Posted on 02/19/2012 3:36:10 PM PST by VinL
Just after the South Carolina primary, Newt Gingrich--or his minions--put considerable public pressure upon Rick Santorum to stand down, to get out, to leave the race.
Santorum's response was simple. If he began to come in last in any series of races, he would do so. Santorum went on to explain that he had won as many states as Newt had at that point, so there was no need to go anywhere.
That was five states, 3 Santorum victories, and several instances of bottoming out by the Gingrich campaign ago.
The Gingrich people will not like what I have to say next, but it is resolutely true, and there is no argument against it, so here goes...
"If Newt Gingrich believes Mitt Romney is a worse choice for nominee than a real conservative would be, then he must leave the race now. Staying in the race until Super Tuesday hurts the conservative cause, aids Romney, and ultimately will re-elect Barack Obama."
There, it is said. It had to be. It is all true.
This week Billionaire Casino Magnate Sheldon Adelson announced his intentions to continue to sink money into the Gingrich SuperPAC "Winning Our Future." This newest round of $10,000,000 would roughly match the $11,000,000 that allowed Gingrich his one state win in South Carolina. But even that is money poorly spent.
Gingrich had the chance to build on his win, but was unable to capitalize in Florida, and his absolute stubbornness in refusing to organize for the three state caucus strike-out that catapulted Santorum to front-runner status demonstrated some old inclinations about the former speaker that had been voiced by many former colleagues. Newt is flagging in polls nationally, ranking behind Ron Paul at times, and does not show a path to victory even if he were to break through on Super Tuesday using massive SuperPAC money to land somewhat mediocre media presence. (After all $10,000,000 across seven states won't even begin to touch a fourth of the penetration rate he had with $11,000,000 in South Carolina.)
Debates are now being universally panned, and the free media will not add up to give Newt new opportunities to "un-re-define" himself from himself.
I asked a few columns back if Gingrich was Churchill, for 2012, the answer seems to be "no!"
But that doesn't render him insignificant.
If Gingrich were to leave, and especially if he were to endorse Santorum, Mitt Romney's campaign would truly be on the death's door. Romney is trailing in Michigan, where he couldn't seem to connect with voters even before Santorum's sweep, and according to Rasmussen--the most accurate pollster in the past six cycles--he trails Santorum by 12 nationally, and by nearly 20 in the swing state of Ohio. Despite what her "right-to-be-wrongness" Ann Coulter says about Mitt's inevitability, Republicans--if they are smart--should always elect the man for nomination who wins Ohio. Because in the general election, it is the best indicator of who will be President.
Santorum has thicker skin than Newt and Mitt combined, and next to Newt, he's the best debater left in the bunch. But most importantly he is the sharpest contrast to Obama--in nearly every imaginable category.
Newt is steadily polling at 14% in the polls. Santorum has exploded in Michigan and Ohio, is nearly within the margin of error to Romney in Arizona, and almost the same within Gingrich in Georgia. Meanwhile in some states Gingrich finishes last, Santorum never does. But if you add 2/3's of Newt's total to Santorum's, Rick Rollin' would become the new GOP past time.
If Gingrich is a man of principal, he will allow the consolidation and much-more-baggage-free candidacy of Rick Santorum to zoom into an even further all-out lead nationally. If Gingrich stays in, it is obvious his feelings about Romney's danger and likely losing proposition as nominee will come true. And the former speaker would have only himself to blame.
If Romney is the nominee, Obama will be President for a second term. (His inability to take Obama on--on his biggest weaknesses, the target of his faith's racially questionable history and the twisted way the mainstream media will exploit that, his inability to not say things from an entirely silver spoon perspective, and his lack of distinction from Obama on many social issues--like subsidizing abortion, and creating "gay" marriage.)
The GOP's job at the moment is to pick the best candidate they can to beat Obama, and the one who is most-different-than him presents the best possibility.
Especially if that candidate wins Ohio.
That was a sarcastic reply to a post that was (thankfully) removed by the mods.
In case anybody’s wondering...
Massive ship of truth. Newt’s the one’s that attacked Romney’s Capitalism with Bane Capital. I swear newt sounded just like Obama, railing against the evil rich. Don’t get me wrong, Romney is horrible on every other issue and I would never vote for him, even in a General, but Newt isn’t as friendly with the truth as you suggest, just ask his ex-wives.
The minute Newt sat down on the couch with Pelosi to jump on the big government global warming bandwagon, and endorsed a radical liberal in NY-23, he lost his chance to be the standard bearer for Conservatism. Newt’s toast, let’s just hope he realizes it in time, not to play spoiler and ensure a Romney victory.
Newt; the VISIONARY Conservative!!!
Rick: The ILLUSORY conservative.
GO NEWT!!!
3...2...1...
Just in case they miss this one, dude:
Bain is to free market capitalism as The Westboro Baptist Church is to Christianity.
So who does Willard the Massachusetts Liberal want to go one-on-one with?
And if it comes down to Rick and Willard, whose side will Cain, Newt, and Perry likely go to this cycle?
Plus who is BEST at this point to argue against the individual mandate, ObamaCare overall, and TARP?
Just asking..........
Any sane Romneybot would be pulling for Newt to split the notMitt vote again so they could win 30-35% “victories.”
******************
You are absolutely right!!!!
So, the question to you, my friend John, is -— why are Romney and the Gop-E and their friends in the media still attacking Newt and pressuring him to withdraw?
Gingrich folks are starting to sound a bit more paranoid and conspiratorial than usual.
If he’s the best candidate, why won’t enough people vote for him to give him the lead?
If he can’t withstand negative ads in the primary, how’s he going to do it in the election?
The incessant whining from Gingrich/supporters is really getting annoying.
My first concern is who of the other 3 remaining candidates has the best plans to revive our economy? Newt. Romney's and Santorum’s plans maintain the status quo.
Who of the 3 remaining candidates has the best chance of beating Obama? Newt. Personally I don't think Santorum (or Paul) can beat Obama. Mitt has a better chance of beating Obama than Santorum does, but less of a chance than Newt.
If Newt does win the presidency, does he have a chance of getting at least some of his policies implemented? Yes.
Relative to the issue of Newt withdrawing and endorsing Santorum, I say no way. It would serve no useful purpose.
Like Sanctorum supporters never whine?
I agree, at this point Noot is little more than Romney’s wingman.
Gosh, the media and back stabber Rove tell us who they do NOT want to win. Ricky will get us creamed in the general. The non Romney vote is going to give us Obama. End of story.
Spoken like a true Leftist. Now you’re defending Obama’s trampling of the Catholic Church’s right to practice their religion, and just making up absolute lies about Santorum on Birth Control and then telling a lie about Santorum imprisoning women who have abortions (A classic liberal tactic used to support abortion as a means of birth control for decades.)
Sorry, but your Nancy Pelosi loving, ACORN endorsing, Big Governemt Space Mirrors / moon colonies Newt is toast. He’ll be lucky to carry GA. He may drain just enough votes to ensure a Romney candidacy, if that is his goal, maybe Mittens will reward him with a deputy vice president of moon base operations.
“Like Sanctorum supporters never whine?”
lol. I don’t know, I’m not an enthusiastic Santorum supporter. He gets my support by default. I know I can’t vote Romney or Gingrich.
But for the “smartest guy in the room” and “the best debater” you’d think Gingrich would have less whining and complaining in his campaign.
Why doesn’t Newt have the votes, if he’s so good?
The problem for you is, moonhawk was being satirical and you were not.
Hogwash.
Just fighting fire with fire, baloney with baloney.
How does it feel?
Show me where Sen. Santorum has told you what religion to embrace and what to do in your bedroom.
Bingo!
Not might. WILL lose! Bye-bye to Willard the Massachusetts Lib for good.
Where’s the whining, my friend? I merely post that many who supposedly favor Rick- really support Romney. I present evidence to that affect with this particular writer.
That’s all- no negative comment towards Rick or his genuine supporters. I wish him luck.
Santorum: “If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual gay sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery.... It all comes from, I would argue, this right to privacy that doesn’t exist in my opinion in the United States Constitution."
Santorum: "The Internet is not a free zone where anybody can do anything they want"
http://youtu.be/dZifY8wcWwY
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