Posted on 06/11/2011 8:04:51 AM PDT by freespirited
Newt Gingrich vowed on Friday to campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination on his own terms, saying he would do “whatever it takes” to remain in the race despite the exodus a day earlier of nearly his entire senior staff.
“There is a fundamental strategic difference between the traditional consulting community and the kind of campaign I want to run,” Mr. Gingrich said. “Now we’ll find out over the next year who’s right.”
Even as some prominent Republicans, including Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa, questioned his viability, Mr. Gingrich made plans to deliver a foreign policy speech in Los Angeles on Sunday and to participate in a Republican debate in New Hampshire on Monday. And he sought to rebut suggestions by his former aides that he had failed to engage in the campaign as fully as necessary because his wife, Callista, was micromanaging his schedule and did not wish to devote every waking minute to the campaign...
The departure of the campaign staff came after the couple returned from a cruise that left them out of public view for 11 days, just as the Republican contest was getting going in earnest and as Mr. Gingrich was seeking to recover from some missteps.
At times in the early stages, he appeared intensely engaged in the race. He made 17 appearances over five days in Iowa last month, seeming to thrive on the energy of larger-than-expected crowds.
But when his Iowa campaign manager, Craig Schoenfeld, proposed in a memorandum that Mr. Gingrich spend 40 percent of his time in Iowa to be competitive in a straw poll in August . . . Mr. Gingrich committed to only a handful of visits.
“That’s not going to cut it,” said Mr. Schoenfeld, who resigned along with the five other paid Iowa staff members.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I always thought it was odd that these hired staff folks take the campaign’s paychecks, then when they have a dispute, go to press to badmouth the organization that was paying them.
In most professions, you could get sued for such actions. And many of us have contracts with a “confidentiality” agreement.
Stick a fork in it, grandma.
Regardless of their reasons for leaving, the speaking out now by the former consultants should make them radioactive to any future candidate. They are a collection of budding authors who will sellout their next boss at the most profitable time.
As a former “serious” presidential candidate he can likely command higher speaking fees than Noot can as just a former Speaker. It was still about paying the bills.
Weiner may be available pretty soon to run Newtie’s campaign.
“Now we’ll find out over the next year who’s right.”
Don’t we already know? When Dems and Reps alike (not to mention your entire, now resigned staff) agree your candidacy is a loser, who are you trying to appeal to? This is the Republican primaries, not some mythical general election.
If this is a gambit to angle in on VP, a cabinet position, or increased speaking fees, there IS such a thing as bad publicity.
“with the never-to-be First Lady holding the murder weapon?
Purchased at Tiffany’s I would presume.”
Game. Set. Match.
And any other appropriate sports terms I know nothing about.
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