Posted on 12/07/2011 12:48:54 PM PST by indianrightwinger
The Fallacy of the Master Debater By Quin Hillyer on 12.7.11 @ 6:08AM
Staged face-offs will mean little next fall.
Newt Gingrich: Master Debater.
Such seems to be the impression driving the Gingrich boomlet in the Republican presidential contest -- as if, by virtue of his supposed debating ability, Gingrich will be the man most likely to defeat Barack Obama next fall.
It's a myth, on multiple levels, as we shall see.
Yet the power of the Gingrich surge does show, again, a lesson taught well by neo-Nazi David Duke when Duke was ascendant in Louisiana politics two decades ago: When considering a candidate for office, almost right up until they enter the polling booth and sometimes even in the booth itself, most voters rely more on what they see and hear themselves in real time than on facts, history, logic, or learned experience. If a speaker/debater "connects" with them, a lot of voters will actively siphon out all evidence against
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
I wish people understood the difference between actually being smart, and just talking all the time. Constantly blabbering about how smart you are isn’t really “intellect”.
Another pundit attacking Newt.
It seems like the only people who like Newt are the voters.
A great way to tell the media of all stripes they’re not the boss of what we think: Vote For Newt Gingrich for President.
Newt is disaster. He is an elitist. He is pro-government.
He is indeed all those things — but it is not incorrect to say he is also a Master Debater. He is. The problem is, he speaks out of both sides of his mouth. He is Progressive with regard to the belief that the Federal Government should have more control of our lives, the economy, etc... That should not lead us to underestimate him.
Too many in the Tea Party have fallen for the old lie that, “hey, he might be progressive, but at least he’s OUR progressive.” And if that philosophy prevails in 2012, our nation is finished.
Newt is disaster. He is an elitist. He is pro-government.
He is indeed all those things — but it is not incorrect to say he is also a Master Debater. He is. The problem is, he speaks out of both sides of his mouth. He is Progressive with regard to the belief that the Federal Government should have more control of our lives, the economy, etc... That should not lead us to underestimate him.
Too many in the Tea Party have fallen for the old lie that, “hey, he might be progressive, but at least he’s OUR progressive.” And if that philosophy prevails in 2012, our nation is finished.
You may want to actually read the article and educate yourself on the documented history of disaster that Newt is. Or, you can choose to “close your ears” and sing mud at everyone who actually makes a case against Newt based on Newt’s own achievements and record.
Yes, he is. He is fully, 100% capable of saying something so outrageously dumb in October of 2012 (or anytime before) that he puts himself 20 points behind this awful president. I know he’s smart, but he has no ability for measured words. None. He will say something, eventually, that’ll sound like your crazy uncle is his speechwriter. And goodness, he’s been in politics for 40 stinking years, does anyone seriously believe he has any problem with the size and scope of government? Not if he’s running it he doesn’t.
Something similar is happening with Gingrich and the image of the Master Debater. People see Gingrich handle himself well in eight-way debates (an easy task when no other candidate has even bothered criticizing you all year because you seemed so irrelevant), and they imagine that he's the one to take the fight to Obama. Suddenly it doesn't matter that he has always been not only anti-conservative on cap-and-trade, but has lied about what his position was. Suddenly it doesn't matter that he said the profiteers at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be criminally investigated even though he was one of the profiteers -- and that he, again, apparently has been prevaricating about what he did for Freddie. Suddenly it doesn't matter that he has always been wrong on a health-care mandate, wrong on ethanol for all the years he's been paid to be wrong on ethanol, wrong on entitlements and on Paul Ryan's budget, wrong on amnesty for illegal immigrants, wrong as wrong could be on ethical issues and behavior aplenty, wrong on the TARP bailouts, wrong on liberal candidate Dede Scozzafava, wrong in the past on the Fairness Doctrine, wrong on leadership, weak at actual negotiating (actually, "melting") against Bill Clinton, weak at actually running a government, and about as personally trustworthy as Joe Isuzu: He's gonna pummel Obama, yesiree, and then all will be well!
I’ve read so many articles they are coming out my ears.
What I says still stands:
The pundits are lining up against Newt.
The voters are lining up for him.
True, but I'm not sure we have a better viable candidate, and Newt is adequate. He's not a consistent supporter of government as the first answer to all questions, nor is he a significant enemy of the Second Amendment. On occasion, he does something phenomenally stupid, but he is anywhere from sensible to brilliant 90% of the time. I would much rather have DeMint, Cain, Palin, or Bachmann, but only one of the four is in the race, and she is floundering. I would consider other candidates in the race over Newt if they could run a decent campaign and gain enough support that they had a chance, but they're just not there. If it's a choice of Obama, Romney, or Newt, Newt has my vote. The other two are consistently big government bureaucrats who are much too far to the left. As for Newt's many personal scandals, at least they inoculate him against the Cain-style attack (that and libs mainly attack black men with rumors and innuendo about relationships with white women) - the fact that he's a scum will be treated as old news.
I already have the perfect bumper sticker design:
Were we so unlucky as to have Newt as our candidate I would EXPECT it. Millions of conservatives who have paid attention to Newt's career would be cringing with foul expectations every time Newt spoke during his campaign!
The voters are lining up for him.
This month. It will be a different story in January.
So who’s your conservative candidate who has a realistic (not wishful thinking) chance of a) getting the nomination and b) defeating Obama?
The voters are lining up for him.
This month. It will be a different story in January.
I’m voting Bachmann, probably, and you could mark that as unrealistic if you want. The only way I vote Newt is if it’s Obama Vs. Newt. I’d even vote Willard ahead of Newt, and will do so if the primary is narrowed to those two by the time I vote. I do believe Willard is more capable of beating Obama than Newt.
“Newt is disaster.”
Not my preffered candidate. By a long shot.
“He is an elitist.”
Sure is.
“He is pro-government.”
Weeellll....there were a hell of a LOT of “conservatives” including FReepers that could be classified as “pro-government” during the Bush years. Is it now “cool” to be anti-government?
Look, Newt is not anyone’s idea of a conservative, outsider stawart. The question you have to ask yourself is; who is?
Right now Gingrich has the big MO. He’s up on Romney by double digits not just nationally but in Iowa as well.
At this late date, who currently in the race can outshine Newt and surpass Romney for the nomination? The voting starts in less than a month.
Please do tell me who this perfect candidate is, as I have looked them all over and have not found this Reagan-esque candidate.
You can't be serious. 30%+ in the polls. You think that is ALL voters. . . .PLEASE. . . .
Listen nothing I would like better than to be able to get behind NOOT. He Was my congressman when I lived in Clayton County GA. I got to know him and the more I found out the less I liked him.
I really think ZERO and his minions are salivating hoping NOOT gets the nod.
Flame all you want to I don't answer flames. I will vote for NOOT if he gets the nod. I really don't think we can afford another 4 with the community organizer running things. He has done so much damage, it is going to be hard to undo and get us back on track.
I look at this slate and can’t help but wonder, especially after the 2008 disaster, how did it come to this? This is our best?? We couldn’t cajole better people to step forward and serve?
I laughed, I cried, I bought the bumper sticker.
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