A Mitt Romney win in S.C. won’t force him out, Newt Gingrich hints
This morning from Florence, S.C., GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich called into the syndicated radio show of Laura Ingraham. Clearly a fan, she wanted to know if Gingrich could clear some space in his schedule to arrange for the departure of his two non-Romney rivals.
“Is there not a time when you and Rick Perry and Rick Santorum can have a conclave?” she asked. Could not Rick Santorum be offered a cabinet position in a Gingrich administration? she posited.
“First of all I don’t think you can’t legally do that. It would be truly wrong to offer someone a cabinet position for their behavior,” said a wary Gingrich.
“We certainly can communicate, and we do communicate with each other. But it’s pretty hard to ask a guy to give up his ambitions,” the former U.S. House speaker said. Especially, he added, when he’s likely to be the beneficiary.
“Everybody agrees that I’m the one with the most staying power and most resources,” Gingrich said. And went on to list his advantages in Florida. Marco Rubio’s former campaign manager and such.
In essence, former Georgia congressman was quietly backing away from his Sunday statement, made on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” that a Romney win here on Saturday would mean the end of his campaign. It’s not something Gingrich can say too loudly, because it would undermine his current apocalyptic message to South Carolina conservatives: Vote for me Saturday, or crown Romney the nominee.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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151 comments Add your comment
Jim
January 17th, 2012
5:37 pm
Honested: Obama has raised the debt in 3 years, MORE than all the other Presidents COMBINED.
roughrider
January 17th, 2012
5:37 pm
Newt is like a tick and hard to get rid of.
honested
January 17th, 2012
5:37 pm
jim,
Cut Crap In Dallas didn’t have a chance and didn’t work.
When the disastrous shrub tax cuts finally expire next year and we cut defense spending back to some rational level we will see the ‘plan’ fall into place.
Jim
January 17th, 2012
5:38 pm
Danny: Just remain ignorant, and vote Obama. I’ll just cancel you out. lol
honested
January 17th, 2012
5:38 pm
jim,
You can parrot that talk-radio lie, but it isn’t any more true here than it is pooting out from an AM radio.
Jim
January 17th, 2012
5:39 pm
Danny: I asked..
What is the Democratic plan? Hint: They haven’t submitted one.
honested
January 17th, 2012
5:39 pm
roughrider,
Yep, and he looks like he could pop any day now.
Jim
January 17th, 2012
5:40 pm
honested: Just keep listening to Obama, Reed, Pelosi, and the spin machine on CNN , MSNBC…. Don’t do your own homework k?
Jim
January 17th, 2012
5:41 pm
**Still waiting for the Dem Plan.
Obama Sucks
January 17th, 2012
5:41 pm
Look before you leap, I get your point about Romney being rich, so what. And so what that Obama is rich also. Good for them both. Now both of them buy something so that we can get this ecomony running. Romney is a businessman and Obama is a career corrupt politican.
Centrist
January 17th, 2012
5:42 pm
Look before I leap… posted “I did not say Obama was close to the average Joe, I said he was CLOSER to the average Joe than he was to Romney.”
O.K.
I’d have to look up to see whether Saturn or Neptune is closer to earth, but don’t see the point. Both are sufficiently far away that neither orbits compare to earth’s.
DannyX
January 17th, 2012
5:43 pm
What happened Republicans? In 1 short year.
New Tea Party Republican governors, Scott in Florida and Kasich in Ohio, have horrible approval ratings, Walker in Wisconsin is now going to be in a recall election.
Republicans in Congress are a joke. In fact Real Clear Politics, (right leaning,) have the Democrats ahead once again in their generic Congressional poll average. Again, a huge reversal in just a year.
What on earth happened to the Republicans?????
Jim
January 17th, 2012
5:50 pm
Psst: Danny: What happened in the Congressional elections in 2010? That tell you anything?
Look before I leap...
January 17th, 2012
5:50 pm
Centrist
January 17th, 2012
5:42 pm
Look before I leap… posted “I did not say Obama was close to the average Joe, I said he was CLOSER to the average Joe than he was to Romney.”
O.K.
I’d have to look up to see whether Saturn or Neptune is closer to earth, but don’t see the point. Both are sufficiently far away that neither orbits compare to earth’s.
I’ll accept your concession and count it as a win.
But your analogy was unfortunate as I am an amateur astronomer.
Saturn is closer, it is about 9 times the distance from the Sun as Earth is
Neptune is is about 30 times the distance from the Sun as Earth is.
Ooops.
Obama Sucks
January 17th, 2012
5:52 pm
DannyX, Earth to DanX are you there??? Obama is going to lose in 2012. Why? Because people are tired of his lies and BS. And that includes that biga$$ women of his. TIRED of Michele too. Happy Birthday Angriest Black Women in America Michele Obama.
Jim
January 17th, 2012
5:53 pm
Dems will lose the Senate as well.
DannyX
January 17th, 2012
5:53 pm
Centrist, you are a big Tea Party fan, maybe you can explain the Tea Party collapse for us. What do you think of the 1,000,000 Wisconsin voters that signed the Walker recall petition? Liberal media’s fault? Union money? Or just a bunch of angry voters?
Independent voter
January 17th, 2012
5:53 pm
Jim the republican would lose the house and dem will keep control of the senate ask Scott Brown.
President Obama approval rating is better then the Gop his rate his 48% approval.
Jim
January 17th, 2012
5:54 pm
Danny: 1. Walker won’t lose his Governorship 2. Every union in a tri state area flooded the voting. 3. By the time the dead people and frauds are weeded out, it won’t be a mil. lol
Jim
January 17th, 2012
5:55 pm
Independent voter: Assuming those are good number, that means that his disaproval is 52 % …correct? lol
Jim
January 17th, 2012
5:56 pm
Love to stay and argue, but dinner is calling
Have fun, and be nice 
Obama loses in a landslide.
Frederick Douglass
January 17th, 2012
5:56 pm
Jim @ 5:29
Why should anyone have to rack their brains to unearth republican accomplishments, shouldn’t they be obvious and apparent for all to see?
Obama Sucks
January 17th, 2012
5:57 pm
People that signed the recall petition included Hitler and Mickey Mouse. Real union thugs like that who needs liberal idiots for Obama anymore. Obama hasn’t been vetted yet by the GOP. He got a Free Pass last time, just like most of his life.
Look before I leap...
January 17th, 2012
6:00 pm
Obama Sucks
January 17th, 2012
5:41 pm
Look before you leap, I get your point about Romney being rich, so what. And so what that Obama is rich also. Good for them both. Now both of them buy something so that we can get this ecomony running. Romney is a businessman and Obama is a career corrupt politican.
Please provide examples and citations of Obama’s “corruption”.
Obama Sucks
January 17th, 2012
6:01 pm
Frederick Douglass, The real Frederick Douglass was a Republican just like MLK. Now what his your boy Obama done except push obamacare down our throats. What is Obama’s record he can run on? Give us your opinion on that please.
Centrist
January 17th, 2012
6:05 pm
Smug but having lost the debate Look before I leap… posted “I’ll accept your concession and count it as a win. Saturn is closer, it is about 9 times the distance from the Sun as Earth is
Neptune is is about 30 times the distance from the Sun as Earth is.”
Counting your loss as a win makes as much sense as your economics. You make my point. It doesn’t matter to the average Joe (Earth) whether Obama (Saturn) is 9 times further ahead on the income scale while Romney (Neptune) is thirty.
DannyX
January 17th, 2012
6:08 pm
“What is Obama’s record he can run on?”
The economy is doing much, much better for one. Almost all economic indicators are doing much better. Instead of losing 700,000 jobs a month we have jobs growth. The unemployment rate is now dropping. The GNP is much better and no longer negative. The stock market has nearly doubled. The dollar is up. Foreign policy is recovering from the Bush disaster. You don’t have to pretend to be Canadian when traveling outside the country anymore. Al Queda has been diminished, Bin Laden is dead. The US auto indusrty is strong and profitable.
Obama Sucks
January 17th, 2012
6:10 pm
Look before you Leap, Why don’t you check out how little Obama got his first Senate seat in Chicago “Pay to Play Politics” in 1996. He backstabbed his political mentor the former democrat Senator Alice Palmer that help him in politics. He had all of his competitors disqualified and ran unopposed in 1996 to serve in 1997. Obama is a liar and a career corrupt chicago thug.
woodrow
January 17th, 2012
6:10 pm
Newt. You blew it. Pack it in bud. And don’t say anything about black people ever again.
Tom(Independent)
January 17th, 2012
6:10 pm
I do not like anyone saying mean things about the personal lifestyle or appearance of Michelle Obama and her girls just like I did not like people speaking of Sarah Palin and her family! Goes both ways people!
DannyX
January 17th, 2012
6:12 pm
Why the screen name change Georgia 1999?
Obama Sucks
January 17th, 2012
6:14 pm
DannyX, You’re ecomonics are faulty. Thanks for trying anyway. Obama is a Loser.
Obama Sucks
January 17th, 2012
6:24 pm
Tom independent, Grow up. Michele put herself in that place. She has ran her big mouth far too much. She has said some really mean things and I have lost any respect for her and the President. They both earn it.
Look before I leap...
January 17th, 2012
6:37 pm
Centrist
January 17th, 2012
6:05 pm
Smug but having lost the debate Look before I leap… posted “I’ll accept your concession and count it as a win. Saturn is closer, it is about 9 times the distance from the Sun as Earth is
Neptune is is about 30 times the distance from the Sun as Earth is.”
Counting your loss as a win makes as much sense as your economics. You make my point. It doesn’t matter to the average Joe (Earth) whether Obama (Saturn) is 9 times further ahead on the income scale while Romney (Neptune) is thirty.
Sure it does.
To continue your analogy, you tried to imply that Romney and Obama are in the same orbit.
I simply tried to clarify that Obama’s orbit is closer to me and (presumably) you than he is to Romney.
That both men are better off than you and I is not in question.
I was speaking to relative worth.
Obama’s net worth is estimated to be about $10M.
Romney’s is about $220M (give or take $30M)
I can’t speak to what the average Joe thinks, but pure math would tell even the dumbest Joe that Romney is far richer than Obama is richer than you and I.
Look before I leap...
January 17th, 2012
6:48 pm
Obama Sucks
January 17th, 2012
6:10 pm
Look before you Leap, Why don’t you check out how little Obama got his first Senate seat in Chicago “Pay to Play Politics” in 1996. He backstabbed his political mentor the former democrat Senator Alice Palmer that help him in politics. He had all of his competitors disqualified and ran unopposed in 1996 to serve in 1997. Obama is a liar and a career corrupt chicago thug
Uh huh.
Palmer decided not to run for re-election for the state senate so she could run for Congress.
Palmer endorsed Obama to succeed her.
Palmer had her ass handed to her in the Dem primary and decided at the last minute to try and regain her state senate seat.
Her filing petition contained a number of invalid signatures and the other candidates did not even present the required number of signatures.
So where exactly is the “corruption”?
Jim
January 17th, 2012
6:52 pm
Where do you get your information? Cnn?
Centrist
January 17th, 2012
7:00 pm
Re: Look before I leap… posts. This is the last of my comments on this issue, but I NEVER implied that Obama and Romney were in the SAME orbit. I stated they are so far removed from the average Joe that the Democrat’s campaign highlighting that Romney has more capital gains and the commensurate tax rate is not going to amount to a hill of beans as a campaign issue. BOTH are extremely wealthy, and Obama has many more years of expanded income in his future. Democrats, when they were in control, had no more desire than Republicans to increase taxes on the super rich where so many politicians and their inner circle of friendly contributors reside.
Others can have the last word on this subject at least in this current blog.
Look before I leap...
January 17th, 2012
7:22 pm
@Centrist:
Not trying to belabor the point but this is what you said that caused me to respond:
“Much of the millions per year Obama currently makes are from his full pension from a part term as a Senator, presidential wages, and book sales taxed at higher rates than investment gains. Since he has no expenses, he is salting away investments which will put him in Romney’s lower tax rate category someday.”
I don’t see “Joe” mentioned here. I see you forecasting Obama will someday enjoy the very favorable tax rate that Romney CURRENTLY enjoys.
I challenged your misleading comment on “full pension” and I challenged you on the actual math.
You can dig in your heels and scoff and walk-off if you like, but your anti-Obama bias is really screwing with your ability to conduct a reasonable debate.
With respect to the rest of your statement, that Democrats are the same as Republicans when it comes to taxing the super-rich, I concur. The Democrats will campaign on on it, but do nothing. The Republicans won’t even discuss it.
romney way
January 17th, 2012
7:25 pm
Newt reminds me of a bully in school it is time he grew up! So negative all the time it makes me sick to hear his voice. If Obama wins again we can blame it on Newt and his antics. I for one would like to hear more from the candidates about what they can do for the country not his arguments!! Republican folks better wise up soon and back one person Romney can beat Obama with the support from all Republicans.
Look before I leap...
January 17th, 2012
7:28 pm
Jim
January 17th, 2012
6:52 pm
Where do you get your information? Cnn?
I don’t know if that was a question for me or not. In case that it was, the answer is no.
My information came from a Chicago Tribune article from about 5 years ago.
I had to so some looking but here is the link:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-070403obama-ballot-archive,0,5693903.story?page=4
Frederick Douglass
January 17th, 2012
8:04 pm
O S @ 6:01
It’s not so much what Obama’s done, and he’s accomplished a lot, but rather what he hasn’t had to do, and that would be not having to dodge a pair of size 13EEE Wingtips hurled at 90mph straight for his head.
Look before I leap...
January 17th, 2012
8:05 pm
It just gets harder and harder to take anyone who identifies as a Republican seriously.
Even if this isn’t a GOP campaign, the fact that the looney-tunes filing the complaints are all GOPers makes me think that listening to Rush Limbaugh does in fact cause brain damage.
Georgia Democrats are telling their party faithful that Republicans are already trying to play election-year political tricks on President Barack Obama.
And if GOP efforts work, state Democrats won’t even get to vote for Obama for president, Democrats warn.
“Republicans are attempting to remove Barack Obama from Georgia’s Presidential Ballot in 2012,” read a Dec. 21 post on the state party’s website.
Then the post asked for money to pay for legal bills.
A reader asked us to put the Democrats’ statement to the test, and we were happy to help. With a little reporting, we found that four Georgia residents are challenging Obama’s eligibility for the state presidential preference primary and general election ballots.
They’re saying Obama isn’t a natural-born citizen, which would mean that under the Constitution, he’s not eligible to be president. Critics of this line of thought call some of these people “birthers,” a term these challengers by and large reject.
David Farrar of Cedartown in west Georgia thinks Obama’s biggest problem is that there needs to be proof in addition to the president’s birth certificate confirming he was born in the U.S.
Kevin Powell of Duluth, Carl Swensson of Morrow and David Welden of Powder Springs think that Obama does not meet the constitutional definition of a natural-born citizen. Powell and Swensson say they can cite U.S. Supreme Court precedent to prove it.
A fifth challenger rescinded his complaint, said Kim Beal, a staff attorney with the Office of State Administrative Hearings, which is handling the challenges. A hearing is set for Jan. 26.
“Man up,” Swensson’s challenge told Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp. Kemp‘s office administers the state’s elections.
PolitiFact Georgia has addressed such arguments before, and they didn’t do well on the Truth-O-Meter. The claims about Obama’s birth certificate range from False to Pants on Fire. PolitiFact Georgia also found problems with an argument that Obama does not meet the constitutional definition of a natural-born citizen.
But these theories aren’t the focus of this inquiry. We’re trying to figure out whether Democrats are right that Republicans are trying to knock Obama off the ballot.
Obviously, these concerned citizens all want him gone. But are they Republicans? And is this a GOP-sanctioned effort?
We looked into the challengers’ Republican bona fides.
They emphasized that the Republican Party is not coordinating their efforts. Swensson told PolitiFact Georgia that he reached out to the party for its support and got none.
“Basically, what I get from them is crickets,” Swensson said. “Lots and lots of crickets.”
Georgia Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart distanced the state party from the challenges.
“The Georgia Republican Party is not a party to any of those challenges, and had no knowledge of them before they were filed,” Everhart said in a statement released by a party spokesman.
The challengers all said their efforts have nothing to do with their party affiliations.
“It’s an entirely nonpartisan effort. It has nothing to do with politics, only to do with the Constitution,” said Welden, who said he has voted Republican but leans independent.
That said, challenges do have significant GOP ties.
State Rep. Mark Hatfield, a Republican attorney from Waycross, represents Powell and Swensson in their challenge. He is vice chairman of the state House’s Judiciary Non-Civil Committee and is listed as the Republicans’ deputy majority whip.
Last year, Hatfield sponsored legislation that would make presidential and vice presidential candidates prove their citizenship to make the state’s ballot.
Swensson is chairman of the Clayton County Republican Party.
Tennessee lawyer Van Irion represents Welden. He ran for Congress in 2010 and won the backing of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. Irion lost in the Republican primary.
Orly Taitz, a California lawyer, represents Farrar. She ran unsuccessfully in 2010 to be the Republican nominee for California secretary of state.
Farrar told PolitiFact Georgia he considers himself a Republican. Voter records show Powell voted in six Georgia primaries between 1996 and 2008 and chose a Republican ballot in all of them.
How do we rule?
There are efforts to “remove Barack Obama from Georgia’s Presidential Ballot in 2012,” as Democrats said.
Whether “Republicans” are trying to do this is a dicier issue. The Georgia Democrats’ language could lead a reasonable person to think that the effort is organized by the GOP.
It’s not. Nevertheless, these challenges are dyed bright red. A GOP state representative does represent two of the challengers, and two unsuccessful Republican candidates from Tennessee and California represent the rest.
One challenger is chairman of his county GOP. Three of the four challengers consider themselves Republicans, and all of them have voted Republican.
Because the state party is not involved in the challenge, but individual Republicans are leading the charge, we rate the Georgia Democrats’ statement Half True.
http://www.politifact.com/georgia/statements/2012/jan/17/georgia-democrats/georgia-democrats-say-republicans-trying-knock-oba/
honested
January 17th, 2012
8:14 pm
Is oily taint licensed in GA?
And I thought Mark Hatfield was a ‘good republican’, I guess there just aren’t any.
honested
January 17th, 2012
8:16 pm
Fredrick D..
That still makes me laugh.
That and the lunatic notion of ‘being met with sweets and flowers’…
Then there’s the alltime favorite ‘it will pay for itself’, 3 trillion dollars later.
td
January 17th, 2012
8:26 pm
Jim
January 17th, 2012
5:38 pm
Danny: Just remain ignorant, and vote Obama. I’ll just cancel you out. lol
JIm, Danny does not matter because his vote is Georgia is not even going to be counted. Georgia will cast all 16 votes for the Republican nominee and no votes from Georgia will be cast for Obama.
Centrist
January 17th, 2012
8:36 pm
Look before I leap… proved he is just a partisan Democrat by his 8:05 pm disjointed manifest citing the leftist PolitiFact.
But for anyone following and not as partisan – Look at my post @ 2:36 pm and below is the rest of my post Look before I leap … purposely only partially quoted:
The tax rate on investment income is 15 percent, much lower than the 35 percent rate applied to wages for those in the highest tax bracket (paid mostly by dual income families who are trained professionals and small businesses).
Overall, the average American household will pay 9.3 percent in federal income taxes – so BOTH candidates can claim to be paying more than average.
I am REALLY done here, now – I usually don’t reply when posts are purposely dishonest.
td
January 17th, 2012
8:49 pm
Centrist
January 17th, 2012
8:36 pm
The one thing none of these wealth envy libs want to talk about is the original money that was invested was earned first and they have already paid tax (higher rate) on the money. Really the Federal government is taxing the money two times.
One other thing they do not want to talk about is all the middle class pays the 15% on their 401K or IRA accounts. Do they all want us to have less money for retirement?
Tom(Independent)
January 17th, 2012
8:50 pm
Obama sucks @6:24 – Your ranting and disrespecting Mrs. Obama will get you nothing but scorn from both parties. I want Obama out but their is a right way to accomplish such things. You kinda sound like one of those Occu-tards from the Wall Street protests! Lightened up dude!!
ron
January 17th, 2012
10:02 pm
Being President is not about one’s DEBATING skills. Heck what is he going to do….suggest that he and the President of Iran meet for 5 Debates….Winner take all?
Our Economy is on the BRINK of Disaster….we are $16 Trillion in Debt and counting…..we have only ONE candidate who has ever really run a business….Mitt Romney….and he is about as expert as anyone in America at FIXING and Turning Around failing enterprises. We Need Mitt Romney not the world’s best debater.
double
January 17th, 2012
10:02 pm
Centrist could be an investment guru,accountant,political adviser,motivational speaker.Clue us in on your book Centrist.