Posted on 02/22/2012 9:59:28 AM PST by libertarian neocon
Now that all of the candidates have been properly vetted it seems pretty clear to me that Newt is the most electable GOP candidate. That is not to say that he will have an easy time against Obama as historically it is very tough to unseat incumbents (it took a Reagan to beat the disastrous Carter and even then it was pretty close until the debate a week before the election) but he would have the best chance out of the current crop. Mitt Romney would do more to fracture the GOP than anyone else in recent history and much of the GOP base would simply stay home or vote for a 3rd party in the fall. Rick Santorum, aka Saint Rick, has a streak of social conservatism that borders on social fascism and will scare away most of the electorate. Conversely, Newt, while not perfect, can excite the base while at the same time logically convince non-conservatives of the rightness of his views. Also, many of the issues that have plagued him during the primary season (Freddie Mac, sitting on a couch with Pelosi and his opposition to cramming the Ryan plan down people's throats) won't be major issues in the fall. Now, let's go through the candidates in greater detail:
It seems like only yesterday (okay, it was last week) that people thought Rick Santorum was the Chosen One who could finally unite the base and the establishment after a primary season that has been plagued by internecine warfare. Now it seems pretty clear that he is a divider, not a uniter and has as close to a zero chance of actually winning the general election as someone can get in a major party. Instead of focusing on the economy and Obamacare, which could unite people behind both him and GOP, he has focused on such issues as the evils of contraception and prenatal diagnostics. Instead of focusing on grand themes that just about everyone can agree with (and requiring the other side to point out why one group or another would stand to lose), he just outright offends people all by himself, doing the Democrats work for them. He is someone who offends gays, women, parents, protestants and libertarians (in total about 80-90% of the electorate). And I'm not talking about some gaffe taken out of context, I'm talking about actual beliefs that he vigorously defends. Also, at a time when people are pretty much miserable, he decides to focus his energy on attacking things that people actually like. He has railed against both gambling and porn, using left wing statist reasoning in the process:
America is suffering a pandemic of harm from pornography. A wealth of research is now available demonstrating that pornography causes profound brain changes in both children and adults, resulting in widespread negative consequences... Rick Santorum believes that federal obscenity laws should be vigorously enforced.
So because "scientific studies" say something may be bad, we need government officers telling us what we can and cannot watch in the privacy of our own homes? Isn't that the same logic that led us to all those horrid environmental regulations?
I just really don't think Americans want some sort of moralist telling them they are being naughty all the time and taking away some of their cherished vices. Also, what is the point of kicking someone out of office because he thinks government knows best with another guy who thinks government knows best?
Romney, also, is unelectable for the simple reason that he completely horrifies the base. I would estimate that a good 10-15% of the base would simply stay home if he is the nominee or vote for a 3rd party. It's pretty clear that he won't repeal Obamacare, he wants to raise the job-killing minimum wage, and has a terrible record as Governor. You would think that some of his non-conservative views would endear him to independents but it appears he is in the midst of losing them as nobody likes a candidate who doesn't believe in anything and doesn't seem to care about the poor very much. He also is in danger of chasing away the Reagan Democrats as he is exactly the type of candidate that repelled them away from the GOP before Reagan came to town. He is an out of touch mushy moderate who has zero in common with them.
Finally, the clearest evidence that he is unelectable is that despite the fact that he spent more in January than all the other GOP candidates combined (a whopping $32.6 million!) and had a massive organizational advantage, he still lost most of the races this primary season. What do you think will happen when there is a level playing field and he has no financial or organizational advantages. You got it. He will lose.
Now on to Newt. While he has been absolutely vilified by the GOP establishment and the Romney campaign, there has really been nothing that has been brought up that is an election killer. In fact, many of the issues will simply go away in the fall. Freddie Mac? Let's see Obama bring that up when he received over $126,000 in bribes, err I mean donations, from Fannie and Freddie while he was in or seeking office (he was the #2 largest recipient in Congress, #1 was the notoriously corrupt Chris Dodd). Nancy Pelosi? Let's see Obama make an issue out of that one or Newt's opposition to cramming down the Ryan plan. Sure, Newt will make some gaffes but usually he makes gaffes that are logically defendable (e.g. poor kids should be given work at school, his space comments) , unlike Santorum's claim that protestant churches have been infiltrated by Satan.
Newt also has great potential to unite the party. Economic conservatives like him because he balanced the budget and reformed welfare. Defense hawks like him because he is the most hawkish of the lot. Social conservatives, when they can get past his personal life, like him for his strong record on issues like abortion. Even libertarians can live with him because although he is thoroughly conservative, he isn't over the top on social issues. Romney won't make any of these groups happy. And Santorum, while clearly a social conservative and a defense hawk, is not as economically conservative as you would think and outright hates libertarians. This is a problem because libertarians and libertarian-leaners probably make up 40-50% of the party.
Also, unlike Romney and Santorum, Newt can actually explain the ideas of conservatism in an eloquent manner that might actually convince people to come over to the GOP as he has spent a lifetime arguing both with himself and others about those very same ideas. How could Romney every convince anyone to be a conservative when he isn't one himself? How can Santorum keep people interested when he constantly comes across as a joyless moralist?
Newt's biggest flaw seems to be the perception that he is erratic, that he doesn't have the temperament to be President. Did you know that Reagan once told an ally who had betrayed him "I should have shoved it [the bat hanging on the wall] up your a*s and broken it off!" Or that he called hecklers "stupid" during one of his speeches because they interrupted him? Or that he would throw his glasses when he got upset during meetings? He seemed to do pretty well.
And one final point on Newt. He has done what he has done without any establishment support and even less money and organization. Now imagine, if he were the nominee, what he could do with the full force of the RNC and other GOP affiliated organizations behind him.
Hence, I remain 100% with Newt and believe he is our best chance at winning in the fall and reversing Obama's destructive agenda.
Once you accept the idea that the definition of marriage is no longer between one man and one woman, it is a slippery slope to polygamy, marriage to animals, etc. Jerks like Simpson (and I guess you) want to use labels to denigrate people who speak the truth. It is easier to employ personal attacks than address the substance of the statements.
Why does every sing Gingrich supporter have to trash Reagan. I happen to think Reagan was one of our best presidents, and certainly the best in my lifetime. I don’t want to vote for someone whose campaign rests on trashing him.
That isn't in his favor. Even though he was innocent, he negotiated himself a $300,000 settlement and an admission of guilt. Do we want a negotiator who is so terrible that he could take a full house and lose to a king high? The Democrats will run roughshod over him.
“Why does every sing Gingrich supporter have to trash Reagan. I happen to think Reagan was one of our best presidents, and certainly the best in my lifetime. I don’t want to vote for someone whose campaign rests on trashing him.”
I pointed out the fact about Reagan not to trash Reagan but just to point out that he was human like everyone else. I did say that despite his temper he did pretty well.
I love Reagan and think Newt is a Reagan Republican, which is one of the reasons I support him.
“You are clearly reciting the MSM and liberal line. Santorum’s remarks about gay marriage were spot on. “
His comments on gay marriage were not the foundation of my criticism of Santorum, just one in a list. If it was the only thing, I think it would be okay.
Not even close.
LOOK at this record. On Life and Marriage, he's a social conservative but what about everything else? You're not troubled by his yes vote to confirm Sonya Sotomayor when Clinton nominated her for the 2nd Circuit when everyone knew she'd be fast tracked to the Supreme Court and low-and-behold she was Obama's 1st choice! Even McCain didn't bite that Apple. How about choice of Spector over Toomey in the primary? How do you cope with his introducing and voting for a half-billion additional funds on top of the $900 million Amtrak budget? What on earth is conservative about that?
He's, at best, the GOP establishment's version of a Blue Dog Democrat. He's is a snake oil salesmen in sweater vests preying upon those who care deeply about traditional marriage and prolife issues.
Committing adultery in two marriages is a “battle scar?” I guess with two acrimonious divorces, Newt must have lots of battle scars. Let’s hope he doesn’t repeat his behavior again affecting his current, plastic trophy wife. Three strikes and you are out.
I don’t believe there is any “false witness” The cartoon merely has the word “divorces” of which he has had more than one, correct? There is nothing about his dying wife in the cartoon. I know he has been slandered in the press but so has every candidate. They distort the truth. Lighten up, my sister!
You don’t have to sell me on Newt. When he announced, I went to the library and read his book. He’s got some great ideas, & I’ll vote for him if he gets the nomination.
But, do I think Newt is the best candidate? No.
We already know that Romney is not a conservative. And Gingrich has been at various times on the other side on such issues as global warming, the individual mandate for health care, a current supporter of the prescription drug program (a $7.2 trillion unfunded liability), and an advocate of amnesty. Newt supported Dede Scozzafava over Hoffman. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. What kind of Conservative holds those positions?
No way. I am one who finds newt’s mind fascinating and welcomes him as an ideas man in our government. But not as President. He will come up with off the wall non constitutional craziness and for the wrong reasons, most of them being for his own attention or legacy. He is a great national security risk. Our enemies know he’d rise to the old honey trap. And the First Lady will be a known concubine for the first time. I never looked at Laura bush or even Michelle Obama and had to shake the image of their heads bobbing up and down under the Speaker’s desk. I’m no prude but I don’t like that picture.
Quite a few recent presidents have had affairs. Ike, JFK, LBJ and Clinton. At least Newt has been married to the same woman for over a decade now.
Newt agreed to pay for the legal costs. He never admitted guilt.
Would you agree to pay $300,000 for something you didn’t do? I wouldn’t. And I wouldn’t want someone to represent me who did.
This is the most ridiculous comment I have ever heard. Gingrich is a national security risk? Just what do you base this moronic statement on? I have heard that callista is a very devout Christian woman, but without hesitation, you call her a concubine. I will tell you what, you better hope that Ricky doesn’t have a girlfriend or boyfriend, for that matter, crawl out from under the rocks come September.
Gingrich is a Rockefeller Republicn. He started out as the Southern Regional Director for Rockefeller’s presidential campaign.
He agreed to pay the legal costs because the issue had become a major distraction threatening to derail the agenda. He never admitted guilt and was later exonerated. Period.
“Gingrich is a Rockefeller Republicn. He started out as the Southern Regional Director for Rockefeller’s presidential campaign.”
That was over 40 years ago. 40 years before 1980, Reagan was an FDR supporting democrat. Also, Newt has a more conservative record than both santorum and romney.
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