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Newt grabs himself a South Carolina lifeline. Gingrich wins debate as Mitt Romney stumbles
Mail Online ^ | 17 Jan 12 | Toby Harnden

Posted on 01/17/2012 6:37:23 AM PST by xzins

Newt Gingrich's fluent, policy-rich performances in the early debates, laced with derision for the media's attempts to question the Republican candidates, propelled him to the front of the GOP pack in early December.

His command of the stage here in Myrtle Beach for the 16th (yep, there have been that many, and the next is in Charleston on Thursday) could just be the lifeline he needs to achieve the task he has set himself - overcoming Mitt Romney's clear lead in the South Carolina polls to win the state on Saturday.

Romney was under pressure over releasing his tax returns (he eventually said that he would "probably" do so in April), on why he had not objected as Massachusetts governor to felons on parole having the right to vote and he gave an awkward, fumbling response to a softball about whether he had been hunting since 2007, even mixing up moose and elk.

Gingrich, however, ... scored quite a few points against Romney and the former Speaker's fluency with policy and ability to dissect questions and make a big-picture conservative case against Obama made him the night's big winner.

There were two standing ovations for Gingrich in the hall, where 3,000 Republicans roared, cheered ...

Gingrich said that in the debate room "there was a strong sense that somebody finally just had the courage to tell the truth about how we've got to go about helping people".

"...it's clear if you look at the polls the only conservative who can beat Romney in South Carolina is Newt Gingrich... we have five days to win South Carolina. I think we will win South Cariolina."

A lot of conservatives are queasy about Romney and unconvinced that he could beat the President in November.

(Excerpt) Read more at harndenblog.dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: South Carolina
KEYWORDS: 2012debates; election; gingrich; newt; newt2012; primary; romneytruthfile; sc2012; standingo
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To: albie; All
...go to 9:45 http://www.youtube.com/user/GOPDebates?feature=watch#p/a/u/2/xfleONM29vE

Wow. Just wow.

Any FReeper who listens to this clip, and still wants to whine about Newt being "against capitalism" is either stupid, dishonest, or a combination of the two.

61 posted on 01/17/2012 7:41:39 AM PST by Yashcheritsiy
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To: HIDEK6
Newt handed Juan Williams his a$$, then, proceeded to also hand him his b*lls on that one question. I think Juan went through the whole deck of race cards last night.

Details, please!


Read the article. That's what it's there for.
62 posted on 01/17/2012 7:41:39 AM PST by crosshairs (Liberalism is to truth, what east is to west.)
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To: Brookhaven

so what is your point?


63 posted on 01/17/2012 7:42:34 AM PST by P-Marlowe (NEWT!!! Because everyone else is just average.)
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To: crosshairs

I’ve had clay pigeon before. Tastes like dirt. Hard as hell to clean. Tastes the same raw or well done. I don’t see why people like them so much. I guess Romney likes them cause they are French or something.


64 posted on 01/17/2012 7:43:06 AM PST by chuckles
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To: Shelayne
Wow! That was AWESOME!

Go Newt!

65 posted on 01/17/2012 7:45:56 AM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: RockinRight

Juan was being the devils advocate. If you get around to reading his book, you will understand better. Yes his question came from the “racist” stand point, but that doesn’t mean Juan agrees with it.

He like the comic duos of old, was playing the straight man to the Comic.....Only on a serious note. He was setting Newt up to deliver his line....If you fell for “Juan’s a racist line”, he did it masterly cause he is not. Juan advocate good male role models, marriage, get a job attitude in the black community. He lost his job at PBS cause he didn’t tote the liberal line.


66 posted on 01/17/2012 7:52:26 AM PST by hoosiermama
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To: Iron Munro; Clintonfatigued; Impy
“If Newt was reliably like this every day he would be the man.
Trouble is, he slips off the track and wanders off to the left at distressingly frequent intervals.”

Perfectly stated!!!

Personally, I couldn't give the proverbial rat's butt about his private life; he has the ideas and will attack the MSM while implementing them. That's a twofer when I look at it.

Rick Santorum: No way in Hell does he have any chance to win POTUS. People keep forgetting that he got CRUSHED in his Senate reelection bid to a candidate with the intellect and personality of a potted plant. Again, not just beat, but CRUSHED by 19%.

Rick Perry: If he had done as well as he did last night 4-5 months ago, he'd be atop the leader board. Too little, too late.

It's either Newt or Mittens at this point.

67 posted on 01/17/2012 7:53:59 AM PST by GOPsterinMA (And who doesn't have baggage?)
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To: dforest; xzins
Freepers found Romney's financial information yesterday.

Willard has repeatedly said he “left” Bain in 1999.

The financial records shows numerous holdings in Bain AND an income from those holding of up to fifteen and a half MILLION dollars a year.

It all depends on what the meaning of “Left” is.

Also discovered is that Huntsman is Romney's cousin. His dad says he's known Mitt since he was a baby. There is also a very close financial tie between Bain and the Huntsman family fortune. (So what WAS happening in NH????)

Now do you understand why he is nervous about his financial records being revealed.....?

In time it will all come out. At the “Right” time.

68 posted on 01/17/2012 7:55:30 AM PST by hoosiermama
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To: P-Marlowe

Good tagline!

Put them on the stage, and it seems that the others are not in the same class as Newt.

I was troubled with Santorum’s attack on Gingrich over the individual retirement accounts coming out of those taxpayer’s own money that otherwise would go to Social Security.

By Santorum’s logic we could NEVER have individual retirement accounts unless people have to pay BOTH their SS amount and then add an additional payment to their own account.

The only way that is true, of course, is for Santorum to ACCEPT Social Security being part of the General Fund rather than being a set-aside as it was promised to the people.

And, Santorum buys into the logic that you have to “pay for a cut in taxes”...Obama’s logic. Newt was right on with his budget cuts idea. However, Santorum was just assuming that the budget we have and the entitlements we have will always be the case, and we can’t change it; it’s inevitable.

I like Santorum, but he seemed to be voting for the system as is.


69 posted on 01/17/2012 7:55:45 AM PST by xzins (Newt Gingrich Cleaned Up In Last Night's Debate! Awesome Performance!)
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To: All

Gingrich will win South Carolina, not win over Santorum.

He will win the state.

I’ve said before, they like Gingrich in SC.

Romney has a 50/50 shot to win by a few points due to traitor Nikki Haley swaying some who are not in tune to the election.

Either way, Gingrich comes out with Big Mo heading into Florida and those polls will turn on a dime.


70 posted on 01/17/2012 7:56:22 AM PST by rbmillerjr (Conservative Economic and National Security Commentary: econus.blogspot.com)
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To: ExtremeUnction

It’s not about *liking* Newt, it’s about LOVING your country.


71 posted on 01/17/2012 7:58:02 AM PST by EDINVA
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To: xzins

Ironically, the young and brash Santorum is offering status quo on Entitlements while Gingrich offers conservative “growth economy” solutions on Entitlements.

Fear from the puppy and tackling the problem head on...from Gingrich.


72 posted on 01/17/2012 7:59:44 AM PST by rbmillerjr (Conservative Economic and National Security Commentary: econus.blogspot.com)
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To: xzins

Well-written! Is that really a Brit, using words like softball?

Yes, conservatives ARE queasy at Romney. I get queasy by his cross-eyed look, phony smile, and fake comforting voice. I don’t know how I could stand 4 years.


73 posted on 01/17/2012 8:01:26 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: GOPsterinMA

Good summary.

Perry’s weak start has doomed him - too bad.

It would be a trial to listen to Santorum’s whining and excuses for four long years.


74 posted on 01/17/2012 8:01:26 AM PST by Iron Munro ("Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight he'll just kill you." John Steinbeck)
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To: RockinRight

I think Juan went through the whole deck of race cards last night.

Excellent!


75 posted on 01/17/2012 8:02:11 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: Iron Munro
Thank you!

I agree about Perry - Hell, I donated to him.

Santorum would be perfect as UN Ambassador IMO. Maybe even AG. A 19% blowout leaves a bad smell. Granted, 2006 was an anti-GOP year, but, a 19% loss by an incumbent US Senator? That tells me the guy was hated.

76 posted on 01/17/2012 8:06:53 AM PST by GOPsterinMA (And who doesn't have baggage?)
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To: ExtremeUnction

Newt won. I wished I liked him.


But, it was a debate. Unquestionably, newt is the best DEBATER. If the candidates made creme brûlée each week before the election, Julia Child would win.

Santorum did very well. Newt did the loud, showy stuff, but the only person who had Romney on the ropes, stammering for his mama, was Santorum. Santy got in the knife.


77 posted on 01/17/2012 8:07:01 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: SamAdams76

I disagree. Newt is not the only one with fire in the belly. Santorum has it, and he’s also a capitalist conservative.


78 posted on 01/17/2012 8:09:39 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: cpdiii
The point is Newts past transgressions in his personal life are of little importance. I can vote for Newt without any qualms.

We need a leader who can stand up to all enemies, both from within and abroad. I'm not interested in having a saint in the WH. That level of naivete can be very dangerous.

79 posted on 01/17/2012 8:09:39 AM PST by NoPrisoners ("When in the course of human events...")
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To: GOPsterinMA

Most of my relatives here still can’t stand Santorum. I’m the only one of the lot who liked him, and my remaining enthusiasm for him has cooled since his off-color remarks last night.


80 posted on 01/17/2012 8:11:25 AM PST by Cato in PA (GO NEWT!)
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