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Was Newt Gingrich’s campaign the worst in history?
The Washington Times ^ | April 22, 2012 | Joseph Curl

Posted on 04/25/2012 6:17:07 PM PDT by svxdave

ANALYSIS/OPINION: You know you’re running a lousy presidential campaign when you get bitten by a penguin.

The Newt’s presidential campaign has got to be one of the worst ever run in American history.

Last May, when Newt was casually campaigning, as is his way, he found himself exhausted. He had, after all, been at it for weeks. So, he did what any pooped-out candidate would do: He split on a luxury cruise to the Greek Islands with Wife No. 3 (22 years his junior — he was already out of college when she was born).

Newt rose during the debates — he is, after all, a professional talker — but quickly fell again. By the end of March, he ended up “dramatically curtailing his campaign schedule, laying off about a third of his staff and dismissing his campaign manager” — again — the Associated Press reported.

And lest we forget, just before the South Carolina debate, his second wife said Newt offered her a choice of an open marriage or a divorce after he revealed to her he was having an affair with Callista.

But wait, there’s still more: By this month, Newt was so desperate to dig himself out of a $4 million hole, he resorted to renting out his presidential campaign’s donor list.

Insiders say Callista Gingrich required an entourage of at least two staffers — including one who dressed in an elephant costume to promote her children’s book — and a contracted security guard who followed her even on non-campaign trips.”

And when Newt disappears this time, it’ll be for good. And good riddance.

• Joseph Curl covered the White House and politics for a decade for The Washington Times. He can be reached at jcurl@washingtontimes.com.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012election; anotherhitpiece; bloodythursday; buhbyenoot; deadlastnewt; election2012; enemedia; epicfailnewt; gingrich; gope; hitpiece; joecurl; josephcurl; kenyanbornmuzzie; mittromney; newt2012; newt2endorseromney; newt4romney; newtgingrich; nochancenootie; rehashoflies; ricksantorum; romneyscum; romneyspew; snarkygope; spoilernewt; stalkinghorsenewt; toast; vichyrepublicans; votednewtgotmitt; waronnewt; worstwriterinhistory
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Sad, so sad. Freepers loved him regardless of his faults. Newt, we hardly knew thee.
1 posted on 04/25/2012 6:17:11 PM PDT by svxdave
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To: svxdave

Considering his early no-hoper status and ongoing money woes, Newt overachieved in many ways.

If they want train wrecks, they need look no further than McGovern, Mondale and Dukakis.


2 posted on 04/25/2012 6:20:47 PM PDT by relictele (We are officially OUT of other people's money!)
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To: svxdave

No. He lacked cash. And people aren’t at the breaking point yet. We all aren’t freezers. Lots of idiots and moochers out there. People have an honest belief of freebies. We may never make it make.. he wasn’t the perfect candidate, but who is? Ie- that cp candidate aligns with me on almost every issue. But the bro has no dough.


3 posted on 04/25/2012 6:22:02 PM PDT by goseminoles
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To: svxdave

I thought his speech after the South Carolina primary was excellent. He couldn’t continue — maybe it was partly money, partly old baggage, but no I would not say it was the worst.

I’m thinking Muskie 1972 and Johnson 1968 have to be worse.
Thompson 2008 is up there too.


4 posted on 04/25/2012 6:22:56 PM PDT by scrabblehack
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To: goseminoles

Excuse the auto-correct on my phone. You get my gist.


5 posted on 04/25/2012 6:23:06 PM PDT by goseminoles
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To: relictele
Don't forget John Kerry's campaign, a gaffe a day complete with the stupidest photos of all time.

But about this article, the author sounds like a petty, embittered POS reminiscent of Bill Maher.

6 posted on 04/25/2012 6:23:55 PM PDT by KJC1 (Go Newt!)
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To: svxdave

No, it wasnt even the worst this year. He didnt have to quit before South Carolina, so I’d say he did better than the others.


7 posted on 04/25/2012 6:23:55 PM PDT by Raider Sam (They're on our left, right, front, and back. They aint gettin away this time!)
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To: svxdave
In my best Jackie Mason voice Newt Gingrich was running for President? Who knew? lol
8 posted on 04/25/2012 6:24:09 PM PDT by Phlap (REDNECK@LIBARTS.EDU)
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To: svxdave

John Glenn.


9 posted on 04/25/2012 6:26:12 PM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: svxdave
I've seen a lot worse campaigns than Newt's.

McCain's general election campaign in 08 for one.

10 posted on 04/25/2012 6:27:33 PM PDT by Darren McCarty (The Republican Party is bigger than the presidency.)
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To: svxdave
Was Newt Gingrich’s campaign the worst in history?

The results speak for themselves. He was alright on the stump, but didn't have any ground game or plan of attack, but worst in history? The Worst campaign in history goes to Harold Stassen. He ran for 40+ years for the GOP nominee and never went anywhere.


11 posted on 04/25/2012 6:30:41 PM PDT by Lazlo in PA (Now living in a newly minted Red State.)
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To: relictele

He was just about the best darn spoiler you could have ever wished for. Ran a great spoiler campaign. He should be a charter member of the spoiler hall of fame.


12 posted on 04/25/2012 6:31:15 PM PDT by Houghton M.
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To: svxdave

Newt is a bright man but he carried baggage heavy enough to bring down a fleet of 747s. His candidacy was a non-starter from the beginning. Or as some said his was a campaign if it can be called that, was like a “Hindenberg ready to explode.” It was both quixotic and in a terminal state of disarray ending in a humiliating embarrassment punctuated by penguin bites, bounced checks in Utah, and a never ending on-again off-again mode. It would have been better if Newt took a role similar to Sarah Palin and influenced the election of conservatives with less baggage. He did however do lasting damage to Santorum who may very likely have dealt Romney a fatal blow had Romney been beaten in MI where he won with 3% points or in OH where Santorum came within 1% of beating Romney. No wonder that even the left-wing media called Santorum’s campaign “phenomenal” for its 11 state wins and over 3 million votes cast on a shoe-string budget.

This primary season is now over. Gingrich says he wants to make Obama a one-term president and will campaign for Romney. At the end of the day this is an epochal election. Anybody but Obama. I hope a Romney win will give Gingrich and Santorum key roles in enacting some radical reforms.


13 posted on 04/25/2012 6:34:21 PM PDT by Steelfish (ui)
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To: svxdave

The worst campaign was Romney’s spending millions and millions to trash Gingrich and Santorum with lies and sending out liars and cowards to help the cause like Susan Molinari, Jim Talent, Ann Coulter and Fox News. Gingrich was a consultant and not a lobbyist for Fannie and Freddie. As for his ex wife, well, this writer has no clue how true her accusation was about the open marriage. I have more respect for Gingrich than I do those who called him crazy, erratic, and rewrote the history of his time as Speaker of the House. Lets not forget Beck who called him the enemy of God and the hysterical Brit Hume saying he had road rage. Charles Payne called him a crybaby and Ann Coulter called him crazy. Romneybots on Fox support the worst campaign in the history of time because it was the most vicious and dishonest. I do not intend to forget these low lifes.


14 posted on 04/25/2012 6:37:23 PM PDT by sheikdetailfeather ("We Need To Teach The Establishment a Lesson" - Newt Gingrich)
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To: svxdave

Even at the end, they still kick in the nuts and destroy the Conservatives, to make sure they are dead and stay that way. This is why I am no longer a Republican. Because in the end, what do they really win? A big cell in hell.


15 posted on 04/25/2012 6:38:13 PM PDT by Dogbert41 ("...or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. " -Jesus)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Romney’s VP choice? Before you answer, don’t forget that, according to some FReepers, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, and Newt as well were stalking horses for Romney. Thanks svxdave.


16 posted on 04/25/2012 6:42:24 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (FReepathon 2Q time -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: KJC1
How about Hogzilla? She had a supposedly popular two-term president as a beard husband and the Democratic machine on her side but lost out to a freshman Senator.
17 posted on 04/25/2012 6:45:32 PM PDT by relictele (We are officially OUT of other people's money!)
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To: svxdave

This is a horribly vacuous and trumped-up hit-piece, virtually devoid of substance. His campaign was poorly run because his campaign manager quit last spring? Is that the same brilliant guy who devised Perry’s mega-losing-strategy attack on Romney’s gardener in one of the early debates?

Give me a break. This piece was written by a Romney butt-boy looking for a payoff.

Gingrich made some mistakes, primarily his unpreparedness for Romney’s vicious attacks in Florida, but this piece has nothing to do with the campaign at all.


18 posted on 04/25/2012 6:46:31 PM PDT by samtheman ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ-4gnNz0vc)
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To: Steelfish
What was needed was a conservative candidate who could beat Romney and convince primary voters that he or she could beat Obama. Unfortunately all the people who might have fit that bill either declined to run or fell short in the campaign. I had hopes for Rick Perry at one point, until his brain freeze.

One thing to keep in mind is that we cannot be sure that the four conservative Supreme Court justices and the moderate who often votes with them, Anthony Kennedy, cannot guarantee themselves or us that they will survive until 2017, and we can't let Obama be the person who picks their replacement. If the worst happens to one of the five, a replacement chosen by Romney might not be our ideal, but we could pressure Mitt not to pick someone obviously bad...whereas we can be sure the person Obama would pick will be awful.

19 posted on 04/25/2012 6:54:55 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: relictele

Per some FReepers, the Chicago political mob had incriminating evidence on the Clintons - a tactical nuclear weapon.

This prevented them from using their vaunted private detective operation from going after Baraq’s obvious weak points, like the birth cert.


20 posted on 04/25/2012 6:55:20 PM PDT by nascarnation
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