Posted on 02/16/2012 10:10:29 PM PST by VinL
There is another way to look at South Carolina and Florida, but no one seems to want to consider it. Santorum’s win in Iowa began to give him momentum. Then, before South Carolina, Palin and the other heavyweights came out with the “Vote for Newt in South Carolina, or Romney wins” meme. Without that, Santorum could have easily emerged then as the alternative to Romney. Instead, Gingrich arrogantly squandered the chance by taking Florida for granted. People are switching back to their first choice.
Straying a bit but ya know...there have several stories of Gingrich and Santorum campaigning but I’ve not noticed much from Romney or Paul.
Though, I have quit watching FOX.
Santorum has momentum and Romney has money. They have everything to lose and nothing to gain by debating Newt at this point. And Paul.. well.. he is Paul...
So much of what you think you know just isn’t so.
In Paul's case... who knows? In Romney's case, polls show him in third and dropping fast with no hope of improvement. Besides, he will likely get all of Virginia. In Santorum's case, he is polling in second with a good chance of coming close to or passing Gingrich if the trend lines remain as they are. He gains nothing by debating #3 in the polls just before a big contest. Romney is the one he has to beat. In his present position, Gingrich alone offers no reward that comes close to outweighing the risk. They are still debating in Arizona. So all of this might simply be as some have said, they announced the debate before they got confirmations.
A debate in Georgia after dozens of other debates is not a good way to get a message out to other states you are trying to win.
Save Newt in case after Rick has had his vetting, we have no one left...but Mitt..(scream)
Another possibility comes to mind. 3/1, if the current RCP trend lines remain the same, should see Gingrich hitting bottom. I know this won’t happen mathematically, but would you, in a contest against another, willingly offer them a free chance to reverse their losing streak?
I disagree. Newt tried to fight for Florida. He had a war campaign against him with 17 to 1 negative ads. Non stop brutal ads. Michael Reagan and Newt did campaign here in which gave him a second place finish. Drudge caused a lot of damage with his hit postings. Newt could had set up better ground work but he didn’t/ also, the financial backing matched to Romney was a minus. He tried but couldn’t get it together at the end. No leader of the grassroots talking to his team at the final day, I know. When people have confidence, as liberals say, they are of arrogance. To me, it’s strength.
The fact that Romney and Santorum have backed out of the debate on March 1st does say something.
Why would Mitt ‘Mr. Inevitable’ Romney and Rick ‘Mr. Momentum’ Santorum run from the opportunity to debate ‘Down in the polls’ Newt Gingrich?
They have nothing to gain in a debate, so why would they debate. If we nominate a strong debater, Obama won’t debate either.
I think that sci-fi novel Gingrich read was the works and writings of our founders. I was under the assumption those were the tried, tested and true solutions we wanted.
Where did he find cap and trade and personal mandates? Marx?
Newt plans to go to a 15% personal flat tax after deductions ...and a 12.5% corporate tax.... and eliminate the capital gains taxes altogether.... He wants to privatize social security and medicare.... and eliminate the payroll tax.
Good plan, although there is no reason to eliminate capital gains.
______________
Me too!!! ...and since NEWT is the only solid Reagan Conservative in the race ...why are his 3 political lightweight competitors doing the voters such a grave disservice by taking the coward's way out and sandbagging him???!!!
Regards,
-Geoff
GO NEWT!!!
Respectfully, CW, can’t come your way this time. If Romney (still frontrunner) doesn’t show- all the more reason for Rick to be there. The angles for criticism of the “no show frontrunner” are too numerous to list.
It would only underscore that Romney relies on negative attack ads— but has no substance to defend.
We all know what’s going on- they didn’t want to give Newt the chance to have another “South Carolina debate” where he dramatically changed the complexion of the race overnight. OK, perhaps that’s good strategy on their part.
But, at the same time, they must suffer the criticism associated with that strategy— (1)they conspired to freeze him out; (2) they feared his debate prowess.
That’s it.
I still think Newt is great. He might even be winning if it weren't for so many idiots following him kissing his butt driving normal people away in droves. I think some of Paul's nutty followers got tired of the stench of pot smoke and converted their batty attraction over to Newt.
Now I just have fun taking on the Nutty Newtered Nabobs themselves.
Ingtar, objectively, if I were Rick, and I found out that Romney wasn’t go to show at a national debate-— I would have been at that debate in a flash.
Newt would not have gone after Rick— they both would have scorched the “no show frontrunner”- who is great with attack ads, but can’t defend his record. It was a gift.
Just imagine- Rick and Newt on a national stage with no Romney-—how’s that make Romney look vis a vis a surging Rick?
GINGRICH: I have spoken at CPAC many times. And CPAC was founded to challenge the Republican establishment.
The fact is: When Ronald Reagan came here in 1974 and gave his famous speech on bold colors, no pale pastels, that was a decade in from Reagan's first, great national speech for Barry Goldwater, A Time For Choosing.
When Reagan campaigned in 1980, you could see the gap between the Republican establishment and the conservative movement. Reagan campaigned on supply-side economics, lower taxes, less regulation, more American energy, place for people to create jobs. The establishment called it “voodoo economics.”
The GOP establishment has a single word they use with contempt for conservative ideas:
They say they are “unrealistic.”
So creating 16 million jobs under Reagan — “unrealistic.”
Ending the Soviet Union — “unrealistic.”
And Faith Whittlesey, who was in the Reagan White House and ambassador to Switzerland, wrote a brilliant piece recently for Newsmax, pointing out that the fight she and Iwere in as conservatives against the Republican establishment, over the very question of whether or not we should have an anti-Soviet campaign.
The 1994 “Contract with America” — “unrealistic.”
The House Republican majority of 1994, which by the way, was elected by the largest one-party increase in an off year in American History — 9 million new voters — “unrealistic.”
Reforming welfare — where two out of three people would go to work or go to school — “unrealistic.”
Cutting taxes with the largest capital gains tax cut — first tax cut in 16 years — unemployment drops to 4.2 percent, 11 million new jobs — “unrealistic.”
Four years of a balanced-budget — “unrealistic.”
(Applause).
GINGRICH: For the Republican establishment, managing the decay is preferable to changing the trajectory because changing the trajectory requires real fight and requires a real willingness to roll up sleeves and actually take on the Left.
And that is why the Republican establishment, whether it is in 1996 or in 2008, can't win a presidential campaign because they don't have the toughness; they don't have the commitment; and they don't have the philosophy necessary to build a majority in this country.
Wanna hear more?
Gulf, I know what you’re talking about, because I was for Sarah, Sanford, Cain, and now Newt.
And frankly,it always bothered me that posters engaged in “negative ads”- and in particular Newt supporters against Cain and Perry- and vice versa.
But, with respect, my reaction was not to respond in kind. I have some criticism of Rick and reasons I don’t support him- and I do get upset when his supporters attack Newt on certain issues, when Rick would be open to the same attacks.
But, imo, he serves no purpose to denigrate fellow conservatives.
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