporate rate down to 12.5%, which would make the U.S. among the most competitive in the world. It's a big argument, and it's going to create jobs.
Gigot: His flat tax would be 15%, optional. Rick Perry's is 20%. And Gingrich would, if you choose the flat-tax option, do away with almost all of the deductions in the code. So it is the most ambitious plan. He's also saying, "No static analysis on revenues. We're going for growth."
Freeman: That's what you've got to love. He may be a Washington insider, but he's not accepting this Washington view, the sort of budgeting that builds in tax increases and higher spending.
Gigot: What do you think--how effective has that been on the stump? You saw him this week, Kim.
Strassel: Yeah, you know, you go out, and there is a huge thirst for this kind of thing. And you talk to voters who are at Gingrich events and Romney events, they're tired of hearing the candidates say the same thing over and over: that they'll kill ObamaCare, cut regulation, cut spending. They expect that from the candidates. They want to hear something more about a pro-growth policy. And so Gingrich is on to something there.