Rush Predicts Newt Comeback

...Telling his listeners that the polls indicated MittRomney would likely lose the Michigan primary, the conservative icon said he wouldn’t be surprised if Romney’s demise gives Gingrich yet another opportunity to be frontrunner. Another great performance by Gingrich in a debate could turn the race around once again, Limbaugh said.

“I think there's a possibility of something happening nobody's talking about -- and that's the reemergence of Newt. Keep a sharp eye. Anything's still possible,” Limbaugh said.

“If Romney has trouble in Michigan... Now, PublicPolicyPolling is a very liberal polling group out of North Carolina. They say that Romney's gaining ground, and he could well be. A slew of negative ads are being run against Santorum, and they work. Negative ads have always been shown to work, and Romney's gaining ground back in Michigan. Of course, the Republican establishment would be turned upside down if he loses in Michigan, because that's his what, second or third home state? And his dad was governor there. ...

“If Romney falters in Michigan, the guy to look at as perhaps having a chance to get back in this big time is NewtGingrich,” Limbaugh said. “Do you realize there hasn't been a debate in a month? There has not been a debate, and look at what impact that could be having on the polls, 'cause there haven't been any primaries, either. But look at the impact no debates are having. So if Romney doesn't do as expected, then of course the Republican Party establishment's gonna panic and think, ‘Oh, my gosh, we need somebody new now,’ because none of the others are suitable to them. Including Newt. Newt's not suitable to them, either. But the debates are gonna kick back in again once we get close to Michigan and then we've got Super Tuesday.

He’s not unpredictable. He just gives complete, honest, nuanced answers instead of cheap political platitudes. He likes to lay out the complete pros and cons of every idea that he discusses. So it becomes easy for those whose power is threatened by him to pick one line to quote out of context and smear him with.

http://www.newt.org/answers#Ryan

Paul Ryan (and the House GOP’s) Medicare Plan

Like Ryan and the House GOP, Newt supports a premium support model for Medicare. However, he wants seniors to have the choice to opt into the new system or to stay in traditional Medicare.

Newt agrees wholeheartedly with Rep. Ryan that we must give our seniors more choices than the current one-size-fits-all Medicare model. Both concur that creating the opportunity for seniors to buy private insurance is the key to both improving care and lowering costs.

The one key difference is that under Newt’s plan, as outlined in his 21st Century Contract with America, seniors will also have the choice to stay in the current Medicare system or choose a private insurance plan with support from the government to pay the premiums. The other difference is that Newt believes that seniors should have this option starting next year, not in ten years.

Q: So why did Newt use the term “right wing social engineering” on Meet the Press when discussing these proposed changes to Medicare?

Gingrich is opposed to any political party imposing dramatic change against the consent of the governed. Afterwards, Newt quickly admitted that his choice of words was too extreme, and he apologized to Congressman Ryan shortly thereafter.

In response to the host’s hypothetical question of whether Republicans should change Medicare even if there is public opposition, Gingrich’s response was no you should not. One of Newt’s basic governing philosophies is that government should offer a better alternative to existing entitlement programs that seniors can freely choose. Gingrich is opposed to any political party imposing dramatic change against the consent of the governed. Afterwards, Newt quickly admitted that his choice of words was too extreme, and he apologized to Congressman Ryan shortly thereafter. Newt regards Paul Ryan as one of the biggest innovators in Washington, D.C. and he deeply admires the seriousness and boldness of his historic Path to Prosperity budget.

What is it that you seem to think Newt is saying which offends or insults you when he discusses the Republican party needing to come up with new ideas at the end of the Reagan and George W. Bush eras? The entire context of the interview is here. I have a hard time understanding what is wrong with him pointing out the undeniable fact that those presidencies ended:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2848231/posts?page=31#37

Here is his answer on Dede. Short answer, Newt is a party loyalist and supports Republicans, not independent candidates. His whole career was based on creating a permanent Republican party majority, not on abandoning the party.

http://www.newt.org/answers#Dede

Dede Scozzafava Endorsement

Newt has admitted it was a mistake to back Dede Scozzafava, the Republican nominee in the 2009 NY-23 special election.

Whether it was helping to build the Republican Party of Georgia back when Democrats controlled the entire state or leading the nationwide effort in 1994 to break 40 years of Democratic rule in the House, Newt has always tried to advance the cause of a truly conservative Republican party. This has always meant supporting the most conservative nominee possible as selected by Republican primary voters.

Therefore, Newt will almost always back the nominee of the Republican party and not back an independent candidate in a race against a Democratic candidate.

Newt still believes in this principle, however, he has admitted it was a mistake to back Dede Scozzafava, the Republican nominee in the 2009 NY-23 special election. Although she was the Republican nominee, the problem was that Republican primary voters did not pick her, the local party leaders did, otherwise her liberal views would have prevented her from becoming the nominee. The Conservative Party candidate whom Scozzafava was running against, Doug Hoffman, recently remarked about Newt’s endorsement of his rival, “I would advise other conservative republicans: Don’t hold this against him.”

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