Posted on 11/15/2011 10:33:39 AM PST by presidio9
Yes, Newt Gingrich has spiked in the polls. No, hes not going to be the nominee. Ive been trying to duck this one because it feels like laying out the obvious, but, briefly, three reasons:
1. The baggage hes 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 isnt going to go away. Republican voters dont 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. Its impossible to imagine Newt not saying something that hurts him if theres 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 hes just not able to do it. For whatever its worth, Id add that as I read the polling over the years, Newts basic act is unlikely to wear well with voters after extended exposure. People just dont like the guy.
3. Both of those might be overcome, but this one wont: its 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 ...
Thanks for the enlightenment.
As governor, Reagan was the biggest California spender of the last half century. Under him, state spending leaped 177%.
His first year as governor, Reagan raised taxes equal to 30% of the state general fund, still a modern record. And as president, he increased taxes several times, although conservatives pretend to remember only the one big tax cut.
As governor, Reagan protected the spectacular John Muir Trail in the Sierra from highway builders and Central Valley business interests.
He blocked dam building on the Eel and Feather rivers. He and Republican Gov. Paul Laxalt of Nevada set aside their aversion to centralized, intrusive government and created a bi-state agency to control growth at Lake Tahoe.
Reagan signed legislation creating the California Air Resources Board, leading to the nations first tailpipe emissions standards.
As governor, Reagan signed the nations then most liberal abortion rights bill. (He later called it a mistake.) He opposed a ballot initiative that would have permitted the firing of teachers for being gay.
President Reagan signed a bill granting amnesty to illegal immigrants.
Newt Gingrich is the only credible candidate the Republicans could run.
I would personally like to see a Gingrich-Bachman ticket.
Just say “NO” to the “Nuke Newt” crowd!
Excellent post at #1. What part of it is Dick Morris and what part of it is you?
Yes, there are some here who listen to unsubstantiated rumors without doing their own homework.
Then there are the feeble minded morons, forever chanting the simplistic "baggage" mantra:
The Department of Education was set up in 1979. It is true that Newt Gingrich was a freshman congressman that year, but since Jimmy Carter was president, I call BS on that one. Newt was one of the earliest advocates of vouchers, homeschooling, charter schools and school prayer. He has consistently called for LOWER federal spending on education and for teacher accountability.
Newt believes that cuts to social programs, necessary to get things under control, are simply Right-wing social engineering.
Again, Newt is the only candidate who can credibly state that he has achieved entitlement reform.
Newt is in favor of ethanol.
Which will get him votes in swing states. Congress will decide what to actually do about ethanol.
He has teamed up with Nancy Pelosi and with Al Sharpton to push the liberal agenda.
Exactly what took place there? Do you even know? Do you know what he says about it now?
“He blocked dam building on the Eel and Feather rivers.”
I hate to burst your bubble, by my father was a foreman on the dam built on the Feather River by Oreville, CA. At least that one dam was built. That was in 1960 - 1961.
“Yeah, we conservatives who don’t want another RINO turd as our nominee are just plain wrong.”
Not wrong..dumb as shit. Four more years for Obama ought to fix them real good. You show em, Sparky.
Pelosi is a bigger problem for Newt’s chances than his marriages.
I like Newt’s brains, but I trust Cain’s instincts a whole lot more...
Circular firing squad
Thanks.
Baggage and his current wife. I swear she is embalmed alive.
What will you do if Palin endorse him?
I sort of tongue in check suggested that Newt would ask Palin to be VP on his ticket, and heads exploded.
Only one dam to a river?
Lake Oroville was born Nov. 14, 1967, when the second of two diversion tunnels that had carried the Feather River beneath the embankment during construction was blocked.
I want to congratulate all the Freepers bouncing from one candidate to another. The lib press and democrats don’t know who to slime and smear next.
Thanks Freepers for that cool strategy and making them play Whack-a-Mole.
I wonder how a President Gingrich would work with the Republican Congressional leadership. I think there were some burned bridges that might be hard to re-cross.
As much as I like Cain, I’m worried that with his political inexperience our party would lead him around much like Pelosi did Obama. But I kinda think he is stronger than that.
Dumb as shit is your forte.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.