Posted on 12/04/2011 6:04:20 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
On Friday, I suggested that Republicans “could pull a name out of a hat and find a more consistent and personally stable conservative” than Newt Gingrich. Many smart conservatives seem to agree. (VictorDavisHanson points out that with Gingrich as the nominee the GOP would forfeit the “crony capitalism” issue; No one has been a bigger crony than he.)
The latest and perhaps brightest warning flare to the right is sent up by GeorgeWill. There are too many delicious lines in his column from which to choose a favorite. (e.g.,“There is almost artistic vulgarity in Gingrich’s unrepented role as a hired larynx for interests profiting from such government follies as ethanol and cheap mortgages”; “Gingrich, who would have made a marvelous Marxist, believes everything is related to everything else and only he understands how.”) George patiently explains to those who think the conservative movement began with the Internet and is defined by those who can burnish the most withering rhetoric: “Conservatism inoculates against the hubristic volatility that Gingrich exemplifies.” Yes, Gingrich is what conservatism aims to save us from.
Now, George would choose TexasGov Rick Perry or Jon Huntsman. RameshPonnuru would take MittRomney. There is also RickSantorum to consider. Reasonable conservatives differ on the alternative, but other than sheer contrarianism and temporary amnesia it is hard (for those who want to maintain the ideological health of the conservative movement and win the WhiteHouse) to justify embracing Gingrich. That he is more “gregarious, upbeat” than he used to be is no reason to choose him as president or to declare he has turned over new leaf.
For those conservatives who are not systematically averting their eyes, Gingrich every day gives Republicans further reason to conclude there is no “New Newt,” only the same disorganized egomaniac who drove his House caucus to revolt.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Herman Cain was my choice.....
Romney would be just about as bad as Bammy... what choice do we have left?
I prefer Perry to Newt as well.
A blast from the past: this time lat election, top guy was Giuliani followed by Fred Thompson.
A lot can happen.
Are we forgetting how all buddy-buddy Pete King was with Clinton during his time in the WH? King was Clinton’s favorite Republican.
It took me till King’s newly adopted post-9/11 persona to be able to tolerate him. He was all RINO with Clinton. We should not forget and take these comments in context.
I think we were looking for an outsider at first, but the die has been cast. Now we are only looking for someone who can defeat Zero. Newt IS that guy...and polls have shown it.
I don’t mind Perry at all and would support him if he’s up n polling and has a chance to win. Right now he doesn’t.
Victor Davis Hanson is a RINO?
LOL!!!
I can’t recall a politician I truly admired. So, I with you on that.
Newt is not the answer though.
I consider that a positive.
We don’t know where this will go. Right now, I oppose Newt for many reasons. In in general, I vote R.
I don’t know the answer:
What did the polls for IA, NH, SC and FL look like 30 days before the first primary in 2008?
National polls are important, but not as useful at predicting as the 4 early states because those state results do end up tipping the scales toward those who do well in the early voting.
From Wiki - Talk about inside Washington and political opportunists.
In 1991, Will married Mari Maseng. They have one child, a son named David, born in 1992, and live in the Washington D.C. area. Maseng is a political consultant and speechwriter, currently in charge of communications for the Rick Perry 2012 presidential campaign. She earlier worked on Michele Bachmann’s 2012 presidential campaign, and offered her services to the Mitt Romney 2012 campaign.[40][41] She previously worked as for Reagan as a presidential speechwriter, deputy director of transportation, and Assistant to the President for Public Liaison. She also was a former communications director for Robert Dole.
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No different from Newt - you go where the work is.
I will never, ever trust Newt. But I could vote for him.
I miss Reagan because I knew we could trust his heart, and that he would enter any negotiation looking for the best possible deal for a conservative. Oh well. Ain’t happening this time.
I would be ok with Newt as Def Sec or Secretary of State, serving under a conservative president. I don’t trust him enough to be POTUS as he seems eager to push for amnesty or other liberal causes, but as Defense Secretary or Sec of State, he would not have possibility of that.
I don’t know how old ez is, but can guarantee I was a full fledged adult in 1995, and remember the Contract with America AND the fact that the Congress enacted 9 of its 10 provisions within 100 days. How is that “screw[ing] us all?”
Yup, that one. His record is superior to Romney, it seems to me.
With all of her faults and missteps, had things been done differently, I think Sarah could have been the anti-politician. Not enough fire in the belly there, IMHO.
That’s a good point.
Sadly, I’m not up to the research on a blustery Sunday morning.
I will vote R in the general. In the meantime, let us not count out Rick Perry. He is not the enemy. Obama is.
The "polls" have been more like the Neilsen Ratings.
60+% of the voters remain undecided on their final selection.
I think that the longer consensus among conservative rank and file is and has always been "Not Romney".
What’s interesting is that she tried to tone down her Mittbotness today. Must have realized her obviousness was counterproductive.
I bet I am not alone when I say that I am utterly bored with certain posters who continually bang the single drum:
“CANDIDATE X (who is never Rick Perry) IS A FLAWED, UNTRUSTWORTHY, PHILANDERING MODERATE”
Every effing post from this tool is focused on any candidate who is polling above Perry. Well, keep those posting fingers limber because you’ve got almost the entire flipping field above La Raza Rick. That’s a lot of opponents to work your negative ad campaigns against.
Let’s put it this way, if the primary season worked like the PGA Tour, Perry would have missed the cut on Friday and be on an airplane back home.
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