Posted on 01/24/2012 5:19:19 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
I understand it's all about Newt vs. Mitt all the time. But I would ask that people think about a the bigger picture. All I'll say briefly about Newt and electability is, if in 2007 someone told me a black man named Barack Hussein Obama would defeat Hillary Clinton in the Dem primary and John McCain in the general election, I would have said they were crazy. So, please stop telling me you know for a fact what result any match up might produce in November of this year.
We may all think we know, leading to a number of different opinions, but no one knows for a fact.
Politics is about coalitions. Whatever nominee we decide upon for 2012 will be the name and face of things, but what they'll represent is the broader coalition behind them that elevates them to power. Newt may be an imperfect vessel, frankly, there is no such thing in politics; however, I do see the potential for two critical coalitions to do battle as we go forward in the primary.
Mitt owns the political and financial establishment that has run Washington post-Reagan and gotten us to where we are today. For all his imperfections, I see the possibility for a coalition to come together around Gingrich with names like Tea Party, Palin, Perry, Jindal, the conservative grassroots and Americans just interested in serious political reform. There is also plenty of room for reform-minded evangelicals and libertarians in that coalition, given the various factions and leaders.
None of those groups has enough clout to make much difference in Washington on their own. But together, they can exert enough power to make a difference if they can come together. And the coalition that elevates a politician will get a seat at the table once they are seated. That's the nature of politics.
At least think about it. Newt may not be your ideal candidate, he's certainly not mine. But I know that if Romney wins, the ideas and people I most believe in will not have a seat at the table. On the other hand, with Newt Gingrich, I believe they will.
I also believe he can win the general election, just as any other candidate has the potential to win, or lose one race. Just ask President Barack Hussein Obama if you don't believe me. The Democrat establishment said he couldn't win in 2008, obviously he did. You're welcome to hold the opinion that Newt Gingrich can't defeat him in 2012; I don't believe Romney can. But please don't defend your opinion to me as fact unless you have a crystal ball - in that case, email me, I want to talk to you about buying some lottery tickets.
This needed to be said.
Thanks for posting.
The Rush Limbaugh LIVE Radio Show Thread, Monday, January 23, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012 11:40:30 AM · 53 of 280 gov_bean_ counter to MissMagnolia
HEY RUSH (I know you aren't he)
Another thing that worries the establishment about Newt is the people who are going to come along with him. Think about it.
People like Rick Perry as an advocate for the 10th amendment or Sarah Palin and other like minded conservatives in her age group as national leaders in training.
People like this will turn the status quo on its head. The entrenched can't let that happen.
Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies
I saw it last night with Paul saying he will not be a Third Party. I think he will pass everything to Newt cause Newt will let Paul in the White house. Palin loves him already. This is a new Republican party cause SC yeehawed and hooted for him.
America now wants an insider who can tear it apart from the inside. Rebuild Washington and throw the establishment out.
Andrew Jackson - Newt
I want somebody who will throw firebombs, ridicule the pussies already in, excoriate the media and tell everyone they are idiots. I want a reversal of the Bush doctrine. No more compassionate conservative. I want scorched earth policy on Dems, foreign governments and the Senate. I want ONE HALF of the government bureaus to be defunded, one quarter shut down and the rest to be scared they are next,so they won’t ask for more. Is my want list too big?
“The people have chosen their champion, imperfect and flawed though he is, to go against the establishment. No more business as usual. With poll numbers out today showing Gingrich ahead of Romney in Florida, it is confirmed that the base is in full rebellion. The future of Newt Gingrich is in his own hands now. If he can keep his ducks in a row and show wisdom in what he says, he is going to pull this thing off.
In my humble opinion, Governor Rick Perry was the catalyst of something huge the day he resigned and endorsed Newt Gingrich. Sarah Palin recommended voting for Gingrich in South Carolina as a strategy to stop Romney from becoming the inevitable nominee. Perry went much further and gave the Christian, small government and socially conservative stamp of approval to him. Chuck Norris and Michael Reagan then followed suit, adding emphasis.
Perry tanked in the polls because he did not initially prove himself to be an effective spokesman for grass roots conservatism, not because people did not believe in his cause or his sincerity. This gave far greater weight to his endorsement than would be expected from his poll numbers. The timing was also perfect to offset Marianne Gingrich’s interview. Perry’s statement about redemption along with Gingrich’s intelligent, forceful self defense in the Charleston debate turned a negative into a positive for him.”
http://www.redstate.com/cheetah2/2012/01/23/newt-gingrich-rick-perry-and-a-new-grassroots-champion/
bttt
A conversation heard on RUSH one day a couple months back was that the winner should put all the candidates in some cabinet, VP, etc. I don’t know if a caller mentioned that, or RUSH. However Rush said that it would unite to party in a way that we would need to guarantee a win and each of the candidates had at least one great strength in areas the others lacked, so it would be a win for all of them.
If Newt can be the poster boy for conservatism, voters will be drawn to him like someone dying of thirst is drawn to water.
But...he'd better not switch to RINO mode, especially if he wins the election in November!
As it stands, they are voting against Romney and will vote against Obama.
You are right, Perry's withdrawal could not have come at a better time for Newt. Newt's debate performance, however, put him over the top. He needs to stay fired up, while "keeping his ducks in a row."
Good article. I’m largely in the same place as the author. Newt was not my candidate of choice; that person is out of the running. But I believe he is the best and most electable of the ones who are left. I’ve always had misgivings about Newt, but they have been tempered by a couple of factors:
1) I believe he has changed since his conversion to Christianity; he has repented and been redeemed.
2) I think he now knows that he will get jerked back if he tries any of that drifting to the left.
So I’m behind Newt now.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.