You were never for Newt! I’ve had battles with you and your hard mitt bot stance, who are you trying to fool here?
A very interesting perspective you have. When I was a “mitt-bott” as you claim, I don’t remember you being anything. I’m sure you were, I just don’t remember you as being someone who said anything of consequence that I had to argue with or battle over. There were many I did, and I certainly don’t pretend to remember everybody — I just find you unmemorable from that time. Heck, it was 4 years ago.
I’ve certainly “battled” you more recently, but being against things you say is hardly the same as being “anti-Newt”, or whatever it is you believe you are labelling me. I did prefer Rick Perry over Newt back in the day, although never so much that I became his supporter. When Perry was gone, I was hopeful Rick Santorum could come on strong, as I never held Gingrich as one of our better conservatives, especially the “21st-century” Newt Gingrich. I never was really just a “santorum supporter” though — I supported both men, consistantly argued that both should stay in. My arguments with most Gingrich folks were about their rabid attacks on Santorum, and their over-the-top idolation of Gingrich as the consumate conservative.
It was certainly easier for some to pretend that anybody who didn’t like Newt was just supporting Romney, but being easy is a poor substitute for being the truth.
Fact is, most people at FR didn’t give Gingrich a 2nd thought until everybody else had fallen apart and Gingrich had managed to jump to the top of the polls.
Still, there was a day, before Santorum’s rise, when I was ready to endorse Gingrich. That was the day in December when, with Santorum and Bachmann failing to submit signatures at all, Perry was found to not have 10,000 signatures in Virginia. If Gingrich had made my ballot, he would have been my candidate. I even said so. But when he too failed, I was back to waiting and seeing.
Truth was, I would have supported Perry, Bachmann, Santorum, and even Gingrich, if the conservative base had managed to pick ONE of them. We never did, because too many conservatives had a “my guy or the highway” attitude, rather than a “anybody but Romney” attitude.
Still, I have yet to say anything good about Romney, or to suggest anybody should vote for Romney — because so long as there is one conservative in the race, that is where my loyalties lie. And since Santorum dropped out, I’ve been a Newt supporter — last man standing after all.
When Gingrich drops out, that’s when I will consider the next step. Some have done so already, one way or another. I don’t feel rushed.