Breaking: Adelson to give Gingrich-backing super-PAC another $10 million

Hot Air ^ | 1:20 pm on February 17, 2012 | Ed Morrissey

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

So much for conservative consolidation:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s faltering campaign is about to get another shot in the arm, CBS News has learned.

Billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson plans to give another $10 million to the outside group backing the former Georgia lawmaker who is running behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, a source close to Adelson told CBS News.

Adleson and his family have already given $11 million to “Winning our Future,” the super PAC backing Gingrich. The group, which bombarded the airwaves in South Carolina last month ahead of the primary there, is largely credited with helping Gingrich win in the Palmetto state.

The latest $10 million cash injection would raise the Adelson family’s contribution to $21 million, and a different source close to Adelson said he is prepared to drop another $4 million for a total of $25 million. The Huffington Post calculated that the billionaire casino owner earns about $3.3 million an hour.

[monkapotamus]

(Likely) Slick Willard media manipulation, from February 10, 2012, posted at F.R., which I didn't believe at the time:

"Bloomberg News reports that Adelson, who has donated $11 million to Gingrich’s Super PAC, does not plan to send any more money Gingrich’s way. Bloomberg is citing an anonymous source “familiar with their deliberations,” though an Adelson spokesman declined to comment." - Business Insider

^^^^ They "leak" these false stories to suppress support, votes.

[JohnBovenmyer]

Will Newt-ulus 2 work any better than Newt-ulus 1 worked? Time will tell. One of the characteristics of newts is the ability to regenerate lost parts so perhaps Newt's campaign can again grow back from near death. WSJ made some interesting points on Newt's benefactor, Adelson. Now I know better than to blame a candidate for everything his backers say and do. The correlation between backers and candidates is far from perfect; but it shouldn't be zero unless the backer is a clueless idiot knowing nothing of what he's backing. Newt's backer deserves at least as much attention as Rick's aspirin joker. WSJ says Adelson likes Newt in part for his strong support of Israel. I don't doubt Newt one bit on Israel, but then I don't doubt Rick on that either and don't recall any of the anti-Rick posts on this site questioning him on that subject. WSJ says Adelson "doesn't share the former Pennsylvania senator's socially conservative positions, including his strong antiabortion views…" I don't doubt Newt's pro-life credentials either, he's been solid. But I wonder what Adelson sees that makes him think Newt is less conservative than Rick on social issues and whether what matters to him would matter to me.