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Newt will never, ever be GOP nominee
Washington Post ^ | 11/15/2011 | Jonathan Bernstein

Posted on 11/15/2011 10:33:39 AM PST by presidio9

Yes, Newt Gingrich has spiked in the polls. No, he’s not going to be the nominee. I’ve been trying to duck this one because it feels like laying out the obvious, but, briefly, three reasons:

1. The baggage he’s always had — the marital difficulties, the ethics troubles, a whole bunch of deviations from conservative orthodoxy over the years (such as that ad he shot with Nancy Pelosi: “Our country must take action to address climate change”) — just isn’t going to go away. Republican voters don’t have those things in mind at the moment, but no candidate is more vulnerable to attack ads than the former Speaker.

2. Message discipline, lack thereof. It’s impossible to imagine Newt not saying something that hurts him if there’s a microphone in front of his face for a three-week stretch, which is what wouldgoing to happen if the press decides he actually has a chance at winning this thing. We have a couple decades of evidence, including earlier this year, showing that he’s just not able to do it. For whatever it’s worth, I’d add that as I read the polling over the years, Newt’s basic act is unlikely to wear well with voters after extended exposure. People just don’t like the guy.

3. Both of those might be overcome, but this one won’t: it’s highly unlikely that anyone who worked with Newt Gingrich when he was Speaker would want him anywhere near the White House. As detailed in many places, but perhaps most memorably by David Maraniss and Michael Weisskopf in their

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: drivebymedia; newt; reevaluategingrich; wapo
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To: JimInMO

We’re darn lucky to have Newt.

Dr. Laura says “Life is a sloppy journey.” Newt, of all people, knows that.

I defy anyone on this forum opposing Newt to listen to his contract for the 21st century and not be impressed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_hd23sdf4CE


161 posted on 11/15/2011 1:35:09 PM PST by b9 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_hd23sdf4CE)
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To: God luvs America
....this guy (NEWT) would destroy obama in the debates.

.....he, and any one of several hundred of the more grammatical freepers. Get the Mombasa MF off the prepared script and teleprompter, and he's toast to anyone with over 500 in the SATs. The man is an AA idiot.

Tell me again how he got elected. I was away on a llama buying trip in Bolivia.

162 posted on 11/15/2011 1:36:12 PM PST by Kenny Bunk (So, you're telling me Scalia, Alito, Thomas, and Roberts can't figure this eligibility stuff out?)
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To: South40
Not wrong..dumb as shit.

Dumb as shit is your forte.

Exactly my point. It's why I recognized your stuff as dumb as shit so quickly. And, really, it was dumber than two pails full, but I didn't want to insult pails of shit everywhere.

163 posted on 11/15/2011 1:40:07 PM PST by jessduntno ("They say the world has become too complex for simple answers... they are wrong." - RR)
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To: jessduntno
I realize you're about as sharp as a bowling ball, so maybe you can have someone read this to you.

Is this man "dumb as shit" also?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2807007/posts?page=50#50

164 posted on 11/15/2011 1:45:15 PM PST by South40 (NO RINOS IN 2012!)
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To: b9

Yes. Simply regurgitating the same, over-used stump talking points doesn’t do any good, or change many minds.

What we need to do is reclaim some of the empty space between many people’s ears. Reintroduce some of the ideas, principles, history, civility, morality, loss for many of self-reliance that has been so lacking in much of our educational institutions, and, too often, from one generation teaching the next.

Simply hurling out our position and then arguing about it does not serve the larger and necessary requirements of redirecting this country back toward our formative values.

We need people who understand our past greatness to teach those principles to ensuing generations. Otherwise, all we have is a bickering, downward-spiraling, uncivil society bent on each component getting what it can at the expense of someone else.


165 posted on 11/15/2011 1:46:28 PM PST by JimInMO
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To: RexBeach
Who’s this Bernstein person?



166 posted on 11/15/2011 1:55:46 PM PST by crosshairs (Liberalism is to truth, what east is to west.)
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To: BarnacleCenturion

***Who in their right mind marries their high school geometry teacher?***

His teacher was 26 years-old and he 19 when they married. This says more about her than Newt. He clearly was an immature teenager. That he became successful academically as a history professor, publicly as a member of Congress and Speaker is remarkable.

Emotionally, perhaps not. So he has not led an unblemished personal life since age 19. Big damn deal!!!


167 posted on 11/15/2011 1:56:15 PM PST by sodpoodle (Loving America is not a fashion statement.)
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To: JimInMO
Beautiful, eloquent -- your entire post.

We need people who understand our past greatness to teach those principles to ensuing generations.

Exactly! That's why Newt is the man of our time right now. His intelligence, historical perspective, and ability to articulate dynamically makes him the perfect bulldog.

168 posted on 11/15/2011 1:59:38 PM PST by b9 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_hd23sdf4CE)
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To: South40

“I realize you’re about as sharp as a bowling ball, so maybe you can have someone read this to you.”

Well....there you go again...bowling balls are round, not sharp, but be that as it may...why is it that you can’t defend yourself and your own opinions? Dumb as shit, of course. Why am I not surprised?


169 posted on 11/15/2011 2:00:05 PM PST by jessduntno ("They say the world has become too complex for simple answers... they are wrong." - RR)
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To: Timber Rattler

and I got some news for you ... rebellion is NOT brewing, and whomever said that is deluding themselves. We are in deep chit, and cannibalizing our own is not going to win a battle, let alone the war.

I ran for election this year as a Tea Party candidate (and by that, I mean I was vetted and “supported” by the Tea Party, ran on the Tea Party platform, but ran for a non-partisan office), and lost, because the Tea Party people would not even get off thier rusty dusties and write checks, let alone go out and volunteer for things like doorbelling. I spoke once a week for 6 months to TP groups, and would hear people saying how great it was that I was running, and they were pulling for me, but the bank account had cobwebs and the volunteer list was empty.

I finally had a handful of TP volunteers do some GOTV calls for me a few days before the ballots were due back. The election was lost because 2000 conservatives sat at home and did not vote, and of the ones that did vote, 1500 that cast ballots skipped my race.

The Tea Party is not yet saavy enough to be a viable political force in getting thier own candidates elected, and so unless you want 4 more years of Obama, yes, you are going to have to suck it up and pick an R that may not pass your purity test. Yes, you will have to settle for “middle ground”. If you dont, then we get Romney as McCain 2.012


170 posted on 11/15/2011 2:01:49 PM PST by RainMan (Newt, because he smells better than Romney, and Romney smells better than Obama. Gingrich/Palin 2012)
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To: jessduntno
No answer to my question? I can't say I'm surprised.

I'm not the only conservative who realizes what a disaster of a nominee Newt would be. That you would attack me for sharing that view with other conservatives and then cowardly ignore their comments tells me all I need to know about you.

Bye.

171 posted on 11/15/2011 2:09:41 PM PST by South40 (NO RINOS IN 2012!)
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To: South40

“No answer to my question? I can’t say I’m surprised.”

Answered very clearly...get an adult to read it and explain it to you;

Well....there you go again...bowling balls are round, not sharp, but be that as it may...why is it that you can’t defend yourself and your own opinions? Dumb as shit, of course. Why am I not surprised?


172 posted on 11/15/2011 2:12:24 PM PST by jessduntno ("They say the world has become too complex for simple answers... they are wrong." - RR)
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To: jessduntno
Again you make a fool of yourself and you lack the intellect to know it.

You have not answered my question. I asked, 'Is this man "dumb as shit" also?'

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2807007/posts?page=50#50

And your brain dead response was, 'Answered very clearly.'

Obviously that was a lie. So you're not only a coward but a liar as well.

So be it.

173 posted on 11/15/2011 2:19:55 PM PST by South40 (NO RINOS IN 2012!)
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To: South40

You have not answered my question. I asked, ‘Is this man “dumb as shit” also?’

My answer was;

“..why is it that you can’t defend yourself and your own opinions? Dumb as shit, of course.”

Answered quite clearly, once again. You are dumb as shit.


174 posted on 11/15/2011 2:30:16 PM PST by jessduntno ("They say the world has become too complex for simple answers... they are wrong." - RR)
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To: South40
It could be... that once the dust settles, we come to realize that Rick Perry may be the best candidate standing. You have Mitt with all his flip-flops, Cain with no grasp of foreign affairs and a suspect campaign staff, Newt with a global warming/adultery media attack pending, Ron Paul (((enough said))).... and the Santorums and Bachmanns...hmmmmm.

This Rick Perry dude is faithful, conservative, record number of vetoes (proof he will stand his ground), good economy, sound foreign policy knowledge.....yep he looks pretty good to me.

175 posted on 11/15/2011 2:48:27 PM PST by mikhailovich
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To: b9; Cobra64

Thank you - thank you - thank you.

Every FReeper should be required to watch this video before making one more comment in opposition to Newt’s candidacy.


176 posted on 11/15/2011 2:54:21 PM PST by sodpoodle (Loving America is not a fashion statement.)
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To: AwesomePossum
Hey, I know! Why don't you post Newt's entire quote so the rest of the kids can see everything he said! Wouldn't that be great? It would be so much fun to see Newt's whole speech and that way the class could see that you were honest and trustworthy in your criticism of Newt and not just one of the disgusting weasels who have invaded the site on behalf of Barak Hussien Obama.

Can't wait!!

177 posted on 11/15/2011 3:02:49 PM PST by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: sodpoodle

You’re welcome, welcome, welcome!

Newt = my favorite bulldog


178 posted on 11/15/2011 3:07:36 PM PST by b9 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_hd23sdf4CE)
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To: sodpoodle; b9
Thank you - thank you - thank you.

Every FReeper should be required to watch this video before making one more comment in opposition to Newt’s candidacy.

You're welcome.

If I knew how to start a thread and include the HTML to the link, I'd do it.

By the way, there are a lot of other Gingrich videos on his and others' sites.

179 posted on 11/15/2011 3:10:04 PM PST by Cobra64 (Common sense isn't common anymore.)
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To: sodpoodle; b9
Here is a sample of the reaction to Newt's clear and substantive performance tonight at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC.

It's fantastic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=90Q8nn3RDyE

180 posted on 11/15/2011 3:15:54 PM PST by Cobra64 (Common sense isn't common anymore.)
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