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Gingrich's Main Backer Plays Two Angles (Report: Adelson after Rick)
Wall Street Journal ^ | 2-14-12 | Mundy

Posted on 02/14/2012 5:07:46 PM PST by VinL

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, by far the biggest financial backer of Newt Gingrich's presidential bid, is preparing to open his wallet again. But this time, the casino magnate appears to have more than one agenda.

In a bit of political chess, Mr. Adelson is ready to not only directly support the former House speaker in the Republican primary, but to use his cash to push Rick Santorum from his position atop the latest national polls, according to people to have discussed the matter with Mr. Adelson.

Enlarge Image ADELSON ADELSON Las Vegas Review-Journal/Associated Press

Sheldon Adelson, shown with his wife, Miriam, at a Nevada caucus meeting in Summerlin, Nev., could give an additional $10 million to Newt Gingrich.

If Mr. Gingrich could afford to continue campaigning, one of those people said, he might be able to draw off conservative and evangelical voters from Mr. Santorum, improving the chances of Mitt Romney, who Mr. Adelson believes has a better chance to win November's general election.

"Sheldon says we all have to keep our eyes on the goal here—beating Obama," said a person who talked with Mr. Adelson.

According to the people who have discussed the matter, Mr. Adelson could give an additional $10 million or more to an independent group supporting Mr. Gingrich before Super Tuesday, March 6, a likely pivotal day when 10 states go to the polls. The Adelson family has already given $11 million to support Mr. Gingrich since December.

Mr. Adelson has repeatedly declined to comment on his donations. He "holds his cards tight to the chest because this has been such a seesaw primary you don't know where it's going to go," said Andy Abboud, vice president for government relations at Las Vegas Sands Corp.... (snip)

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: adelson; adelson4newt; adelsonforromney; distraction; diversion; fr4liberalpopulists; gingrich; headgames; mediaagenda; mediaspin; mediastrategy; meme; mittagenda; mittpropaganda; romneyagenda; romneyspin; santorum; sheldonadelson; votesuppression; wsjagenda; wsjspin
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To: American Constitutionalist

CNN asked Newt if Romney would be on his short list for VP. He said yes. I can tell you that was being diplomatic. Trump said Gingrich and Romney cannot stand each other. As for Newt supporters being bamboozled, I would say those who support Newt do so knowing all his shortcomings and weighing the good against the bad.


21 posted on 02/14/2012 5:45:44 PM PST by sheikdetailfeather ("We need to teach the establishment a lesson!" Newt Gingrich CPAC 2-10-2012)
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To: American Constitutionalist

My friend, with respect, I believe you’re absolutely wrong. Newt would never want Romney as a VP- and how in the name of Heaven could Romney take Newt as a VP after “destroying” his character over the past 4 months?

Marcus Aurelius-accept the obvious. Adelson and Newt have been friends for almost 40 years— Adelson likely has nothing against Rick, and nothing for Romney-— he merely supports his frien Newt.


22 posted on 02/14/2012 5:46:13 PM PST by VinL (It is better to suffer every wrong, than to consent to wrong.)
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To: VinL
If Mr. Gingrich could afford to continue campaigning, one of those people said, he might be able to draw off conservative and evangelical voters from Mr. Santorum, improving the chances of Mitt Romney, who Mr. Adelson believes has a better chance to win November’s general election.

I guess we now know who the real stalking horse is. Mystery solved.

23 posted on 02/14/2012 5:46:25 PM PST by Lazlo in PA (Now living in a newly minted Red State.)
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To: American Constitutionalist
Newt is not the Ross Perot of this election. Ross Perot was a third party kook, not a top tier candidate running in the GOP primary. Mr. Newt has been doggedly pressing on from the beginning, getting his message out, and never wavering. Because that dishonest lying worthless Romney hit him repeatedly below the belt and (perhaps temporarily) knocked him from his front runner status does not make him another Ross Perot whose wounds were entirely self inflicted; indeed that crackpot was only in the race to elect Bill Clinton, he most certainly was not in it to win.

If Santorum or Romney or another Republican should win the nomination, and if Newt THEN decided to run as a third party candidate, and then IF he found himself at the top of the polls projected to be the likely winner, decided then to act like a flake and a screwball, dropping out for the stupidest and most unbelievable of reasons, and then coming back in just in time to take just enough votes away from the GOP candidate by people who were not thinking quite straight, therefore ensuring an Obama win, then the comparison would be apt.

Newt has endured enough slander and slime, he certainly does not deserve to be called a Ross Perot.

24 posted on 02/14/2012 5:50:04 PM PST by erkelly (Never underestimate the stupidity of the stupid party!)
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To: CaptainKrunch

Supposedly, the Romney camp met with Adelson in Vegas during their primary to see if Adelson would give money to Romney. The media confronted Newt to see if he would be upset about it. That is when Newt said Adelson is for getting rid of Obama because he is anti-Israel, so whoever he feels can win, he will help.


25 posted on 02/14/2012 5:50:23 PM PST by sheikdetailfeather ("We need to teach the establishment a lesson!" Newt Gingrich CPAC 2-10-2012)
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To: CaptainKrunch

You’re absolutely correct. Romney has been pressuring Adelson not to give Newt funds- and Romney is vicious and formidable.

This funding has absolutely nothing to do with Rick- and everything to do with merely funding Adelson’s long time friend, Newt. I commend Adelson for his loyalty to Newt- he’s actually making a powerful enemy in Romney.


26 posted on 02/14/2012 5:52:29 PM PST by VinL (It is better to suffer every wrong, than to consent to wrong.)
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To: American Constitutionalist

Santorum makes Bush look like Ronald Reagan. But go ahead, keep on shilling for this closet RINO till you are “blue” (Get it?) in the face.

http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/01/06/what-a-big-government-conservative-looks-like/

NEA
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Voted for the START II Treaty
Voted to allow the sale of supercomputers to China.
Voted to ban antipersonnel landmines
Voted against increasing defense spending offset by equivalent cuts in non-defense spending.
Voted to require that Federal bureaucrats get the same payraises as uniformed military.
Voted to allow food and medicine sales to state sponsors of terror and tyranical regimes such as Libya and Cuba.
Voted to limit the President’s authority to impose sanctions on nations for reasons of national security unless the sanctions were approved by a multilateral regime.
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Voted to weaken alien terrorist deportation provisions. If the Court determines that the evidence must be withheld for national security reasons, the Justice Department must still provide a summary of the evidence sufficient for the alien terrorist to mount a defense against deportation.
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Nominations
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Voted against food stamp reform
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Sponsored An amendment to increase Amtrak funds by $550 million
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27 posted on 02/14/2012 5:55:13 PM PST by PSYCHO-FREEP (If you come to a fork in the road, take it........)
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To: erkelly
Mr. Newt has been doggedly pressing on from the beginning, getting his message out, and never wavering.

That is not true. Newt gave an interview today, after addressing a Hispanic leadership event in Los Angeles, with the press today where he said straight up that most of his woes in polls and losing contests was directly related to him being off message. He explained that all the time going after Romney was damaging. That is why he is restating again that he is going to focus on policy.

28 posted on 02/14/2012 5:56:37 PM PST by Lazlo in PA (Now living in a newly minted Red State.)
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To: cripplecreek

Stop- you’re an intelligent person- and now you’re not being fair. Adelson is supporting Newt- a 35 year friend. If he were supporting Romney, he would have never given Newt the $10M after Newt lost Iowa.


29 posted on 02/14/2012 5:57:38 PM PST by VinL (It is better to suffer every wrong, than to consent to wrong.)
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To: Christie at the beach

I believe it. Romney does not want Newt to get any standing ovations. Northern Florida had a lot of Romney people in the audience from what I heard. That is why they were so weird.


30 posted on 02/14/2012 5:57:54 PM PST by sheikdetailfeather ("We need to teach the establishment a lesson!" Newt Gingrich CPAC 2-10-2012)
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To: Christie at the beach
>>On Facebook it is being said that Romney has bought all the —>>seats at the debate next week in AZ and is filling them with his supporters.

Oh, sorry, I meant to share this on another thread. another conservation/sorry, didn't mean to interrupt the subject on topic.

31 posted on 02/14/2012 5:58:36 PM PST by Christie at the beach
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To: Christie at the beach

On Facebook it is being said that Romney has bought all the seats at the debate next week in AZ and is filling them with his supporters.

Damn him. This pisses me off. Why not give the four candidates equal number of tickets and let them give them out. See we agree on this.


32 posted on 02/14/2012 6:01:50 PM PST by napscoordinator (A moral principled Christian with character is the frontrunner! Congrats Santorum!)
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To: sheikdetailfeather
It is being posted on facebook and even now people

have posted it on Sarah Palin facebook so, I guess another

repeat like Jacksonville where Mitt bused in students. They should give out equal tickets ( Cheating to look popular) for the number of candidates or just let the public walk in.

33 posted on 02/14/2012 6:04:08 PM PST by Christie at the beach
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To: Christie at the beach

The next debate is in AZ. Mitt is going to lose his home state of MI (IIRC his old home was one of the vacant ones torn down in Detroit area) but is going to try to make up for it by playing the McCain card in AZ. If it turns out that way all should go out of their way to give the credit to McCain, NOT to Romney, in AZ and to focus on the “big upset” in MI.


34 posted on 02/14/2012 6:07:01 PM PST by JohnBovenmyer (Obama been Liberal. Hope Change!)
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To: Parley Baer

The only thing I have heard from Santorum say is that he will repeal Obama Care.

He has said more. I am hoping for a constitutional amendment for getting rid of abortion, getting rid of gay marriage and getting rid of gays in the military. Those would be three issues that would most help America. We need to get back to our morals. Some said it would be hard because of the Democrats in Congress. However, with Santorum at the top of the ticket, we will have coat tails down ticket. See nobody showed up to vote for McCain (we did here), but EVERYONE will show up to vote for Santorum. Just knowing that he would ban gay marriage will get Americans to the voting booth in droves. We are very lucky that Santorum is a social conservative. It is going to be very helpful for the general. He is very good fiscally which is the cherry on top.


35 posted on 02/14/2012 6:08:07 PM PST by napscoordinator (A moral principled Christian with character is the frontrunner! Congrats Santorum!)
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To: freedomfiter2
So the big money scum will now completely control our elections.

I think those who have done well should have an active voice in our election process. These people are the risk takers who embody the Capitalist system of free enterprise. It's the so-called "big money scum" that provide jobs for thousands and are the engine of America's economy. These are the people and corporations who have a stake in our country.

I'm on record as being in full agreement with the Citizens United v. FEC decision. And if Mr. Adelson invests his money in the support of Newt Gingrich, I consider that a very wise choice indeed.


36 posted on 02/14/2012 6:09:04 PM PST by re_nortex (DP...that's what I like about Texas.)
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To: All

I heard a political strategist on Fox one night saying that when an attack ad comes out against a candidate, the best way to handle it is to address it briefly and get right back on message. Ronald Reagan did that well. They said the last thing you should do is just not answer it like what happened to Newt in Iowa. Of course, on the other hand, the way the superpac attacked Romney did not serve Newt well either. What happened here in Florida with all the Romney attack ads was a disgrace. It is not easy to answer 19 million dollars worth of attack ads coming at you like napalm.


37 posted on 02/14/2012 6:09:14 PM PST by sheikdetailfeather ("We need to teach the establishment a lesson!" Newt Gingrich CPAC 2-10-2012)
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To: PSYCHO-FREEP

Great post.

I copied and posted on Hot air. Hope you don’t mind.


38 posted on 02/14/2012 6:12:42 PM PST by Reagan69 (I supported Sarah Palin and all I got was a lousy DVD !)
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To: VinL
See Post 25 which resurrected my memory of the media confronting Gingrich and his reply.

Supposedly, the Romney camp met with Adelson in Vegas during their primary to see if Adelson would give money to Romney. The media confronted Newt to see if he would be upset about it. That is when Newt said Adelson is for getting rid of Obama because he is anti-Israel, so whoever he feels can win, he will help.

39 posted on 02/14/2012 6:14:00 PM PST by StarFan
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To: PSYCHO-FREEP

Wow....that’s some list! I’m not interested in Romney, but if you’ve also done a thorough ‘anti’ list on Gingrich, would you mind posting it too?.. it would be helpful in establishing a comparison. Thanks!


40 posted on 02/14/2012 6:14:21 PM PST by Kimberly GG ("Path to Citizenship" Amnesty candidates will NOT get my vote!)
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