Was Newt Gingrich’s campaign the worst in history?

The Washington Times ^ | April 22, 2012 | Joseph Curl

[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.

[onyx]

NO. Romney's was the scum bag, dirtiest.

[ReneeLynn]

The answer is ‘no’. When the MSM wants Romney to win it and the GOP wants Romney to win it, Romney wins it. Especially since he’s had scads of money to spend as well. What a stupid article.

[Verginius Rufus]

Fred Thompson, Richard Lugar, Ed Muskie, Howard Dean all ran worse campaigns than Newt did.

[Diogenesis]

Romney will be remembered as the Bishop Backstabber
of this Century.

He threw two elections to the DNC for his
partner Soros. And the GOPe loves him for it.

[ReneeLynn]

That would be Santorum.

[relictele]

I believe you but after being on the national scene for two decades, eight of them in the WH, the Lewinsky scandal and all the rest, what could Team Obama possibly have that nobody else did? It would be like Swamp Thing against Man Thing...identical creatures but different publishers.

[gusty]

I’m no Newt supporter, but to say his campaign was the worst in history is to be ignorant of history. Despite the foibles the results show he hung in there awhile, and had an impact. From recent memory, I would nominate John Connally for worst campaign ever. The guy spent millions of dollars and all he got was one delegate.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Yes I love the Newster. The worst campaign was Fred Thompson. No doubt about that.

Newt has the BIG Brain. Conservatism flows from Newt like honey. Newt’s problem is with action. His words are hypnotic but his action leaves a bit to be desired.

Romney will win hands down if he finds a way to use that charisma.

[Signalman]

Bob Dole. A good man, but he ran a lousy campaign.

[GreatRoad]

Dole’s was as lame as his ED ads.

[gusty]

I’m scratching my head trying to figure out what was the other election he gave to the DNC. In 2008, he was considered Mr. Conservative. The same people who trash him now, were all for him then, plus his governorship of Massachusetts was before 2008. Who was the candidate he prevented from winning then. Not McCain, he won. Was it Huckebee, he was considered a big government guy. A GOP Dukakis with his pardons in Arkansas. Was it Guiliani, his stances on the social issues made Romney look like Gary Bauer. Was it Thompson, as a candidate he had negative charisma. He was 2008’s Rick Perry, you knew he was good but his performance was god awful. So who was the guy Romney kept from the nomination in 2008.

[SamAdams76]

Let's face up to facts. Many of us Freepers were "had" by the Gingrich campaign.

If I had posted here a year ago that Newt Gingrich was our best hope to defeat Obama, I'd have been laughed off this forum. Newt was not held in very high standing at all in these parts.

But then Sarah Palin decided not to run, Michelle Bachmann floundered, and RINO Mitt Romney surged to front-runner status. Suddenly Newt wasn't looking so bad anymore and we elevated him to "messiah" status here on FR.

We do tend to live in a bubble here at Free Republic. While Newt is acceptable to us (especially in contrast to Romney), he is simply abhorred by the rest of the nation. Had Newt been our nominee, we would have guaranteed an Obama re-election.

Take a look at the results last night. Gingrich consistently finished behind Ron Paul and just barely beat Santorum, who dropped out weeks earlier. In our most conservative state, Wyoming, Newt only garnered one half of one percent of the vote (a few weeks ago).

I just think it sucks that Sarah Palin never got into the race. She would have won this going away.

[ilgipper]

hell no. He outlasted Perry, Cain, Bachmann, Huntsman, and that guy from MN whose name I cannot remember. He did it with little money, and by excelling in debate and on the stump.

Perry qualifies as the worst campaign in this cycle. Huntman is a close second. Perry should have won the nomination and lined up the base support and money almost overnight. Huntsman was a total bust, despite the hype.

[Darren McCarty]

Martha Coakley, Spence Abraham, Geoff Fieger.

Fieger's the worst campaigner I've seen, although it's due to his comments before he was a candidate. I did get a laugh when he said he was going to, and I quote "kick John Engler's fat ass." I remember it well. It was Fiegertime.

[carenot]

Bob Dole?

[gusty]

Your right about Perry. He had the ideas and the resume to win this. But those endless debates killed his chances. He just did not perform. As a President, he would have hit it out of the park, sadly his skill set did not match the Reality Show Primaries we just experienced

[Notary Sojac]

I was for Newt from damn near the beginning.

But the day he started to attack Romney from the left was the day that little voice in the back of my head started to whisper "It's over".

[gusty]

That did it for me to. When Newt went all Occupy Wall Street that was end of him for me.

[gusty]

Fieger had the worst personality of any candidate bar none. He found out being an asshole was not the road to victory.

[Diogenesis]

FLASHBACK:

The McCain/Palin ticket was up ++4 to 10 pts
in some polls, days prior to Election 2008.
So rather than helping the GOP, Romney and
TeamROMNEY and the RNME (Republican National Media Establishment)
decided …to attack Gov. Palin to throw Election2008.

Romney, and the Van der Sloot RNME RINOs for Obama in 2008

Late in October, The American Spectator's The Prowler revealed:
"Former Mitt Romney presidential campaign staffers…
have been involved in spreading anti-Palin spin to reporters, seeking to diminish her standing after the election.
'Sarah Palin is a lightweight, she won't be the first, not even the third, person people will think of when it comes to 2012,'
says one former Romney aide…
'The only serious candidate ready to challenge to lead the Republican Party is Mitt Romney.
"Some former Romney aides were behind the recent leaks to media, including CNN, that Governor Sarah Palin was a 'diva' and was going off message intentionally."

---

The Palmetto Scoop reported: "One of the first stories to hit the national airwaves was
the claim of a major internal strife between close McCain aides and the folks handling his running mate Sarah Palin."
"I’m told by very good sources that this was indeed the case and that a rift had developed, but it was between Palin’s people and the staffers brought on from the failed presidential campaign of former Gov. Mitt Romney, not McCain aides."
"The sources said nearly 80 percent of Romney’s former staff was absorbed by McCain and these individuals were responsible for what amounts to a premeditated, last-minute sabotage of Palin."
… aides loyal to Romney inside the McCain campaign, said The Scoop, reportedly saw
that Palin would be a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2012 or 2016, which made her a threat to another presidential quest by Romney.

---

"These staffers are now out trying to finish her off ….hoping it would ingratiate themselves with Mitt Romney."

---

"Who's the Palin Leaker from the McCain Campaign?
National Review Online The publication of a Vanity Fair profile of Sarah Palin
appears to have opened old wounds in the McCain campaign.
... the source of the “Diva” leak was Nicolle Wallace’s husband."

---

"Peeking Out From the McCain Wreckage: Mitt Romney"

"Someone's got to say it: IS MITT ROMNEY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBAMA'S VICTORY?"

"Vanity: Team Romney Sabotaged Palin and Continuing to Do So?"

"Romney Supporters Trashing Palin"

"Romney advisors sniping at Palin?"

---