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Why a Newt Gingrich Candidacy Would Doom the Tea Party
The Altantic ^ | 120611 | Conor Friedersdorf

Posted on 12/06/2011 7:35:10 PM PST by Fred

Gallup finds that 82 percent of Tea Party affiliated voters deem Newt Gingrich an acceptable Republican presidential nominee in 2012. They don't seem to realize that if he wins the nod their movement is doomed, regardless of how the general election goes. The Tea Party cannot support Gingrich without betraying its core principles. But the movement also cannot disclaim him once he is the Republican nominee.

Tea Partiers with a better instinct for self-preservation would see that none of the Mitt Romney alternatives still running would be as corrosive to their cause as the former Speaker of the House.

Why?

The Tea Party wasn't just a reaction to President Obama or the financial industry bailouts. As Jonah Goldberg puts it, "a major motivating passion of the tea-party movement was a long-delayed backlash against George W. Bush and his big-government conservatism." Support for the War on Terrorism and the invasion of Iraq caused many conservatives to stay loyal to Bush. But that didn't mean they liked No Child Left Behind, Medicare Part D, the attempt at a guest worker program, TARP, or the Harriet Miers nomination. Especially after the defeat of John McCain, many on the right insisted they'd never again support Bush-Rove conservatism.

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 0bamavsgingrich; 0romneypost; 0stealthmitt; biggovt; corporatewelfare; eyeofnewt; gingrich; influencepeddler; lobbyist; mandates; newtgingrich; teaparty
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To: PALIN SMITH
Gingrich knows history. He will nurture the Tea Party and make it stronger as an ally.

Nurture the Tea Party? What in the world does than mean? Give me some specifics how a historian has anything to offer Taxed Enough Already?

21 posted on 12/06/2011 7:47:57 PM PST by Lazlo in PA (Now living in a newly minted Red State.)
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To: AlexW

“...has a lot of baggage that he can not just throw away.”

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7


22 posted on 12/06/2011 7:48:04 PM PST by BwanaNdege (“Man has often lost his way, but modern man has lost his address” - Gilbert K. Chesterton)
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To: AlexW
America, as well as the Republican party, is in deep doo-doo.

The entire Western world is in deep doo-doo.

Yes, it would be better to have better candidates.

Tea party types who back Newt do so because they prefer him to Mitt and don't think any of the others has a chance.

23 posted on 12/06/2011 7:48:05 PM PST by rogue yam
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To: DManA

Sure wouldn’t check the Atlantic to know what I ought to think about Republican politicians.


24 posted on 12/06/2011 7:49:20 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: GlockThe Vote

Correct-o-mundo! Even if a Preseident Newt lost his way on an issue or two again, he’d be infinitely better than what we have now.

Unless you think Newt would appoint the same kind of activist liberals to the Supreme Court that Obama would, then there’s a HUGE reason to support Newt.


25 posted on 12/06/2011 7:49:20 PM PST by bigbob
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To: doc1019

“Why not keep the commie in office and hope for the best.”

Looks like you have bought into the “Hopey-Changey” thing?


26 posted on 12/06/2011 7:51:24 PM PST by BwanaNdege (“Man has often lost his way, but modern man has lost his address” - Gilbert K. Chesterton)
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To: Fred

A pity Bachmann isn’t able to perform better. Is it the accent? Or did she sacrifice herself when she helped take down Perry? She seems to be the real deal on every issue. Why don’t Republicans like her?


27 posted on 12/06/2011 7:51:34 PM PST by montag813
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To: Deagle

A third party always dooms its proponents to a period of electoral nonperformance, and it almost always puts the wrong people into office ~ usually evil people!


28 posted on 12/06/2011 7:51:57 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: bigbob

I am Paul Bachmann.

HOWEVER. If Newt gets the nod, damn right I am 100 percent NEWT. We need to oust Obama!


29 posted on 12/06/2011 7:52:43 PM PST by GlockThe Vote (The Obama Adminstration: 2nd wave of attacks on America after 9/11)
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To: Fred
They continue to tell us who they fear.

The Atlantic telling the Tea Party anything is a joke.

30 posted on 12/06/2011 7:53:42 PM PST by Jane Long (Soli Deo Gloria!)
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To: Thane_Banquo
I specifically remember Newt appearing on Fox News and railing against the TARP bailouts in the fall of 2008.

Not only did Newt support TARP, he stated that if he had still been in office, he would have voted for it. Maybe you shouldn't discount the article after all.

31 posted on 12/06/2011 7:54:45 PM PST by Prokopton
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To: Fred

As far as I know, the Tea Party will not be fielding a candidate in the 2012 presidential race. I’m not sure when or where the Tea Party convention will be held next year, but if they DO plan to field a candidate they had better get really busy real soon.

Because there will be no Tea Party Candidate, the choice for the electorate is quite simple. The choice is to either: (a) vote for the Republican party candidate, (b) vote for the Democrat party candidate, (c) vote for an alternative party candidate, (d) write in a name of one’s choosing, or (e) stay at home and not vote at all.

Option (a), if undertaken by sufficient numbers of voters, will end the Obama regime by replacing him with a less-than-perfect new president. If these same voters are able to create a Republican-majority Senate and keep a Republican-majority house, then it is even better. Not perfect, but better.

The other options, if undertaken by sufficient numbers of voter, all have the same outcome. They will ensure 4 more years of hearing the words “President Obama”.

As a potential voter, the choice is yours.

By the way - feel free to poke holes in my analysis.


32 posted on 12/06/2011 7:55:20 PM PST by WayneM (Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe.)
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To: Fred
The author of the article is a little weasel - you can some more about him at Breitbart's Big Journalism:

conor the weasel

33 posted on 12/06/2011 7:55:34 PM PST by Wayne07
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Comment #34 Removed by Moderator

To: muawiyah

And that is different from toady how?


35 posted on 12/06/2011 7:56:30 PM PST by Deagle
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To: BwanaNdege

No, just hoping for a candidate that would make a change.


36 posted on 12/06/2011 7:56:30 PM PST by doc1019 (Romney will never get my vote)
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To: Fred

Hey, if he wants to blab. Let him blab. Come on, Fred. You know better than this. /sarcasm LOL!


37 posted on 12/06/2011 7:57:16 PM PST by writer33 (Mark Levin Is The Constitutional Engine Of Conservatism)
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To: Fred

I realize that Newt Gingrich has major liabilities, but don’t you find this editorial over the top? Gingrich is also very knowlegable on the issues and he has some real accomplishments to his record. I’m not saying he’s my first choice, but he’s hardly a disaster.


38 posted on 12/06/2011 7:57:20 PM PST by Clintonfatigued (Illegal aliens collect welfare checks that Americans won't collect)
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To: PALIN SMITH

I believe that as well....


39 posted on 12/06/2011 7:57:53 PM PST by caww
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To: Clintonfatigued
I’m not saying he’s my first choice, but he’s hardly a disaster.

I could agree with that.

40 posted on 12/06/2011 7:58:13 PM PST by writer33 (Mark Levin Is The Constitutional Engine Of Conservatism)
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