Posted on 12/07/2011 9:08:15 PM PST by bimboeruption
WASHINGTON The White House and its allies are starting to turn their sights to Newt Gingrich, invoking his tumultuous history as House speaker to brand him as the godfather of gridlock, a testament to his new viability and the sudden realization that he could be President Obamas Republican opponent.
Democrats have made it clear they have no plans of letting up on Mitt Romney. But they are hoping to help stretch the Republican nominating contest into a longer and bloodier battle meaning they are eager to define Mr. Gingrich for voters in unflattering terms without necessarily wounding him fatally and assisting Mr. Romney, whom they still view as a formidable general election opponent.
The White House is not conceding that by focusing on Mr. Romney, it aimed its initial attacks at the wrong opponent. But in taking on Mr. Gingrich as well, it is underscoring its determination to play an active role in the opposing partys primary.
Look, for the longest time, Gingrich was not really a factor in this race, he was left for dead at the checkout counter at Tiffanys, said David Axelrod, a chief adviser to the presidents re-election bid. Now he is resurgent and he could be the nominee.
The jabs at Mr. Gingrich are one part gleeful mischief-making and one part serious due diligence. Democrats have dusted off old opposition research files on him and are digging deeper into his time in Congress and the private sector, even as they study how his candidacy could resonate with voters in important battleground states.
For the presidents team, it is a careful calibration.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
“Democrats have made it clear they have no plans of letting up on Mitt Romney”
Hmmmmmm, I must have missed the attacks. There have been some token ones but compared to what has been unleashed on Newst in the last few weeks pales in comparison. This is the nyt of course.
Nothing will UNITE the gop voters behind Newt more than the attacks by the demonrats. The more they detest Gingrich..the more we endorse him
I am not a big fan of Gingrich, but after 5 years of Dems running the show, we could use a little gridlock.
That is what the founders had in mind.
So, does this make that dumb as a post guy in the White House the lawn jockey?
Democrats are nothing but a hate machine. They have nothing else to work with. It is pervasive in the liberal/progressive culture. Pelosi, Wright, Reid, Frank, Feinstein, on and on. Must be a bleak world shrouded in self-righteousness and faux superiority.
Democrats have made it clear they have no plans of letting up on Mitt Romney
This is war now...... "The more they detest Gingrich..the more we endorse him""""""
Use your war chest and attack the candidates all year long, from the primary on, until the nomination.
Attack the candidate that you expect to face the least (or at least the one you want to face), and then unload on him, with everything left.
Its like a boxing analogy, work the body, and then finish off by going for the head.
Its pretty simple, they'll go after Newt, and if he makes it to the nomination, they 'll just keep at it expecting the attacks to eventually sink it (like death by a thousand paper cuts), if its Romney, they'll just hit him with both barrels.
This isn't all to unique, but if the GOP nomination goes down to the convention, it becomes a whole new ballgame, and anything can happen, and that turns the election from being a marathon, into a sprint. You could wind up with an entirely different candidate (i.e. Palin, Daniels, Christie, all bets are off).
Candidates who look like they are out of it, i.e. a Perry or a Bachmann or whomever, suddenly have a shot all over again.
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