Genial is a misnomer -but Sowell is correct in that most people view BO as a smiling benefactor. Those who are more discerning know the truth.
Newt Gingrich is not a con artist. What you see and hear is authentic. That he has screwed up on occasion - is proof of his bold nature.
I was visiting some out of state relatives last night, they came down to GA and I love them, but two of them were saying at one point how they believed BO was good, he’d done as good as he could, but he’d inherited all this mess. I couldn’t bring myself to start an argument with my elders, though I am a mature adult myself. And I didn’t feel I’d do any good, they wouldn’t listen. But it galls me to have said nothing. It really does.