I really do not like Newt as the Republican candidate for President. He is bright and innovative however, I think he has too much baggage (marriages/divorces, resignation from the House, Freddie Mac, staff quitting) to be an effective candidate. The other leaders in the pack namely Romney and Paul, are hammering him and he is ignoring them. Is he out of money or willingness to compete? You tell me.
So when the New Republic publishes a piece which basically says, Newt would love to be President for the travel and entertainment but not for "being President," I think his campaign is quickly following the route of the
Which brings me back to my major concern this campaign season, why is the press so in love with Romney? We have not seen any anti pieces on him. No hate, only love! Do they know something that we do not know? Is there a skeleton hidden in the Romney closet that will doom his campaign (and Republican chances to regain the Presidency) when it is released in October 2012? Are we Conservatives being set up? Is the game really this staged? Are we just pawns being manipulated by someone or some group?
And while we are on the subject, why is Ron Paul ALWAYS painted as an out of touch flake. I don't agree all of his stands, but he does make good sense and a whole lot of others. Yet, when you read the papers, there is NOTHING positive.
Please tell me because with each candidate whose campaign crashed on the Romney coast, I am getting more and more fearful. Write and let us know and ask your friends also to comment on Conservative Musings!
Conservative Tom
Does Newt Really Want to Be President?
- December 15, 2011 | 1:37 pm
A few days ago I saw Rick Tyler, the ex-Gingrich spokesman who joined a mass resignation from the former speaker’s campaign this summer, on MSNBC looking positively repentant. He admitted that he’d misjudged Gingrich’s viability as a presidential candidate and enthused about him in a way that might embarrass an actual paid spokesman.
But, reading Jonathan Martin’s excellent Politico piece about Newt this morning, I got the impression Tyler and his former colleagues were right the first time:
Gingrich is getting pounded on Iowa TV by both a pro-Mitt Romney super PAC and Ron Paul’s campaign and is doing little to fight back against ads which take direct aim at him. Less than three weeks before the caucuses, the former speaker is airing a single commercial with little money behind it. ...
Gingrich’s response suggests a lack of urgency: on Wednesday he held a wonky seminar on brain science in this liberal college town. He had plans to return to Washington for a book-signing after Thursday’s debate in Sioux City, without scheduling any public events in the conservative-heavy northwest corner of the state.
Newt obviously doesn’t want to do the things you generally have to do if you want to become president. More to the point, I don’t think he even wants to be president—by which I mean, undertake the grueling, 24-7 challenge of running a country. It’s much more of a grind than his current lifestyle of book-hawking, seminar-giving, and extravagant vacationing. (I think he’d be happy to do a job where he gets called “Mr. President” but someone else takes care of the demanding stuff.)
My sense is that what’s motivated Newt these past few months is just ego—a determination to prove that he could be president if he really wanted to, that the idea isn’t patently absurd, the way most commentators and even his own staff concluded this summer. But having proved his point, I don’t think Newt has much more to play for. If he’s campaigning like a man who’s already done what he set out to do, that’s probably because he has.
P.S. A colleague points out that Newt has actually suggested as much himself. Here's what he told our own Jason Zengerle back in 2006:
"Nixon had this remarkably effective, deeply intense will to power," he says. "Reagan and I have a will to ideas."
The whole piece is very much worth reading. It really gives lie to the idea of a "new Newt." The Newt you see there is pretty much the same Newt you see today.
I think this article is correct. Mitt Romney wants to win. Newt Gingrich is more interested in making money than becoming president. In that respect, he is more like Sarah Palin, Herman Cain, and Donald Trump. They all seek to capitalize financially. Newt spends his time doing book signings in New York instead of campaigning in Iowa.
ReplyDeleteMy theory is that there are several reasons why the Republican establishment is on the attack against him. They like Romney because they know they can control him. He is a one of them. Look how much money Goldman Sachs as already poured into the Romney campaign. That piece of my theory is solid.
The more speculative part of it is that the Republican establishment fears that Gingrich is, or will, fall under the control of the neocons like G.W. Bush did and start a war with Iran. Gingrich's suggestion that he might have John Bolton as his Sec. of State probably sent a shiver down their spines. I know it did mine!
The third thing is that they are worried that Gingrich will not only lose to Obama, but slip up and say some really nutty things in the campaign that will sink other Republicans in their state elections.
And the fourth thing is that, as the article suggests, Newt's heart isn't really into it, and so will not campaign as hard as Mitt would. Plus, at age 68, does he have the energy to match Obama on the campaign trail? Not likely. He'll be off giving paid speeches, or signing books, or taking a nap.
Ron Paul has a loyal following, but he also has a ceiling -- the libertarian wing of the Republican party is probably less than 20%, so he has a long way to go.
Anyway, what's your theory? This is the craziest Republican presidential primary in history already, and we still have a long way to go.
--David
I am concerned with the newsmedia and their love affair with Romney. If you look at their coverage, he is the only one that has not been attacked, even though he has been consistently in the lead throughout the run up to the Iowa primary. Why has there not been any negative articles? I am very skeptical and I smell a rat.
ReplyDeleteIt is the opposite with Ron Paul. He gets NO positive news. He is constantly denigrated, joked about, given no time in the debates, and yet he still is looking like a very viable prospect in pre-causus polling. I smell a rat.
I was seriously disappointed with Herman Cain. I thought his ideas, whether practical or implementable, were at least out of the box, fresh ideas. Not the rehashing of old ones.
However, the idea that he had a 13 year arrangement with that lady and his wife did not know about it, makes me wonder about his common sense. Why would someone want to run for President with this albatros hanging around his neck? If he had an arrangement with this lady and his wife was involved with the decision, that is completely different. Apparently that was not the case.
Bachman and Perry have been made ridiculous "unthinking" answers to questions. They did not impress me for long.
Trump if he really got serious, could be interesting but he is too much of a self promoter and huckster to make him a serious candidate.
I would love to see Steve Wynn run. Even though he voted for Obama, I like his ideas and the disgust he shows for Obama, makes him comfortable to me. But he also would have lots of skeletons that would rattle out when he began his campaign.
I think that Romney will end up being the candidate by defalult, not by choice. It is much like McCain, no one really wanted him but he was all that was left. But I really fear what is hiding in his basement!
"But I really fear what is hiding in his basement!"
ReplyDeleteHey, Wall Street banks aren't funneling all this money into his coffers for nothing.
Ron Paul is their worst nightmare. He would be shining the spotlight on the relationship between the Federal Reserve and Wall Street. He is also the worst nightmare for the massive defense industry. Anyone who wonders why he gets so little coverage from the media has only to consider who controls the media.
What we may be seeing is a contest between Tea Party Republicans and the Wall Street establishment conservatives, and the Tea Party is 70% of Republican voters and the establishment (Romney) voters are less than 30%. That's why Romney can't seem to get over the 30% level in these national polls. However, what we can't know yet is whether Newt will blow himself up like Cain and Perry did, leaving Mitt with no other viable opposition.
--David