The Conservative Case For Newt Gingrich

Townhall.com ^ | November 1, 2011 | John Hawkins

[Riodacat]

Not so fast Newt, just because Herman has a few knives sticking in his back, doen’t mean he’s ready for the political morgue.

[goseminoles]

I could go for Newt in the #2 spot or a cabinet job.

[hdbc]

I’d love to see Newt take apart obumbles in a debate.

[swampfox101]

Like him or hate him, he’s head and shoulders above the other candidates when it comes to debating. And, and we see, Newt isn’t the only one running with skeletons in the closet.

[11th Commandment]

For me Cain is #1 and Newt is #2. Newt's shot to get the nomination the same way McCain got it in 2008... nobody else emerged and nobody wanted Romney. Cain is the last man standing between Newt and the nomination....

[11th Commandment]

For me Cain is #1 and Newt is #2. Newt's shot to get the nomination the same way McCain got it in 2008... nobody else emerged and nobody wanted Romney. Cain is the last man standing between Newt and the nomination....

[Haddit]

The sovereignty issue killed Perry’s chances and we don’t even know where Newt stands on the issue.

[Kaslin]

He definitely is the smartest of all. That is not saying that the other are dumb. Everyone of them is better then that arrogant pos occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave

[linn37]

Newt is the smartest man on the stage.

[Kaslin]

He would wipe the floor with him, and he wouldn’t even need a teleprompter

[org.whodat]

Newt would be ok as a vp for Cain, but his train load of baggage would make him a loser as number one.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I’m fine with either Cain or Newt. The good thing about Newt is that he is the only person in the running that does not have to prepare for a debate. He just shows up with all the facts, figures and philosphy at his fingertips. He’s always the smartest guy in the room.

Truth is nobody wants Mitt. We didn’t want him in 2008 and we don’t want him now. I’d take Perry over Mitt anyday.

[goseminoles]

Cain is no dummy. But if you’re talking about experience, Newt blows them all away.

[RockinRight]

I can live with Newt. In fact, he comes in second to Cain for me, and ahead of Perry, who is my #3 choice now.

[DallasDeb]

I like Herman Cain. However, I am concerned about his lack of government experience. Now, that may be an advantage to some; but I see it as a disadvantage. I didn’t think Nobama had enough experience to run the country, and his communism was and has been scarier than he!!. I think Newt is a statesman with proven experience.

[henkster]

First of all, don’t interpret what I write below as my vote for Gingrich. But there is a point here. Don’t underestimate the importance of debate performance: McCain lost the presidency on the 3rd question of the first debate. This was right after the September Surprise and the “market meltdown” and all that about the Wall Street bailout. At the debate, the candidates were asked a very simple question: “What would you do as President?” It was a hanging curveball just begging to be stroked into the seats. McCain had the perfect opportunity to oppose the bailout, say that incompetent bankers should lose their jobs, and decry the democrat Congress for setting it up. Instead he gave some mumbo-jumbo rambling answer about “Main Street and Wall Street.” He whiffed, and I knew it was over. He lost his lead that night, I believe on that one question, and never recovered.

Newt will smoke that pitch into the upper deck.

[x]

You go to the store and find a really good markdown deal on food or medicine, but it's way past its sell-by date. Do you buy it?

That's not an entirely fair comparison. The old food could make you sick or die, and simply having been around for a long time doesn't make a politician dangerous, but there is something to the comparison.

A politician's "sell-by date" is when he becomes so familiar and stale that people cease to care about him. And Newt has reached his for much of the country.

That part about the balanced budget is interesting, but at this point Newt makes people yawn.

Also, for a lot of people, Newt seems a little too full of himself. And the "married three times" thing is also hard to get over.

[Kaslin]

He sure is

[mikhailovich]

He comes across pretty smart because his role in the debates is that of color commentary. If and when he rises toward the top, just wait until the Tiffany's question and adultery questions come at him like a ton of bricks. Let's see how sharp he is then. Newt has a hot temper and while he's been good at quieting the moderators' gotcha questions, he'd have to answer directly this time around. That temper might have him in a rage. The guy is super sensitive about his personal matters and tries to change the subject and call it gotcha politics. This has won him over some fans in the debates but its always been when the question was directed to someone else and not him. We'll see if that day ever comes.

I should note that Newt was my guy until Perry entered the race. A lot of my friends thought I was nuts for supporting a person with so much baggage and called him a "slime ball." Suddenly, everyone has forgiven him and moved on. Go figure..