Replies

The videos are out there in Newt Gingrich's own words. The fact remains that Newt Gingrich wasn't the perfect Reaganite that some of his supporters like to claim. Sarah Palin's denials are part of why she is a joke. That part she deserves. For that matter, Ronald Reagan wasn't the perfect Reaganite that many of today's "conservatives" would like to pretend that he was.

Newt Gingrich is part of the establishment. That's his history. That's who he is. Being part of the establishment isn't always horrible. He had to work across all parts of the party to accomplish anything, particularly the 1994 election victories. As a lobbyist for the past ten years, he's had to work with all sorts of groups that are in power. (Claiming that he's a historian/consultant doesn't change the fact that he's essentially been a lobbyist. Either way, he's an insider.) He may be the choice of some people who rage against Mitt Romney because they are blinded by vanity, but they don't represent most of his support. Many of his people will go with the plurality winner rather than see the GOP dragged through dozens of ballots at the convention.