A nation turns its lonely eyes to … Newt?
Mitt Romney continues to pull the same 25 to 30 percent of the GOP base that he’s had all along. The remainder of his party, reluctant to settle for the man from Massachusetts, continues to look around for a champion who can rescue them from his clutches.
For the moment, that champion happens to be Herman Cain, but it’s impossible to believe that can last. Critical as I’ve been of them, I still have more faith in the GOP electorate than to believe they’re serious about making Cain their nominee. But having run through Bachmann and Perry, where else can they turn?
'Say, um, are you free tonight?'
Well, there’s that portly gentleman with the gray hair over there, the one tugging on his ear and, frankly, trying to look disinterested. The name is Newt Gingrich, I believe.
Listening to Newt these days, it’s pretty clear that he thinks the race may finally be turning in his direction. He looks at Romney and sees a man with a “Nelson Rockefeller problem,” as Gingrich calls it, noting that “there is a natural ceiling” for such candidates in the Republican Party.
(Nelson Rockefeller, for those too young to know, was a moderate Republican and a successful governor of New York who in 1960, 1964 and 1968 lost the GOP nomination to more conservative opponents. Think of him as the original RINO.)
Gingrich also looks around at his fellow candidates and sees rank amateurs, all of whom have had their shot at being the anti-Mitt and have fallen short. Other than Romney, Gingrich is the only major player on the debate stage who actually knows public policy, and it shows.
“At some point I think it’s going to come down to Romney and me,” Gingrich said this week. “Once we get down to a two-person debate, then I’m reasonably confident I will win.”
The former speaker is also positioning himself as the sole grownup in the party, the only one with the self-control needed to be successful next summer and fall. Watching Romney and Rick Perry squabble at the last debate, Gingrich said, made him feel like “I was the recess monitor on the playground, watching these two kids.” He even talks in regretful tones about the decline of mutual respect in politics, noting that “policy dialogue, handled with civility, is exactly what politics should be.”
Of course, it’s impossible to hear pleas for civil dialogue from a man with Newt’s history without giggling a bit. And in his heart he really hasn’t changed much, as evidenced by his recent suggestion that U.S. Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd ought to be tossed into prison. Earlier this year, Gingrich also accused House Republicans of trying to impose “radical … right-wing social engineering” and claimed that President Obama is governed by a “Kenyan, anti-colonialist” mindset. The hyena hasn’t changed his spots, and everyone knows it.
And that’s just the problem. Anybody else with Gingrich’s resume, knowledge and rhetorical skills would indeed be well positioned to become Romney’s main challenger at this point. But Gingrich isn’t just anybody else. He travels with more baggage than a 100-piece marching band.
"You see, this is my life! It always will be! Nothing else! Just us, the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark!... All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."
To today’s voters, he also comes across as a politician from another century, when men named Clinton and Reagan and Dole walked the corridors of Washington. And he doesn’t seem to get that. In fact, if Romney gives off echoes of Nelson Rockefeller, Gingrich has at least a touch of Norma Desmond about him. Like that once-famous actress in the classic “Sunset Boulevard,” he’s ready for his closeup and certain that he’s going to be just as big as he ever was.
– Jay Bookman
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539 comments Add your comment
Jimmy62
October 27th, 2011
8:28 am
Granny: There’s plenty of issues to be had with space policy as is right now, even if Obama did move some towards the right direction. The big problem now is that what funds we are giving to NASA have been diverted from exploration of the solar system to creating a new 30 year dead end called the SLS. Just like the Space Shuttle, it will take most of our space money to run a glorified taxi to low Earth orbit. It won’t get us any closer to colonizing space or exploring the solar system. Every major move towards actually getting humans living in space came from stuff not involving the Space Shuttle, which was 30 years of stagnation, and even retreat. And the SLS is more of the same. It makes for quicker PR for politicians, though.
Butch Cassidy
October 27th, 2011
8:28 am
Normal – “How come y’all’s in Yankee land?”
Moved up here about 15 years ago from the ATL. Still like to keep tabs on you though. It’s actually more interesting now, seems to be a LOT more people with their heads in the sand than there was back in th 90’s. Besides, the AJC posters seem to have cornered the “obozo” comments market.
Tommy Maddox
October 27th, 2011
8:28 am
Keep – other than Fox News, no.
USinUK
October 27th, 2011
8:28 am
“Obama’s Terrorist Appeasement”
if killing OBL and helping oust Gaddhafi is appeasement … please, sir, may I have some more???
Granny Godzilla
October 27th, 2011
8:29 am
Tommy
BAAAAAA-BAAAAA-humbug.
TaxPayer
October 27th, 2011
8:31 am
I think Eli dumped his load and ran away in hopes of escaping the fumes.
Granny Godzilla
October 27th, 2011
8:31 am
Jimmy62
Thank you for acknowledging Obama is moving in the right direction
on space policy.
GT
October 27th, 2011
8:31 am
Newt Gingrich is the triple option of politics. He has gotten farther with less appeal than maybe anyone in the history of politics. He moved around like a gypsy, gerrymandering Congressional seats in Georgia to find the soft spot in the electric that would send him to Washington. He then played to the rich man’s greed and became his man in Washington, protecting his interest. He used this money to make himself the speaker. He is totally disingenuous to the point that I wonder if he even believes what he says himself. He is exactly what is wrong with American in 2011. He takes up a lot of room, produces very little and gets paid a huge amount of money. By the way this is the man who fathered shutting down Washington with non-compromising positions when he was the speaker. Now he wants to restructure the judicial system in the same manner. What he can carry in a majority movement, which he has never had except in the Republican congress, he hijacks like a domestic terrorist. I wonder if he didn’t influence that last debate floor mate, where he could sit back say nothing and look like the winner. He is a genius at evil, exactly what some of this country seems to want.
Butch Cassidy
October 27th, 2011
8:35 am
Normal – “Morning Butch…. can you send me some good bagels this morning?”
Bagels Schmagels! Theres a fantastic French place on 12th called Resto Leon, BEST FRENCH TOAST IN THE WORLD!! I’ll ship some down.
Tom(Independent)
October 27th, 2011
8:35 am
Obama has bigger things to be concerned about than a debate with Newt. On the news I just heard the leader(Tim Franzen) of the Occupy ATL protest say he was a” Community Organizer”. He also is a convicted felon and paid by a liberal activist group. Apparently, most of the protesters are paid and not local citizens. I can see it now, two Community Organizers(Obama and Franzen) going head to head in the Democratic primary?
stands for decibels
October 27th, 2011
8:39 am
Apparently, most of the protesters are paid and not local citizens.
this is your brain on Fox News. Any questions?
Mick
October 27th, 2011
8:39 am
tom
Some would consider jesus a godlike community organizer…not a bad role model..
Keep Up the Good Fight!
October 27th, 2011
8:41 am
Tommy….now you do realize that claiming X is true and then when challenged saying….welll other than Y, X is true means than your first claim was false. Of course now you claim only Fox (which we have been told only has a very small viewership amongst certain people, right?) but you left out oh Brietbart, World Net Daily, and a host of others that I am not even going to list. Again, even with your qualifier, you are again wrong.
USinUK
October 27th, 2011
8:42 am
dB – it’s the “apparently” that I love … it adds that soupcon of naivite
stands for decibels
October 27th, 2011
8:45 am
that soupcon of naivete
or in keeping with the musical theme of this thread–a grace note, if you will.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
October 27th, 2011
8:47 am
Butch….don’t you mean “Freedom Toast”?
Adam
October 27th, 2011
8:50 am
Tom: Apparently, most of the protesters are paid and not local citizens
Really? How do I get in on that? I wants me some handout!
Adam
October 27th, 2011
8:50 am
Economy sheets!
DBCOOPER
October 27th, 2011
8:53 am
No Newt! No Newt! I want Obama!
Lets see how low we can go?
It’s like the Seinfeld eposode , when Cramer drove a car around on empty. Just to see how far he could go without running out of gas completely.
Isn’t this fun? How far down can Obama take us?
Adam
October 27th, 2011
8:53 am
stands: I have heard the whole “The protesters are paid!” thing and when I ask for details so my friends who are unemployed can protest AND get paid, what do I get? Crickets.
Adam
October 27th, 2011
8:55 am
DBCOOPER: How far down can Obama take us?
Apparently he can take us to a 2.5% growth in GDP over 2nd quarter 2001.
OH SNAP
Adam
October 27th, 2011
8:56 am
sorry, 2011, not 2001.
GT
October 27th, 2011
8:59 am
Tom Delay comes to mind when we speak of community organizers. He kept a poker game running all the time. I just couldn’t imagine Delay sleeping in a tent in a park, in cold weather, a little too raw for his style. He came to Washington for the power, and there ain’t no power in a tent anybody knows that.
DBCOOPER
October 27th, 2011
9:00 am
If Obama continues to give everybody a hand-out he will have completely covered the whole country.
Let’s see.
Big Banks / Wall Street
Automobile Industry
Unemployed
Homeowners (bought more house than they could afford) Banks were forced by government to lend.
Food Stamp increase by the millions
NOW student loans!
I agree. “THE CANDY MAN”
DBCOOPER
October 27th, 2011
9:01 am
Adam
2.5%
WOW!!! The country is doing so well. Just look around Pal! That’s a stretch.
Adam
October 27th, 2011
9:05 am
DBCOOPER: I see I provided a LINK to the next thread and you STILL want to post here in order to avoid criticism. Man up and join the CURRENT conversation.
Newtpewt
October 27th, 2011
9:24 am
Neo-con Newtron is likely to self-implode w/ the Electorate the more he opens his mouth.
GT
October 27th, 2011
9:27 am
It all starts with Wall Street which organizes the money. The same people that want local government send their hard earn money to a street in NY with very little knowledge of what happens to it and very little control of it. The assumption is there will be winners and losers in the general public. I know where the losers are, some live on my street, but none on Wall Street. It is a seesaw. When someone is losing money someone is making money. How many local people do you know making this money and how many local people do you know that have loss money. The only local people I know making money are helping the boys on Wall Street bring it in. This bail out started with Bush’s administration, just like the war in Iraq. And just like the war O needs to end this welfare to the rich and let nature take it course. If you control local money you will find local government will be empowered too. Follow the money.
barney strickland
October 27th, 2011
9:58 am
Jay, I think the problem with your opinion is that you assume people still regard Newt’s past personal issues as their paramount concern. I don’t agree. If that is true… Obama’s issues with…. Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko and the crooked land deal, his birth certificate/citizenship status, marxist ideology, drug abuse as a college student etc. …. and the American people were willing to elect him. Newt was at his height of power in US government when times were good AND he got 9 of 10 parts of the contract with america passed (except mandated congressional term limits -big suprise here). So, he has a proven track record of success and he’s wise enough now not to trust the print media to objectively report news such as the government shutdown in his show down with Clinton. I sure like his idea of a series of debates based on the model of the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1859-1860…. 2 men debating issues for 3 hours…. no teleprompters or ear piece receivers. I think Newt would crush Obama !! Regardless of what you think about Newt, he deserves the chance!! Go Newt … GO!!
Donovan
October 27th, 2011
9:59 am
Eli Jones…very nice composite on the community organizer. Doesn’t it amaze you that all these very elite “progressives” with all their intellectual answers voted for and support this radical loser clown in the White House?
Oh, by the way Granny, while you are throwing away money on your poor choice for president, I am investing my large sums of money on Newt for the pleasure of letting him expose the deficiencies of your merry band of numb-skulls temporarily running this country.
barney strickland
October 27th, 2011
10:03 am
Enter your comments here
barney strickland
October 27th, 2011
10:05 am
oops I forgot…. Newt forced Clintons hand in passing welfare reform…. that alone should get him my vote!
GT
October 27th, 2011
10:06 am
O will eat Newt’s lunch. Newt frames the discussion to a populist theme and in the past has great emotional response from his party of minority thinkers. He and Rust L. come from the same school. The contrast of Obama who takes NG’s false assumptions and makes him eat them will be a great moment in the country. These great times for this country were drunken sailors on credit cards, the bill came due after the drunks left town, now the country has to pay the tap. That is the same kind of funny accounting that Enron and a lot of the Texas friends of Newt used. Look successful and fake it as long as you can and then leave without paying the bill.
Adam
October 27th, 2011
10:37 am
Fascinating how often the cons show up on only the OLD blog posts.
Chickens. Afraid to be challenged.
DBCOOPER
October 27th, 2011
1:12 pm
Adam
I don’t have time to get on some chat room with somebody that OBVIOUSLY doesn’t acknowledge the current predicament of the USA. I refuse to waste my time. I have something to say and I say it. The last thing I want to do is debate the dependant class. Besides I have work to do. Obviously you have plenty of time. Where are you ? Work? Probably at some Occupy Rally.
Save it for somebody that cares about your opinion. You’re probably beyond any debate. Sitting around waiting on your government check.
Up and away
October 27th, 2011
1:54 pm
No need to worry, Obama will get a second term. The Black Panthers, democrat Acorn rebirths, communist party of America and all his corrupt people are already working on stuffing the ballets. There is no way he wont win. This country is cursed.
And why is it that nobody that I know voted for Obama and why is it that 75% of Americans think he is doing a terrible job but the polls show him still winning? Where are these baseless polls coming from?
BTW, Newts my guy.
Romney cant debate against Obama because he cant nail the Healthcare plan as Obama care copies Romney care,
Perry is in love with illegals and giving them American money while Americans still have to pay.
Paul is just a nutcase
Cain wont have enough money and the GOP wont give him the nomination because the GOP is also afraid of Cain. Very very afraid.
So its Newt against Obama. Now Newt will tear up Obama in debates but will the GOP give him the NOD. I doubt it. The GOP is also very very afraid of Newt.
Adam
October 27th, 2011
2:02 pm
DBCOOPER: You made a ton of wrong assumptions about me, all based on the false idea that Obama is to blame for everything, and that because I don’t agree with you on that point I must be your fantasy stereotype demon of a person who thinks differently than you do. It’s like you’ve fallen for every possible logical fallacy in the book and called it reality.
The fact is, Obama is NOT to blame for everything that has gone wrong in the economy, or in every other sector of life. The fact is, I am not part of your imaginary “dependent class,” even if such a class existed (which it doesn’t).
I have something to say too, and I say it. But you post here hoping never to be challenged and afraid of anyone who doesn’t think like you do. Well I’m here, buddy, and I’m not going anywhere. BOOGAH BOOGAH! LIBRUL! SOSHULIZM! OOOO SCARY!
You fear what you make every consistent and active effort to NOT UNDERSTAND.
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October 27th, 2011
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Anne Cook
October 29th, 2011
1:25 am
Just wonder what we’d call the missus. Either First Lady or Third Mistress.