You need to drop the Sarah Palin as founding father myth. She is badly maligned for her role in the campaign, but she is not the person who is going to figure out the direction for the Republican Party. Newt is about the only guy who is actually offering ideas to solve problems.
The problem the Republicans have are not because of Newt but despite him. They were all for the Gingrich revolution until they got power. Then they were merely interested in more pork for their districts.