Posted on 11/09/2011 8:38:18 PM PST by BAW
Newt Gingrich may be about to get his moment.
Dismissed months ago as a 1990s has-been who ran up big campaign bills, took time off for an exotic vacation and watched his campaign staff quit in droves, the 68-year-old Gingrich is grabbing a second look from Republicans in the contest for the party's 2012 presidential nomination.
He's scoring with an approach that's heavy on policy proposals, magnified with a barrage of in-your-face criticism of Democratic President Barack Obama and delivered without attacks on his Republican rivals.
And he's reaching Republicans without having to buy ads - he couldn't afford them now anyway - thanks to strong performances in a series of nationally televised debates and high-profile appearances at party gatherings in key early-voting states such as Iowa.
Combined, it puts him in a position to benefit if support for rival Herman Cain falls in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment, though any rise in Gingrich's support could invite new scrutiny of his past marital infidelities, which Republican voters mention frequently.
"He's doing great. He's steadily climbing," said Darrell Kearney, a veteran Iowa Republican operative who's neutral in the contest because he's the senior financial officer for the Polk County Republican Party in Des Moines.
"A lot of people consider him their second choice. ... They're giving him a second look now. His numbers in Iowa are going to go up."
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
cain was great!
Newt is very intelligent but as he soars people will be reminded why they don’t like him with all of his baggage (.... and no, I’m not talking about his personal stuff)
Newt’s personal and political baggage is what makes him unattainable as a Presidential candidate. Now as a VP candidate, that’s another story.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NEWT!
Gingman is DA Man, bro!
I didn’t watch it. How did Romney do? I heard Perry is done. Are we looking at a possible Cain/Newt - Newt/Cain run?
Newt could be a VP candidate but he is best suited for Chief of Staff (perfect position for him)
No one has been responsible for the enactment of more conservative legislation since Reagan besides Newt Gingrich. GWB, with a Republican congress, gave us a new entitlement and no child left behind. Newt, with a democratic president, gave us welfare reform and a balanced budget.
His baggage bothers me, but at this point I’d be comfortable with Cain or Gingrich.
If it’s true that Newt presented his first wife with divorce papers in the hospital while she was fighting terminal cancer, the media will remind voters of that repeatedly, and Obama could win.
Maybe Newt is a changed man now, but many voters won’t see it that way.
Still, Newt's performances in these things are always a cut above, and his attacks on the questioners are delicious. Know his tendencies too well to vote for him, however.
Newt may be great on the stump but he has too much baggage for the average voter.
She wasn’t fighting terminal cancer, she had a benign tumor removed. She’s still alive and quite well and happy. They had an early marriage — she was older than he and she was his teacher in school. It didn’t work out, but according to his kids it wasn’t acrimonious, and the hospital visit wasn’t quite as dramatic as presenting her with divorce papers.
I think Cain has peaked. His numbers are unlikely to rise during a scandal.
Perry supporters are going to move with heartbreak, and now his biggest fund raiser tweeted tonight that he is “done”, I believe was the exact word. When the money pockets disappear, so does the candidate. That said, I just can’t see that we can put Perry up against the charm machine, Obama, who can be competent in a debate.
Gingrich is going to get some more money after tonight and we will have to try to match Gingrich’s increasing polling with Romney’s, and right on time. We have some primaries coming up and we need to stop Romney, who is under pressure to get over 30 before those primaries.
I’m afraid we are in danger of Romney taking off. Students tonight gave Romney 45% after the debate. That’s good press for him. ICK!
I don’t think Romney will move up. People know who he is, an empty suit. I think the votes from Perry will go to Newt/ Cain. Those Perry voters see right through Mittens and are more conservative so they’ll go with Newt/ Cain.
At this point in time it appears that only Herman or Newt have the best shot of stopping Mitt. So my money will go out to those two. I am really tired of the Republican establishment pimping for Mitt.
Cain/Gingrich 2012
Boy, you’re right on that. Romney is an empty suit. A bore and odd. Ohio, New Hampshire and South Carolina traditionally seal the deal on the nomination. Wasn’t it South Carolina that was the nail in the coffin for Hillary, when Bill Clinton’s faux pas was taken as an insult to the black voters? I believe the others had dropped out by then. I don’t even remember anyone running but Obama and Hillary frankly. Wonder when the others started dropping out?
Boy, you’re right on that. Romney is an empty suit. A bore and odd. Ohio, New Hampshire and South Carolina traditionally seal the deal on the nomination. Wasn’t it South Carolina that was the nail in the coffin for Hillary, when Bill Clinton’s faux pas was taken as an insult to the black voters? I believe the others had dropped out by then. I don’t even remember anyone running but Obama and Hillary frankly. Wonder when the others started dropping out?
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