[Josh Painter]

I believe Reagan conservative Newt Gingrich would nominate Reagan conservative Sarah Palin before he ever would support liberal Romney or big government Republican Santorum.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Yes. Sarah said she will be at the convention. The establishment is spitting nails right now.

[Still Thinking]

I believe Reagan conservative Newt Gingrich would nominate Reagan conservative Sarah Palin before he ever would support liberal Romney or big government Republican Santorum.

I've been developing a suspicion/fantasy that the plan is to keep WrongMee from getting over the top during the primaries, so there is some degree or other of brokered convention. Then Newt proposes a Palin/Gingrich or Gingrich/Palin ticket, and asks uncommitted and newly unbound (assuming they make it past round 1) delegates to vote for that ticket. A number of things have made me suspicious about this.

• When Palin withdrew in October, she predicted an unusual nominating process, even using language some interpreted as alluding that she might be back in the running at convention time.
• When she bowed out, it seemed as if her objections were more to the rigors of campaigning rather than serving.
• She consistently refuses to endorse WrongMee, compliments Newt's strengths, and says he should stay in the race.
• None of the current candidates inspire the base like she would, so she might be very appealing to some of the delegates, given the distasteful alternatives
• If this is the plan, it might have begun as a contingency. When she withdrew (didn't run), there were a number of conservatives in the running. If one of them took the ring, fine, but this plan might have been the backup for the kind of catastrophe that faces the GOP now.

[Still Thinking]

Oh, and to my list of reasons to suspect that scenario, add this Gingrich quote from this morning:

"I'm not so sure you wouldn't get a series of brand new players" stepping forward during a brokered convention, he told Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep.