you opine: “but Gingrich is toxic to the Mushy Middle, so he has little chance of winning the requisite plurality of the independent vote.”
You know or you hope?
Of course you may have better inside information than this report?
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/gingrich-romney-cain-obama/2011/11/29/id/419435
“polling is showing a mass exodus of independents from Romney. He said the independents are mostly tea party members of the GOP and they are moving very rapidly toward Gingrich.
Gingrich is also picking up the voters who are abandoning businessman Herman Cain
Per an ex-Gingrich aid which you chose not to post. Nothing in this article rings true!
Rasmussen did a poll the other day (reported on FNC and now behind a paywall) and they asked the question who respondents would support if Cain dropped out and the results showed that Newt moved up by the same percentage points that Cain now has in Rasmussen's polling with Cain in the race, which means that all of Cain's supporters who were surveyed would support Newt if Cain dropped out of the race.
> polling is showing a mass exodus of independents from Romney.
The “independents” I’m talking about are the ones that voted for 0bamarx in 2008. I believe that few of them would see Gingrich as a better alternative. Gingrich has been thoroughly demonized by the press.
Besides, Gingrich has stabbed conservatives in the back before. He will do it again.