Newt Gingrich back on his game

Politico ^ | 2/23/2012 | GINGER GIBSON

[RoosterRedux]

Newt Gingrich didn’t have a game-changing moment in Wednesday night’s Arizona debate.

But the former House speaker’s newest approach to the Republican presidential race — staying above the fray, avoiding attacks and focusing on the issues — proved to be a winner for him anyway.

“Newt’s last two outings were disjointed and low-energy,” said Rick Wilson, a GOP strategist who is unaligned in the presidential race. “Tonight was markedly better.” But Gingrich had more ground to make up than the other candidates in Wednesday’s debate. More than his GOP rivals, Gingrich has used his debate performances — often marked by scathing attacks on the media — as a springboard for jump-starting his erratic campaign. Many attributed Gingrich’s sole win this primary season in South Carolina to a confident performance in a pre-primary debate.

As his poll numbers have continued to dive, the debate was seen as one of Gingrich’s last opportunities to regain traction before Super Tuesday on March 6. The question is whether a good debate performance can translate into major momentum so late in the game, especially with Rick Santorum now challenging Mitt Romney for first place.

“He dealt himself back in the game with some of the Newt magic,” Wilson said. “But Newt doing well now comes out of Santorum’s numbers, not Mitt’s.”

Gingrich laughed and smiled during the debate, leaned back in his chair on several occasions and beamed when Romney gave him several pointed looks during his responses to questions. When asked to use one word to describe himself, Gingrich responded with: “Cheerful.”

“He looked relaxed and looked like he was having fun,” said Chip Saltsman, who was Mike Huckabee’s campaign manager in 2008. “Definitely in his element.”

[A'elian' nation]

“Gingrich responded with: “Cheerful”

He could have brought down the house if he had said

The Terminator!

Everything Obama has done needs to be terminated.
Yeah the question was inane, but Newt, or any of the others, missed a chance there.

[manc]

imagine if there was a Ga debate as was planned/

No wonder the other two went backed out of it after their showing last night.

Newt came way out on top and Paul actually made some decent points.
Sadly I thought Santorum was awful and this was the first tiome he had been at the front for a debate and it was not looking good for him .

Still like Newt said it is hard to debate someone who lies all the time, I.E Romney

Yet again Romney was lying through his teeth and the moderator let him get away with it but they will not if it is against obama their messiah which is why Newt would destroy obama and the MSM in these debates and they all know thus they try and take Newt out as soon as possible

[OldNavyVet]

Newt Gingrich is the junkyard dog we need to rip Obama a new one and send him running back to his Chicago slime pit with his tail between his legs.

Better yet, I can see Newt putting Obama on trial for Constitutional fraud -- not being Constutionally qualified as a President.

[txrangerette]

Besides, Dan Rather had that one copyrighted, didn’t he??

:-)

[Parley Baer]

“Oh my God, I would be soooo happy if Newt was the Presidential nominee.”

I agree. Newt is head and shoulders above anyone else in the field. GO NEWT GO!

[supremedoctrine]

You’re right Jeff, Santorum’s answers were NOT good on that question, and we’ve heard countless “I felt I should vote for it because some of our stuff was in there too” lame justifications for just such political choices in voting for this or that. Ron Paul was laughing when Santorum came out with that explanation. When Santorum came out with “politics is a team effort” , that said it all. The accomodationist blending of Right into Left (it’s never the other way around)
is a big part of the problem with the Washington Establishment, it’s clever procedures for built-in levelling out of both parties into one big Establishment party.

[Twinkie]

About the dog issue; that’s your opinion. Rest assured that the Obama-loving MSM will trot that story out ad nauseum if Romney is the nominee, and SNL will do a skit on it as well as the Romney’s magic underwear most likely. - Think the MSM media is above that? Think again.

Oh, and what was the deal with sitting the four Republican candidates down at little first grader desks? I’m sure it was more humane, but it looked SILLY.

[supremedoctrine]

You’re right Jeff, Santorum’s answers were NOT good on that question, and we’ve heard countless “I felt I should vote for it because some of our stuff was in there too” lame justifications for just such political choices in voting for this or that. Ron Paul was laughing when Santorum came out with that explanation. When Santorum came out with “politics is a team effort” , that said it all. The accomodationist blending of Right into Left (it’s never the other way around)
is a big part of the problem with the Washington Establishment, it’s clever procedures for built-in levelling out of both parties into one big Establishment party.

[Sacajaweau]

Nope....Newt will just plow ahead and get things done. Obama has NO....”0”....nada....legacy....The most failed presidency in the entire world.

[FreeReign]

No wonder the other two went backed out of it after their showing last night.

Exactly.

[McGruff]

I think the two things that most damaged Newt in Florida were 1) his attacks on Bain Capital from the left, and 2) the moon colony idea, which I think was something he mentioned out of desperation.

I wonder what your opinion of this was.

Returning to the moon and building an outpost there is not new. Until three years ago, it was U.S. policy and billions of dollars were spent on that idea.

Staying on the moon dates at least to 1969, when a government committee recommended that NASA first build a winged, reusable space shuttle followed by a space station and then a moon outpost. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush proposed going to the moon and staying there.

Sixteen years later, in 2005, his son, President George W. Bush, proposed a similar lunar outpost, phased out the space shuttle program and spent more than $9 billion designing a return to the moon program.

George Washington University space policy director Scott Pace, who was NASA’s associate administrator in the second Bush administration and is a Romney supporter, said the 2020 lunar base date Gingrich mentioned was feasible when it was proposed in 2005.

http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2012/01/31/experts_say_gingrich_moon_base_dreams_not_lunacy/

[Future Snake Eater]

I think that his answer reflected that he thought the question was inane.

Which it certainly was.

[caww]

Newt's intellect, sense of history, deference to the constitution, debating ability, statesmanship and ability to think big is way ahead of the other schoolboys.

Additionally he sees the big picture from back to front and ahead for those very reasons and more... and why his responses are articulated and fully understood by the audiance.

There's no solid reason for not supporting Newt at this time in our country's peril...all the others will never be able to move congress and his plans are ready to impliment from day one.

It's truly astounding people aren't getting we're not just voting for a Presidential Candidate...it encompasses so many areas of "emergency" that only a seasoned and well equipped "surgeon" can re-attach, cut out, and sew up all the damage impossed on the body we call the USA...and that under fire!

[caww]

Newt's intellect, sense of history, deference to the constitution, debating ability, statesmanship and ability to think big is way ahead of the other schoolboys.

Additionally he sees the big picture from back to front and ahead for those very reasons and more... and why his responses are articulated and fully understood by the audiance.

There's no solid reason for not supporting Newt at this time in our country's peril...all the others will never be able to move congress and his plans are ready to impliment from day one.

It's truly astounding people aren't getting we're not just voting for a Presidential Candidate...it encompasses so many areas of "emergency" that only a seasoned and well equipped "surgeon" can re-attach, cut out, and sew up all the damage impossed on the body we call the USA...and that under fire!

[caww]

Newt's intellect, sense of history, deference to the constitution, debating ability, statesmanship and ability to think big is way ahead of the other schoolboys.

Additionally he sees the big picture from back to front and ahead for those very reasons and more... and why his responses are articulated and fully understood by the audience.

There's no solid reason for not supporting Newt at this time in our country's peril...all the others will never be able to move congress and his plans are ready to implement from day one.

It's truly astounding people aren't getting we're not just voting for a Presidential Candidate...it encompasses so many areas of "emergency" that only a seasoned and well equipped "surgeon" can reattach, cut out, and sew up all the damage imposed on the body we call the USA...and that under fire!

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Well, why didn't Reagan build a moon colony? Why didn't Bush 41 or Bush 43? You've cited a lot of talk, but nobody actually doing it.

I'd say the reason it didn't happen during any of those Presidencies is because of the cost. So now, at a time when both our immediate and longer-term fiscal peril is much worse than it was for Reagan or either Bush, now is the time to spend all that money?

And I've read that article. It's full of space geeks applauding Gingrich generally for putting emphasis on space. Gee, that's a suprise. Like asking a car salesman if he thinks its a good idea if you buy a new car.

But in any case, even that article has quotes saying how the promise of a permanent lunar colony by 2020 was "out there". And it is a huge leap from saying that someone is "technologically feasible", and saying it actually is practical, and an intelligent use of taxpayer money.

Anyway, if you want to support this, feel free to contribute what you want out of your own pocket. Just keep your hands out of mine.

[Pikachu_Dad]

Didn’t someone just hin’t that they would love to be Romney’s VP?

[ponygirl]

Great idea. That means a Romney/Paul ticket flips the bird to the conservative movement and they pull in the 25% of moderate "Independent" squishes plus the 10% of insane lunatics (read: "former Obama voters and bong-smoking college boys") that are Paul's base. That gives him 35%. #Winning.

If this is what really happens, then it is obvious that the flag has been captured and both parties have been corrupted by the Communist left. They want to lose and it's all over but the really nasty death rattle.

[foxfield]

Romney is the poison that has resulted in all the carnage in this year’s pubbie primary season ...

I am not so sure Romney is behind it.

Look at the pattern. First a candidate rises from low single digits to the lead. Then, the flurry of destructive attack begin, pretty much destroying the candidate, and driving him back into low double digits or lower.

Could Romney be behind the attacks? Certainly. But, I can't attribute the initial upsurge to him. More likely it is the Obama machine and the compliant propaganda machine of the MSM. They have the power to surge the candidate to the forefront. Romney does not. They would be doing this to stir up discontent and confusion among the Republicans and to make the GOP look bad.

Sadly, all the bickering among Romney, Santorum, and Paul plays into this strategy. Only Newt has focused on Obama's failed policies and detailed solutions.

[SatinDoll]

The reason a moon colony hasn’t been built is because there is a damn treaty that prevents nations from exploiting space for monetary gain. And incredibly enough, there is money to be made in space.

One near earth asteroid, rich in platinum-group-metals (important in manufacturing hi-tech electronics), is equal in worth to the entire planet’s gross annual product. That is TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS!

Google: asteroid mining
G.Harry Stine’s book, The Third Industrial Revolution (1975)

As you can see, this is not a recent idea. It has been around for decades. We’ve had the technology to mine, smelt, and manufacture in space for quite some time.

The Chinese will be first to crap on the treaty with the Russians following suit.

International corporations have hundreds of billions of dollars stashed overseas (avoiding our capital gains taxes) they can invest on such a risky venture. The United States must make the first move and we won’t have to shell out big bucks, either. We should facilitate this, or the Chinese will do it.