Posted on 11/05/2011 2:39:42 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
While Mitt Romney has remained a constant in polling for the Republican presidential nomination at around 25-28%, inconstancy has been the constant among his opponents. Michele Bachmann became the first to ride a wave to Romney’s relative polling position, only to fade when Rick Perry entered the race. Now Perry has faded after a series of awful debate performances and Herman Cain has taken his place for the last six weeks. If Cain can’t maintain his momentum, who will be the next Not-Romney? Byron York reports from Iowa that it may well be Newt Gingrich:
For days, there’s been talk of a Newt Gingrich boomlet in the Republican presidential race here in Iowa. After Friday night’s Reagan Dinner at Hy-Vee Hall in downtown Des Moines, that Gingrich boomlet talk might turn into talk of a Gingrich boom.
Five candidates — Gingrich, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul — addressed a crowd of about 1,000 GOP faithful at the state Republican party’s biggest fundraiser of the year. In brief interviews after the dinner — the only question was which speaker did the best job — audience members were unanimous: Gingrich, Gingrich, Gingrich.
“It was Newt,” said Chad Kleppe of Waukee, Iowa. “I think he’s the smartest one in the field.”
“Gingrich knocked it out of the park,” said Earlene Nordstrom of Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Byron talked to twelve people at the event, and all twelve scored it a knockout for Gingrich. Neither Romney or Cain made an appearance at the Reagan Dinner. Romney sent his son, who confessed that he had no idea where his father chose to be rather than the Iowa GOP’s big fundraiser. York also wondered why Cain, who said this week that he must win Iowa and is conducting a money bomb specifically for that purpose this week, chose to stay in Washington DC rather than try to keep momentum with an appearance. Both are attending AFP’s Defending the American Dream conference, and Cain has been a regular on AFP’s circuit, and presumably committed to that event long in advance of his sudden rise in the presidential polls.
Why is Newt poised to catch fire? York credits Newt with a counterintuitive strategy, at least for the former Speaker and his public reputation: he is on a charm offensive. No, really:
Gingrich won the night in large part by doing one simple thing: He lavished praise on his fellow candidates. Perry has been “my mentor on the 10th Amendment,” Gingrich said. Bachmann deserves credit for efforts to stop the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill. Rick Santorum has worked to “rouse America to understand the challenge of radical Islam.” Ron Paul has been “consistently correct” about a sound dollar. Gingrich did not offer praise for the two frontrunners, Herman Cain and Mitt Romney, who skipped tonight’s dinner. But had they attended, Gingrich said, “I would have said nice things about them, too.”
“I am here with very fine competitors, but no opponents,” Gingrich concluded. “We only have one opponent, and that’s Barrack [sic] Obama.”
Gingrich has figured out that voters in this primary want to be inspired, rather than choosing which candidate to despise least. Herman Cain has campaigned the same way, and his optimism and vision has been a key to his ascent to the top tier. If that seems odd considering Gingrich’s well-earned reputation as an infighter, it’s another indication that Gingrich is a master at politics and campaigning. He has another advantage that some of his opponents — excuse me, competitors — do not in this regard. Unlike Tim Pawlenty, Cain, Romney, and everyone else currently or formerly in this race, Gingrich has earned his reputation for hard-nosed battles inside the Beltway. He can afford to be gracious now, but no one thinks for a moment that Gingrich would insist on a rainbows-and-flowers campaign in a general election.
Gingrich’s polling has begun moving upward in the last couple of weeks. Who would have guessed in May that Gingrich would have the second-highest positive intensity score in the field in November, tied with Romney behind Cain? Plus, even though Cain was the immediate beneficiary of Perry’s debate performances, the lesson may well redound to Gingrich’s benefit in the longer run:
“He is so good,” said Becky Ervin of Urbandale. “I want to see a debate between him and Obama.”
We’ll see more of that tonight in Gingrich’s Lincoln-Douglas style debate in Texas with Cain. If Republicans want a proven substantive fighter who can out-debate Barack Obama, they may come to Newt Gingrich — even if it’s just by default.
Update: The Right Scoop gives us the video of the speech itself, and it’s just as York described:
Newt who threw Paul Ryan under the bus, trash talked the GOP Health Care plan as “Right wing social engineering”, chastised Conservative for not backing uber RINO Dede Scusafasa, purposes a Amnesty lite “Middle way on Immigration” and jumped on the Global Warming couch with Nancy Pelosie?? Who pimps "alternative energy"? Newt who took $300,000 plus from Fannie and Freddie to prevent them getting reformed thus helping with his good buddie Frank and Dodd help cause the 2008 crash?
So “adult” now means being a Bush like candidate who will talk a tough game on the Campaign trail and then go to DC and be a good little crony capitalist liberal GOP water boy.
No thanks, have no interest in voting for McCain 2.0 in 2012
Newt who threw Paul Ryan under the bus, trash talked the GOP Health Care plan as “Right wing social engineering”, chastised Conservative for not backing uber RINO Dede Scusafasa, purposes a Amnesty lite “Middle way on Immigration” and jumped on the Global Warming couch with Nancy Pelosie?? Who pimps “alternative energy”? Newt who took $300,000 plus from Fannie and Freddie to prevent them getting reformed thus helping with his good buddie Frank and Dodd help cause the 2008 crash?
So “adult” now means being a Bush like candidate who will talk a tough game on the Campaign trail and then go to DC and be a good little crony capitalist liberal GOP water boy.
No thanks, have no interest in voting for McCain 2.0 in 2012
How about you quit slandering the other candidates and make a case FOR yours?
The Newters are getting nasty.
Did he accept the money from Rainbow Push? if he did..I consider it dirty money...would have returned it..do YOU defend it?
LOL the Cainers are rubbing off on us....two way street.
No because WE produce fact about Newt while you slander Cain.
Don’t project your slime tactics onto us
Watch the debate tonight. Maybe you will learn something. Yes, Newt is the man and I think Cain had on a very fugly tie the other day...Cain’s 999 plan sucks.
I say you are a liar pimping a smear.
Making an accusation proves nothing. Put up or shut up smearbot.
Lol, I am loving watching liberal progressive RINO heads explode as conservative Newts’ numbers steadily climb higher.
Cain donated less that $2000 to specific democrats in NE probably related to his time at the NRA. However, he has donated over $350,000 to Republicans
Posting a link to Jackson’s website proves nothing smearbot.
How about you try making a case FOR your candidate for a change instead of lying about the other ones?
What did I lie about? YES...Cain accepted backing from Rainbow Push...if anyone talks facts about your man..you go into name calling and temper tantrums. Grow up. Cain did donate to two liberal Nebraska Candidates AFTER he joined the gop and that is also a fact. Deny all you want but everyone on this forum that disagrees with you is called names. You need a chill pill
Sorry smearbot. You are busted. Since you demonstrated you are more then willing to lie your posts are now completely without credibility.
Hello...Jacksons ORG backed Cain for senate...FACT
Which do you prefer?
Nasty Newters or Newticles?
All but one of Cain’s contributions to Democrats went to candidates in Nebraska, where Godfather’s Pizza, the company Cain led from 1986 to 1996, had been headquartered for more than 35 years: In 1993, Cain gave $500 to former Nebraska Gov. Bob Kerrey and $250 to New York Rep. Jose Serrano. In 1994, Cain wrote a check for $500 to former Nebraska Rep. Peter Hoagland. Two years later, he gave $500 to Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson and in 1998, he donated another $500 to Omaha newscaster Michael Scott’s campaign for Congress.
“They were business decisions and personal decisions,” Cain told The Ticket when asked about the donations to Democrats. “One was a restaurateur. One was a personal friend. All moderate Democrats.”
And YES..he donated MORE to republicans but he still donated to leftwingers when he was a republican...that is all true
Ah, so a ‘true’ conservative is never wrong, never taken in by false science, and is a mini Jesus, morally. Got it. Thanks
Spare us the smear jobs Bot boy and address the points about Newt’s record.
Conservatives have no desire to repeat 2008 in 2012 with the one candidate the 0 campaign can plausibly paint in voters mind as “part of the GOP that wrecked the economy”
Newt biggest problem is he does not want to fundamentally change the Federal Government, he merely wants to tinker around the edges and “fix it”.
As a product of the DC Machine, he does not grasp that it is the system it’s self, not the various parts of it, that are broken
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