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Randy Evans on why Newt Gingrich’s campaign isn’t finished

8:43 pm February 14, 2012, by jgalloway

Randy Evans, the Atlanta attorney and long-time associate of Newt Gingrich, has posted a long, long defense of the viability of former U.S. House speaker’s campaign for president at Newsmax.com. It includes these paragraphs:

Indeed, in Nevada, Gingrich proved that when deployed, his ground operations could outperform the Paul army. Second, that while in the next two major races Romney’s ability to outspend by 5 to 1 in attack ads and drive down turnout will have real impact in Arizona and his other home state of Michigan , the approach of Super Tuesday — with10 states and 437 delegates at stake – makes this less likely.

With the key primary battlegrounds of Georgia (Gingrich’s home state), Oklahoma, Tennessee and Ohio and the key caucuses Alaska, Idaho, and North Dakota, Romney’s the negative attacks are likely to have the diminished impact they had in South Carolina.

Moreover, the Gingrich “dream team” endorsements of Gov. Nathan Deal and Herman Cain in Georgia, Thompson in Tennessee, Watts in Oklahoma, Todd Palin in Alaska will be a factor.

Third and finally, the Gingrich planners projected that with only 396 delegates chosen in March, no clear frontrunner is likely to emerge until Texas (155 delegates on April 3) and there too the endorsement and help of Gov. Perry is to their advantage.

Yet for all of the arithmetic showing the race will go on and no single set of states could put the contest away — through Super Tuesday less than 800 delegates will be selected and many will be proportionally distributed — those of us who were part of Gingrich’s first-quarter huddle in Las Vegas also detected more ambiguous yet powerful forces at work.

- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider

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44 comments Add your comment

double

February 14th, 2012
9:01 pm

Never underestimate Newt.

Sallie

February 14th, 2012
9:10 pm

A Newt by any other name would be Knute.

GoldenEagles

February 14th, 2012
9:20 pm

Your link to the full article at newsmax drops a character at the end, breaking it.

this is the correct link:

http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/evans-gingrich-wins-nomination/2012/02/13/id/429318

ThinkFirst

February 14th, 2012
9:47 pm

Most of Perry’s supporters in Texas and OK have already gone to Santorum, very possibly with his tacit approval.

Gingrich has burned about as many bridges with Republican sub-groups as have Romney and Paul.

Santorum is hardly the best choice but of the four he is the least offensive.

B. Thenet

February 14th, 2012
10:10 pm

I don’t think the Gingrich people realize the only reason he got a bump is because all the other sane non-Romney’s fell to pieces, and shortly the big government social conservative Santorum is going to deflate once people take a close look at him.

The real battle is between Romney and the people that hate Romney. If Romney does not get the nomination it will be someone out of left field who gets the nod at a brokered convention like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio.

td

February 14th, 2012
10:10 pm

Good spin Randy but I am afraid it is wishful thinking. Newt should win GA and maybe the Alaska caucus, Tenn, AL and Miss but that is about it

Ok I'll play along

February 14th, 2012
10:52 pm

I thought Rubio was the republican minority dujour for VP?

Ok I'll play along

February 14th, 2012
10:54 pm

I know, how about a Jindal and Rubio ticket? I’d watch Fix News then.

Ok I'll play along

February 14th, 2012
10:55 pm

Jindal/Rubio ticket with Cain riding shot gun as sec of commerce?

Ok I'll play along

February 14th, 2012
10:58 pm

Here it is…Jindal/Rubio, Cain as sec of commerce, Newt as sec of state, Palin sec of defense.

honested

February 14th, 2012
11:40 pm

randy evans appears to be willing to finish out his career still disjoint from reality.

Noot may win GA, AL, MS but no state where the mean IQ is over 75.

Ok I'll play along

February 14th, 2012
11:50 pm

Now honested was that nice??

Andy Steinhauser

February 15th, 2012
1:25 am

It is difficult to understand how Newt’s buddy, Randy Evans can make the claim that Georgia is the Speakers’ home state. Especially given the fact that he has not lived in Georgia for over 10 years. Although, Newt may have recently developed a moral compass that points beyond his libido, this does not make him presidential.

You can fool some of the people all the time, you can fool all the people some of the time but you can’t fool all the people all the time.

I do not think Randy really understands the bitter ‘after taste’ which many in Georgia has with Newt’s love affair with himself. The stars are lining up and true conservatives are beginning to rally behind Rick.

After Super Tuesday, it will be evident to all but Newt and Randy that there is a reason why you can find yesterday’s newspapers at the bottom of a bird cage.

George Hills

February 15th, 2012
2:09 am

Mr. Gingrich betrayed gun owners by helping pass the 1996 Misdemeanor Gun Ban. That dog don’t hunt in Georgia.

Savvyheat

February 15th, 2012
2:22 am

First Kudos to this write Galloway… he’s done a fair job covering Newt. I look around the media and it’s almost impossible to find a substantive story on why the former Speaker isn’t the most qualified to take the job. I’ve watched hours and hours of Newt on the campaign trail… never saw him once say a cross word or get angry. This narrative they’ve painted of him being erratic, sure it’s malicious, but I’m not so sure how accurate it is. What I see is a command of the issues from someone who’s been there, done that. Lastly, I watched Bill Clinton and Dick Cheney in different interviews last summer saying not to underestimate Gingrich… takes one to know one!
how true it is.

Caroline

February 15th, 2012
2:43 am

“Newt led a revolution, so that tends to leave bodies on the floor.”

And he will do the same again beginning in 2012 when he makes it to the White House. If we really want change in government, Newt is the one to do it, period. So if the GOP establishment won’t contribute to his campaign, then it is up to We The People.

mehlman rings twice

February 15th, 2012
4:12 am

B. Thenet @ 10:10 pm:
Please stop mentioning Jeb Bush. Have you read his past and that of his former business partners? He is just like his brother Neil, both of whom benefited from the taxpayer to bail them out of poor business decisions.

jeffie

February 15th, 2012
4:21 am

Newt didn’t lead squat except a run to the bathroom. President Osama will eat his lunch. “We the People” that’s a joke. Ur smokin’ crack. Republicans=stupid party.

Attack Dog

February 15th, 2012
6:05 am

Newt may not be finished, but he is currently well done. Just look at his “Dream Team” of endorsers. Go-Rick-Go!!

zeke

February 15th, 2012
7:02 am

no surprise why GA is hurting: http://www.ajc.com/business/georgias-financial-stress-level-1349745.html

on the heels of sonny and glenn

Ga Values...Ron Paul for Peace & Prosperity

February 15th, 2012
7:05 am

The only good thing you can say about Newt is that he is less bad than Santorum but then I’m better than Santorum.

sheepdawg

February 15th, 2012
7:13 am

only uneducated walmart republicans support newt, and their time has passed. time for newtie to retire with his #3, maybe do guest comedy appearances cause he is one funny little ego

Ol' Timer

February 15th, 2012
7:16 am

Newt lives in Virginia, but his Tiffany bill is sent to his office on K Street in DC.

The spin surround Ol’ Newt is so intense he’s on the verge spawning tornadoes or spinning back in time landing in the arms of ex-wife Number Two.

The presence of Newt in these primaries is like the lingering odor of cooked salmon — it’s hard to get rid of. Santorum has the Febreze and after a run through the deep south Newt will vanish.

sheepdawg

February 15th, 2012
7:17 am

Mr. Gingrich betrayed gun owners by helping pass the 1996 Misdemeanor Gun Ban. That dog don’t hunt in Georgia.

see….perfect proof he will only appeal to southern rednecks. guns, abortion, religion, gays – the fear factor only plays to uneducated goobs

The General

February 15th, 2012
7:18 am

Newt’s “Dream Team” of endorsements contains Todd Palin???? The nobody husband of a nobody?

Wow, I’m switching my vote to Newtie based on Todd’s endorsement!!!

I heard that the cousin of the guy who cuts my grass says he’s endorsing Newt too! There’s no stopping the ground-swell of support for Gingrich!

sheepdawg

February 15th, 2012
7:18 am

sanitorium is even crazier than the wild eyed bitch that quit earlier, he just doesn’t yet have newt’s track record

sheepdawg

February 15th, 2012
7:19 am

snowbilly snooki’s husband in politics- that would be very funny indeed!!

Goober

February 15th, 2012
7:38 am

Why do Cons want Obama to be given four more years? Could it be they have no ideas and find complaining their only strategy?

jconservative

February 15th, 2012
7:45 am

Evans is a loyal soldier fighting a lost cause.

The Palin endorsement in Alaska resulted in the anti-Palin Murkowski being re-elected Senator by a write-in campaign. A write-in campaign! Her name wasn’t even on the ballot!

Thompson in Tennessee is an endorsement by yesteryear’s candidate. It has no weight.

Ohio? Please!

I will give Georgia to Gingrich by his getting maybe 35% of the vote and claiming a win.

Gingrich is history along with the other “flavors of the month.”

Attack Dog

February 15th, 2012
7:52 am

If I was Newton’s media attorney, like Evans, I would be saying things to keep him in the limelight too.

catlady

February 15th, 2012
8:11 am

Newt for Secretary of “Foreign Affairs!”

It’s all about selling books and videos, folks!

honested

February 15th, 2012
8:16 am

Spin it fast randy, this is noot’s last stand.

It would be great to see him on the ‘r’ ticket and ensure an easy win for the President in November.

Of course if noots won, he could still resign in absolute disgrace since he already has practice.

Road Scholar

February 15th, 2012
8:49 am

OK I’ll Play: Honested was very nice. He used a much higher number for their top IQ!

roughrider

February 15th, 2012
9:06 am

I have noticed that the states leaning toward Newt have the lowest education system in the nation.

clyde

February 15th, 2012
9:10 am

Biology for today:

A newt is a salamander.

A Newt is a slimy lizard.

UGA 1999

February 15th, 2012
9:26 am

roughrider….Ever consider that it is not the education system in those states that are broke….it may be the participants?

jd

February 15th, 2012
9:41 am

Evans does not mention the real threat to Newt — Santorum

William Smith

February 15th, 2012
9:43 am

This is one of those none of the above years. No candidate has a plan except to point out the other candidates don’t have one either. In a period of terrible economic times birth control is the major issue. I for one wish they would just shut up and start caring for the average American. The political elite do not want an educated public. If the public was educated on issues all the powerful groups in America would be voted out. This is like ethics reform all our politicans are for it but nothing ever gets done. Does that strike you as unusual? Newt is the perfect flag waver for Washington he has no ethics, morals ,or concern for the average citizen but uses these issues as his platform. When will we stop being right wing or left wing and view issues from a common sense approach. Do we as Americans vote for anyone or do we vote against someone. The latter is probably the most common. Newt will win in some southern states only on the fact that he is Southern. We need to judge people for office on what they can do for America, and not on issues of race,birthplace, and economic promises. Maybe then the arrogance of a Newt Gingrich will be gone from American politics.

Lars Olsson

February 15th, 2012
12:13 pm

I moved here to the Atlanta suburbs straight from 19 years in Barbara Lee’s districe (among others) in the Oakland/SF bay area. One of the things this did for me was show me that neither place (GA nor San Francisco/Oakland) is “the real world.” People here have quite a caricature of the “nuts and flakes” out in California – some of it with some justification, much of it wildly off base blather from people with no real knowledge of what they’re talking about. But, just as I saw some people out there making the mistaken assumption that the rest of the country was more or less like they are, sentiment-wise, so I see that same mistake being made here, from the culturally/politically conservative perspective.

I would argue that the flat-out truth in much of the country is that, with the exception of some of the most-active, most-conservative tea party/GOP primary voters, the rest of the electorate is simply just not into the idea of nominating or electing the reanimated corpse of 1994, period. Newt is a thoroughly unlikable individual, and his best numbers seem to come from his undeniable way with a nasty turn of phrase when it comes to liberals, Democrats, and any of the other usual suspects in the right’s culture wars. That still plays here in much of GA; trust me, it does not in much of the rest of the country. At least, not among those not already disposed to view irritating liberals as their number one goal. Even most of the people not happy with Obama are not simply looking to “annoy a liberal.” They want solutions, and Newt simply seems past his political expiration date: too bitter and too old – not chronologically, but ideologically, a far deadlier (for him) problem.

Add to that the fact that for the truly bat-poop insane conservatives out there, there is still – amazingly – the resurgent, insurgent campaign of Il Duche – pardon me, Sick Rantorum, and it adds up to a Gingrich political goose which is most definitely in medium-well territory. In other words: stick a fork in him, he’s done.

Dean Sheridan

February 15th, 2012
1:24 pm

It’s amazing to me how you all deny the most qualified man for the post. The bickering between us should be in the arena of ideas. Newt is not only the most qualified but the only one who’s actually done what you’re asking a Candidate to do. For the life of me, if the doctor preforming major surgery was a toe sucker or a poor sport I couldn’t care less because it’s our Counties life at stake. I’ll bet 2/3 or better of the negative claims on Newt can’t be factually supported anyway. He’s the only one who stood up long ago against Obama when all your prize Senators and Nominees were hiding in their cloche rooms. They all have something to offer; but Newt’s the only one who we all really know can “getter done”. Wake up think about the severity of the problems in this Country. Give BO what he deserves – a good smack in the mouth by someone who’s qualified to do it and except the fact that we need to work together in making this happen.

missmollie

February 15th, 2012
3:02 pm

Santorum and Newt are not going to be on the ballots of several states. Newt has been in D C for 40 years; Paul and Santorum 20 years each.. They all liked it so much they never left Santorum was not reelected for Congress and Newt resigned the day after his reelection. ND better be careful and stay out of the NG’s Georgia Primary race soon. Newt is counting on Ga and Texas to put him back in the race. Just remember MR is still in the lead on delegates…

Mark

February 15th, 2012
4:09 pm

CNN/ORC International Poll: President Obama’s approval rating is up to 50% for the first time in more than eight months.

A few facts

February 15th, 2012
6:38 pm

http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/R-PU.phtml
Mitt Romney Newt Gingrich Rick Santorum Ron Paul
Pledged Delegates
1,144 needed to win 87/61* 33/55* 16/16* 12/16*
Votes
Total received in all primaries and caucuses 1,183,384 836,885 569,830 337,787
GOP Endorsements
As tracked by The Huffington Post 99 12 3 4
Twitter Followers 335,059 1,438,326 123,036 235,548

Campaign fundraising
Amount raised by the candidate’s campaign $57,112,768 $12,733,254 $2,184,953 $26,104,720
Super PAC Support
Outside money spent supporting candidate $2,216,952 $5,226,377 $2,280,326 $3,665,433
Super PAC Attacks
Outside money spent opposing candidate $5,073,154 $17,294,596 $397,502 $133,332
Effective Tax Rate
Federal income tax from 2010 returns 13.9% 31.7% — —

*When FL is proportioned. According to Rules of the Republican Party Rule 15(b)(2), all primaries taking place before April 1st must use proportional representation in their election of delegates to the Republican National Convention except for New Hampshire (which uses proportional anyway) and South Carolina (which uses a mixed system that could effectively make the state winner-take-all).

Chris

February 15th, 2012
7:09 pm

Newt Gingrich is so finished he’ll probably lose here on Super Tuesday. No amount of propaganda could possibly save Newt from losing. Hopefully he’ll go back to Virginia and stay out of Georgia for the rest of eternity. Sorry Virginia, but we already have enough insane Republicans here, you’ll have to deal with Gingrich.

By the way Newt Gingrich supporters, here’s a gift for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upphPTRr_PE