There is no reason to panic Folks, but I agree we must at some point soon unite behind Newt. Only then will we see the stark contrast between the two men.
I can’t imagine that Perry, Santorum, Huntsman etc will continue after SC if they do poorly there. I also would expect Sarah Palin, Rush and others to back Newt if it gets down to just two people left in the race.
Romney will avoid debating Newt one on one for as long as he can get away with it.
Anyone watching the debate yesterday will see clearly that Newt is the conservative candidate up there.
Agreed on all points, but the time to get behind him is NOW imho
Mitt is pulling out a lead in SC and now Florida, where Newt enjoyed leads of 16 and 7 points respectably, I just want it Gingrich vs Romney by the time we get to delegate-jackpot Florida...
There is plenty of time to back Newt once and if it becomes a two-man race between him and Romney. But we aren't there yet.
And the problem with going all-in for Newt at this point is the same problem I saw with going all-in for Newt a few months ago. He has not yet fully rolled out as a top-tier candidate and, Newt being Newt, anything could happen.
I'm willing to let the primary process work for a while. Frankly, calls for unity at this point, even if heeded, are not all that meaningful. IOW, they won't accomplish much. But once the race finally becomes a recognized two-man horserace, then, yes, people will be put to the choice and will choose.
I like this piece and think it's one of the more compelling ones I've read. But the reservations about Newt are not at all about his accomplishments. In my view, they are about his political judgment over the years. Clearly, had he not had serious missteps in political judgment he would not be in the position he is today. Instead, the record of accomplishments the poster iterates would have compelled Gingrich to a formidable frontrunner status.
The fact that he is not the frontrunner doesn't demonstrate that people don't know or understand Gingrich's accomplishments. It means they don't trust him sufficiently.
And so calls to "unite" behind Newt are, at bottom, calls to "trust" him. And people are not going to put their trust in him until they feel there is no other alternative. That may happen soon, but it will happen as a natural consequence of the primary process working, not through calls for "unity."