Gingrich directed particular attention at Pawlenty and Palin for their apparent drive for ideological purity.

“You should call and ask them and say what’s the purity test for the governor of California? Does anyone pass the purity test? I just want to know what the test is….[Scozzafava] is not the perfect candidate. You are talking about a region where we currently have 3 out 39 seats in the House. Why is it that? When I was speaker we had a substantial number of seats in the region.”

“I have no complaint with ideology analysts who make ideological points, they don’t have the assignment of trying to build a majority and defeat Obama. It takes 180 million Americans to do that,” Gingrich said.