Billionaire Gingrich Contributor [Sheldon Adelson] To Cut Support

Business Insider ^ | February 10, 2012 | Jaywon Choe

[GraniteStateConservative]

While billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson may have rescued Newt Gingrich’s campaign in its early days, today, he may have just buried it.

Bloomberg News reports that Adelson, who has donated $11 million to Gingrich’s Super PAC, does not plan to send any more money Gingrich’s way. Bloomberg is citing an anonymous source “familiar with their deliberations,” though an Adelson spokesman declined to comment.

The move seems to be weeks in the making. After poor showings by Gingrich in the last several races and the re-resurgence of Rick Santorum, the former House speaker has once again been pushed to the back of the Republican field. And Adelson may be shifting his focus. According to CNN, Adelson met with Mitt Romney in Nevada last week and “assured Romney that he will be behind him 100 percent should he become the nominee.”

What may be more alarming though is as money seems to be flooding out of the Gingrich camp, it appears to be heading into to Santorum’s, no doubt helped by his three-state sweep Tuesday.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

What you are saying is all well and good in context, but now that Santorum is back in front, Romney will either train his cannons on Santorum, or else they had a deal all along and they will both take down Newt while he is most vulnerable instead, and later work it out after they are the last 2 standing. There is that very real possibility.

I am really finding it hard to stay engaged in this mess. It is just getting uglier by the minute.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks GraniteStateConservative.

We’re being managed.

[TitansAFC]

Oh, horsecrap.

Everyone knew he’d win the MO beauty contest with no Newt on the ballot, and most folks thought he had a good shot at MN. CO was the one outlier.

A lot of folks didn’t believe he’d finish fifth in NH after Iowa, or a distant third in SC or FL.

Super Tuesday is in a month. If Santorum has any staying power, let him show it. Newt has been in the mid to upper 20% for almost the whole campaign. Rick hovers in the low 10%s until he gets the occasional bounce, and then regresses back to those numbers soon after.

Let’s see Rick survive some scrutiny.

[LibsRJerks]

Santorum is steak and potatoes.

Newt is filet mignon with a buttery garlic sauce and a flaming dessert on the side . . .

I can live with one, but would so much rather have the other ...

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

You are correct, although, if he maintains his SUPER Pac status, I believe he can swing that effort towards Romney immediately.

What was said was rather misleading, because of his SUPER Pac involvement, he cannot financially support a candidate as an individual until that candidate is an actual nominee, under CFR. Correct me if I am wrong.

[katykelly]

You’re making too much sense .

[Kenny]

Politeness has never been much of a virtue at FR. What Rick Santorum and his supporters receive is tame compared to Ron Paul and his supporters.

True be that! But I don't like these little 'nicknames' for any of the candidates. I think they're stupid and pointless.

[onyx]

Adelson is foolish to stop the support of the SuperPAC which is the means to fight Romney’s attacks. Oh well, that will keep Newt positive, but permit Romney and Santorum to viciously attack Newt as they’re doing, and get by without an answer.....

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

LOL! I was going to say that Santorum is more like a hamburger patty with a side of Mac and cheese. The kind that comes out of a box and tastes like something indescribable.

[RygelXVI]

Santorum is a fiscal liberal

You are a full-throated Gingrich supporter. How then can you criticize Santorum's record on fiscal issues?

Santorum & Gingrich were united in favor of the Balanced Budget Amendment that nearly passed.

Santorum & Gingrich were united in favor of the Medicare Part D prescription drug entitlement - Santorum later said it was a mistake.

Santorum & Gingrich were united in favor of earmark use as the duty of Congress to allocate government spending. (Gingrich promoted earmark usage as a way to help Republicans get reelected.)

Santorum & Gingrich are promoting radical tax reductions & reforms as a key part of their platforms.

They have many of the same triumphs and missteps. Why do you insist on demonizing Santorum?

[ducttape45]

That’s gonna leave a mark......

[Rational Thought]

I don't buy the stalking horse argument at all, and I don't think Romney can have the same kind of negative ad success with Santorum as he did with Gingrich for a couple of reasons.

With that being my belief, I can't help but remember this is the same Mitt Romney who was supposed to be the heir apparent to the nomination early on in 2008, until his support evaporated.

I'm all alone in my prediction (which is sometimes the case) but I believe we are seeing history repeating itself.

[TitansAFC]

For the record, Newt’s fundraising is up, not down.

The reason is that he has started doing more fundraisers, and not just campaigning.

He’s been camped out in Ohio, where his organization is second only to Romney’s, and where he has been getting enormous response. Since Rick isn’t on the ballot in 20% of the state, and isn’t focusing on it, Newt will benefit there.

Let’s all hang on and try and decipher the difference between staying power, and bumps in polling taken right after someone has a big night. Newt has proven he has staying power. Super Tuesday is going to be a big day for him (GA, TN, OK, OH, AK). I fully expect Newt to have the overall delegate lead after March 6th. Alabama and Mississippi are a week later.

I’ll still be here at FR two weeks from now when the dust has settled and it is still a two-man race between Newt and Mitt.

[Shery]

Well, that says a lot about Adelson.

[Ozymandias Ghost]

You may recall just before the Nevada primary Romney floated a “trial balloon” about automatically raising the minimum wage. I felt at the time that it was a “shot across the bow to Adelson. If that came to pass it would cost Adelson a lot of money as most of those casinos owns are staffed by union workers. Union workers contracts are usually tied to the minimum wage; if it increases then their hourly wage increases by a like amount.

Other than possibly gaining some union votes in Nevada, there was no other reason Romney should have favored raising the minimum wage; as that would be a job killer and would raise the cost of everything.

Looks like Romney got Adelson’s attention ...he hasn't mention that minimum wage increase in several days.

[DJ MacWoW]

Look at the PDF I posted. Santorum spends money like it’s not coming out of his pocket. Oh wait! It ISN’T!

[itsahoot]

This could all change after 4:30 pm tomorrow.

C-SPAN LIve/a>

Currently speaking

[2111USMC]

Can’t send much, but I’m definitely going to send Newt something this weekend.

[TexasFreeper2009]

lol

you think a billionaire cares that some of his employees earn minimum wage or something tied ot minimum wage?

lol

The guy earns 50 million are year + just in interest on one Billion at 5%. he could give Newt 30 million, let his union workers have a pay raise and still come out 15 million + ahead without lifting a finger.

[ngat]

This was a deliberate strategy by Speaker Gingrich to not split the conservataive vote in these three caucus states and thus allow Santorum the three states, in order to blunt the effect of the Romney Florida plurality “win”.

This again stopped Romney from gaining any momentum, just like the Gingrich South Carolina primary win that actually gained Gingrich a passel of delagates. It also allowed the Gingrich campaign to spend precious time campaigning in delegate rich primary states.

The strategy worked perfectly.

The strategy worked perfectly