I don’t know of any conservatives who abandoned Herman Cain over the cheap shots and dirt thrown at him. But you won’t help him by doing the same thing to Newt.
I made it clear in my original post on this thread (#15) that Newt Gingrich was never part of my personal 'top tier'. I don't consider expressing my opinion that I believe Newt Gingrich to be a Washington 'insider', something I think is patently obvious, to be a 'cheap shot'. Others dismiss Herman Cain with gratuitous insults such as 'he's just trying to sell books'. Now, those are 'cheap shots'...trashing a candidate with an insulting comment that questions their honesty and integrity, just as some here did to Sarah Palin, my original choice for the Republican presidential nomination. So, in a way, I'm used to it. I don't expect every FReeper to agree with me. I also don't believe that explaining why I don't support 'experienced' politicians like Gingrich, the kind of experience that helped get us into the mess we're in, today, is 'throwing dirt' on them. If it is, then no criticism of any candidate is possible - and that would be absurd.
Discussing a candidate’s record, including how and for what he has made substantial sums of money, is not a cheap shot or throwing dirt.