Posted on 02/02/2012 7:03:31 AM PST by SeekAndFind
In South Carolina, Newt Gingrich correctly attributed his success to the fact that he had simply "articulated the deepest felt values of the American people." Then the former speaker promptly went to Florida and abandoned that in favor of the most deeply felt values of Beltway consultants -- a childish food fight with Mitt Romney.
Bad idea.
Thus, with gravy stains on his tie and mashed potatoes in his hair, Newt Gingrich will limp away from Florida with less chance of becoming the nominee, let alone president. He may not finish even as runner-up (or even Miss Congeniality), a position he had seemingly wrapped up by always being the one insisting that "any of the eight (or seven or six or five or four) of us" is far preferable to Barack Obama, etc.
That notion actually is one of our "most deeply felt values." Voters are craving two things this cycle. First is a vision for defeating Barack Obama, and second is a vision for rolling back the red tide after this is done. Anything and everything else is theatre of the absurd. What Newt was tapping into with his "any of the eight" proclamations was the deeply felt value that priority one is defeating Obama -- because Obama's deeply felt values scare the hell out of us.
Also scary are the deeply felt values of San Francisco radicals and Marxists and Saul Alinsky and, while we're at it, the mainstream media. This is generally what the Tea Party and the midterms were all about. America as founded is being ripped out from under us in broad daylight, and this rip-off is being propelled and celebrated by our education, entertainment, and media elites.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Of course you are correct. While Mitt Romney does a confetti filled Howard Dean redux - we all expect more gravitas from Newt. Even his detractors had to be impressed with his civility, arguments and composure.
Playing by the rules of good manners and sound principles has been a GOP ‘weakness’ in the cut-throat game of party politics. Romney is a rattle-snake without a rattle.
“But then, for some inexplicable reason, he wiped that campaign gold off his hands and abandoned the gold mine. He quickly returned to the tar pit of the food fight with Mitt. And it has been all downhill from there.”
This is complete nonsense. The writer gives no examples of what he’s talking about. Mashed potatoes?
All I see here is made-up garbage.
Excellent analysis of how Newt got to the top, twice.
Nevada and Maine will almost certainly go to Romney. Colorado could go either way. Minnesota might go to Newt, and Missouri’s “beauty contest” is meaningless, but the caucus later on might be winnable for Newt. AZ could go either way, and Romney is likely to win WA.
Newt’s only hope at this point of getting the nomination is a sweep in the South on Super Tuesday that would get him some delegates and rebuild his momentum.
Assuming Newt can stay on message, he has a better-than average shot in the following Super Tuesday states:
Alaska
Georgia
Idaho
North Dakota
Ohio (about a 50/50 shot)
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Still, it’s a tough road to climb. Newt wins when he does well in a debate. His muted Florida debate performances hurt him there, IMHO. The lack of debates going forward will hurt as well.
“He quickly returned to the tar pit of the food fight with Mitt. And it has been all downhill from there. Frankly, it was stunning to observe.”
I despise Romney for his methods. Why did Newt decide to do the same thing? And in doing so, he left many wondering about his conservatism. People are clamoring for a city on a hill, not another mudwrestler.
Why can't you come out and trash Gingrich yourself?
Come on, tough guy.. have some courage to go with those convictions.
Why do you feel the need to speak through a proxy?
Speak up.
bullshit...why are u posting this crap.
C Edmund to be an alleged Newtie is all over the place ...yet again
this notion Newt can leave Mitt’s deluge unanswered is poppycock
Mitt threw 17 million at him in FL
Newt has to fight back but not get mired in it
RE: The writer gives no examples of what he’s talking about. Mashed potatoes?
_____________________________________
Here is an excerpt from the article:
Newt was justifiably furious and unwisely fought back from the left with attacks on Bain Capital. That failed, and so did his campaign in the first two states. Then lighting struck again — and the key word is again. Many pundits act like S.C. was a four-day fluke. It was not. It was a continuation of what had been slowly building the entire season that initially exploded in November.
___________________________
His campaign then acknowledges making robocalls to Seniors in Florida voters that Holocaust survivors “were forced to eat non-kosher” because of Mitt Romney, CNN reported.
He later denies it, but his campaign still acknowledges being behind the robocall.
He then goes off tangent musing OPENLY about a lunar colony ( GREAT, here we are with a 16 TRILLION debt and he’s talking about a lunar colony ).
Attack Omaba’s policies. Give us the alternative to Obama. Everyone who is half paying attention knows that Omaba is not fixing whats wrong with America.
Again, tell us the solution to Obamannism.
Of course,a few well placed zings are not a bad thing either.
Wait til obama starts in on him!
RE: Attack Omaba’s policies. Give us the alternative to Obama. Everyone who is half paying attention knows that Omaba is not fixing whats wrong with America.
_________________
THAT was what got everyone’s attention with Newt in the first place. In the early part of the debates (when there will still 8 candidates), Newt REFUSED to attack his fellow Republicans, prefering to aim at Obama and Democrats.
He’s got to return to that mode pronto.
I assume you know the old adage about mud wrestling with a pig, or "Never argue with the man who buys ink by the barrel"?
The way to beat Romney is to articulate a positive, resonant message that he has no way to match, while drawing contrasts in debates over major issues like RomneyCare.
Newt's SuperPAC has been atrocious - I don't know who's running it but it has probably hurt his campaign on the whole, with the whole "King of Bain" debacle -- and I heard it was the SuperPAC, not Newt's campaign, that ran the execrable "Romney forced Holocaust survivors to eat non-Kosher food" ad? Haven't gotten a real source on that.
I realize Newt can't really control what the SuperPAC does but if there's some way he can replace the incompetents running it he would be far better off.
So true.
Newt may need a more professional and detached campaign manager to keep him from flying off in meaningless tangents.
Rick Perry had several key points he kept emphasizing.
Close the border (in one year)
Disband several government agencies, EPA, NEW and —can’t think of the other one (and I’m not kidding)
Stop needless regulaltions that hamper business.
Stop all foreign aid and start from zero with each nation having to prove its case.
His other idea - part-time congress was a good one, but I thought he should have soft pedaled it, as it’s gonna be years before anything like that would work.
Newt needs to go back to some basic principles that are proven to be favorites by conservatives.
Number one would be get rid of Obama care. That’s a very popular issue and Mitt Romney is vulnerable. He wouldn’t even have to mention Mitt. In fact, I don’t think he should mention Mitt.
I agree with this and don't understand how Newt doesn't control it more. Like a broken clock twice a day, I think even Dicky Morris got this one right .... Romney SUCKered Gingrich in Florida ...
He’s got to return to that mode pronto.
He needs to SAY he is ignoring Romney’s attacks and focusing of fixing whats broke.
As well, everytime Romney attempts to pull him back into the cat fight he needs to say repeatly stuff like ‘why is Romney attacking me when Obama is the problem.’ or, ‘Romney needs to focus on his solutions to fix America rather than attacking me.’ and Romney solutions to restore America must be weak or why else is he wasting everyone’s time attacking me?’
Then procede to give SOLUTIONS.
Not a word about Mitt and his $17 million smear job.
What a ridiculous post by you and a ridiculous assumption.
I am a huge Newt supporter, but I do not drink anyone’s kool aid. I was heart sick to write this article, which I wrote during the Monday night debate in Florida hoping like hell I never had to run it.
I hate the truth of this article, but it is truth, and I felt compelled to write it. I am hoping it might wake some folks up who have access on the inside.
No. You have to be detached. Newt wasted the last two debates with little mention of his basic principles.
He let Mitt Romney throw him off his game. Of course, he needed to defend himself but his activities with Freddie Mac are complicated and people don’t care about the details. He should have deflected it with something like, I did nothing dishonest and will post the details if anyone’s interested, and, by the way, I would oppose and destroy Obamacare.
He also wasted far too much time on his granny amnesty talk. That’s not a popular issue and it’s stupid. No grannies will be deported. They don’t even deport criminals.
I’m all for vision and for the revival of a space program but that’s not of immediate concern to most people.
Ed Rollins said Newt needs a more professional campaign manager and staff. I think he’s right.
Denying that Newt hurt himself by going off message doesn’t make it so.
and btw, he's a supporter of Newt Gingrich.
You are wrong Georgia Girl. There was a mention of Newt being attacked unjustifiably - and besides, there was an entire article by this same author (I happen to know) totally dedicated to Mitt’s Scorched Earth attacks yesterday and it was run at least three different threads.
You can’t tell the whole history in each column. Read more. Comment less.
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