Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
As predicted by Ricochet's own Troy Senik, it looks like last night's debate confirmed what has been happening in the Republican race for the last week. Cain is seriously ahead. Newt is coming on strong. From the Daily Caller:
Herman Cain is the new frontrunner to be the Republican nominee, according to a Public Policy Polling poll released Wednesday that found him leading Mitt Romney by eight points.
In the nationwide poll of likely Republican primary voters, Cain got 30 percent of the vote. Mitt Romney came in second with 22 percent, and Newt Gingrich has made a stunning surge into third place, taking 15 percent. Rick Perry is in fourth with 14 percent. No other candidate breaks double digits.
I said this last night on the live chat: Newt commands. Last night, he made interesting points, he took the stage, he acted, in short, like a president. He really has earned a second look, especially from those of us who have just reflexively dismissed him as temperamentally unsuited for the job.
I mean, he probably is unsuited, but his performance over the past few weeks has been impressive, unlike Rick Perry.
And it must be even sweeter to Newt that he's knocked Perry down to fourth place. Gingrich's top advisors, you may remember, famously defected from his campaign in June to work for the emerging Perry campaign. Newt may be a weirdo, but he's not so weird that he's not loving this.
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Mar '11
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Newt was most impressive with his clear command of Romney's 59 point economic plan. He may not get the nomination, but any Republican elected President who doesn't have Newt Gingrich somewhere in the administration is crazy.
Aug '11
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
All Romney has to do to win the nomination is demonstrate that he's not Romney.
All Cain has to do is be Cain.
Aug '10
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
How long will the Cain boomlet last?
Longer than Perry's or Bachmann's but not long enough to win the nomination...
Dec '10
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Frozen Chosen: How long will the Cain boomlet last?
Longer than Perry's or Bachmann's but not long enough to win the nomination... · Oct 12 at 3:42pm
not long enough
Dec '10
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
As I laid out on the Member Feed, Romney's been around long enough that he's attracted to himself all the voters who are going to vote for Romney qua Romney. He can do perfectly well in each debate and will only get to keep the people who already like him; he's not offering something new to the people who don't (and if he did, it would look like flip-flopping). With Christie declining a run and Huntsman down in the noise, Romney has the moderate bloc of 25-40 percent of the GOP voters to himself.
Aside from Ron Paul's constant 5-10 percent of hardcore libertarians and Santorum's core of 1-2 percent of hardcore social conservatives, there's 55 to 70 percent of the Republican electorate that hungers for a conservative champion. Split four ways between Cain, Gingrich, Perry and Bachmann, the pieces were each smaller than Romney's undivided bloc. But with Perry and Bachmann sliding, the Cain and Gingrich pieces are going to look relatively much bigger than before, and Romney will not look so inevitable or dominating.
Aug '11
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
"As predicted by Ricochet's own Troy Senik, it looks like last night's debate confirmed what has been happening in the Republican race for the last week. Cain is seriously ahead.
Rob, you need to read Troy's post again. He dismissed Herman Cain and asserted that Newt Gingrich is the only viable alternative to Romney. Some oracle.
Jun '10
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Rob, I would like you to think about why you wouldn't describe Clinton as weird but insist on doing so with Newt. What has Newt done that is any weirder than any other politician of note? I have been saying this for some time that we seem to want to curry favor with meme put forward by the MSM and the Dems that Newt is beyond the pale. I maintain that he only has this reputation because of the damage he sustained by being so successful against them. Whitaker Chambers is never described by people on our side without mentioning he is disheveled (an MSM meme of the time) and morose. McCarthy is always portrayed as being in a rage. It goes on and on.
Newt's on our side. We have a responsibility to the principles and the aspirations of our side to promote things positively. Stop with the throw away lines trying to curry favor with the anti-Newt crowd and look at him objectively and with respect for the tremendous things he has already done for us. No one on that stage has done as much for us as Newt.
Dec '10
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Tom Paine: All Romney has to do to win the nomination is demonstrate that he's not Romney.
All Cain has to do is be Cain. · Oct 12 at 3:41pm
He has to do two things beyond that:
1) Not do anything that screws up his chances or makes him look truly foolish; and
2) Have his opponents fade away so that he becomes the last not-Romney standing.
He seems to be getting better at (1), judging by the weakness of the criticisms of his missteps in the debate.
Perry and Bachmann seem to be obliging him on (2), and Gingrich's past troubles before and during this campaign have made it that much harder for him to make trouble for Cain.
Jul '10
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Newt is an excellent communicator.
He's much better at that than any of the others. It was a pleasure to listen to him throw the interlocutors' premises right back in their teeth.
Aug '11
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Although I consider this a good sign, I remain suspicious of Public Policy Polling, since they're the polling arm of Daily "screw them" Kos.
May '11
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Newt is the most articulate spokesperson for conservatism since Reagan. I can overlook his overbearing ego and his regretable tendency to be inappropriatly bombastic. I can rationalize his marital indiscretions and his support of many boneheaded causes and ideas. His current wife, Calista, creeps me out. I have a hard time seeing her as First Lady.
Apr '11
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
When an officer in the US military is considered for promotion to flag rank both the husband and his wife are evaluated. The military thinks wives are so important at that level that if a wife doesn't pass muster the officer gets passed over. For the few female officers of flag rank I assume the opposite is true.
That does not seem to be the case for these officer's commander in chiefs. But with Newt remember you also get Callista. She seems to have more than a little influence over Mr. Gingrich. Wasn't she in the middle of some staff blowups?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callista_Gingrich
Mar '11
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Newt has charisma, but he has the same problem Romney does: a record of the stupid things he's said. Just as the Swimmer-Romney debate video from 1994 won't disappear, neither wiill that picture of Newt and Nancy Pelosi sitting together under the global warming slogan go away.
Jun '10
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Viator: ...
She seems to have more than a little influence over Mr. Gingrich. Wasn't she in the middle of some staff blowups?
...
You mean she'll be as bad for Newt as Nancy was for Ronnie? Not that bad, surely.
Sep '10
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Since it is baseball season, how about a baseball analogy? Whenever the candidate of your choice gets a tough question, Newt can be their pinch runner. If he scores, your guy still gets credit for getting on base. Also, he would be a great Chief of Staff. Perry should hire him now. Like the underwear bomber trial. "Dude, your underwear is on fire."
Mar '11
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Tom Paine: "As predicted by Ricochet's own Troy Senik, it looks like last night's debate confirmed what has been happening in the Republican race for the last week. Cain is seriously ahead.
Rob, you need to read Troy's post again. He dismissed Herman Cain and asserted that Newt Gingrich is the only viable alternative to Romney. Some oracle.
Yeah, I was wondering bout that.
Mr Cain's 999 plan could be his downfall - I'd like to see the last 9 go, and adjust the first two numbers, but it's probably too late, now. Hopefully everyone will forget it and he can delegate Tax reform to Mr Ryan, who would do a much better job.
Sep '10
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
p.s. Rob and Ricocheteers, check out this book about moonshining. http://gardenandgun.com/article/moonshine-book
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
Larry Koler: Rob, I would like you to think about why you wouldn't describe Clinton as weird but insist on doing so with Newt. What has Newt done that is any weirder than any other politician of note?
Newt's on our side. We have a responsibility to the principles and the aspirations of our side to promote things positively. Stop with the throw away lines trying to curry favor with the anti-Newt crowd and look at him objectively and with respect for the tremendous things he has already done for us. No one on that stage has done as much for us as Newt. · Oct 12 at 3:50pm
You make a fair point. And I admire Newt a lot. But I'm not alone in noting that he can be erratic. Even people who love and admire him note that. It's not trying to "curry favor" with anyone. And as much as I agree with you that he's an impressive guy, I disagree that we need to "promote things positively." I'm not really interested in doing PR for anyone, conservatives included. Spin never works anyway.
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
David Williamson
Tom Paine: "As predicted by Ricochet's own Troy Senik, it looks like last night's debate confirmed what has been happening in the Republican race for the last week. Cain is seriously ahead.
Rob, you need to read Troy's post again. He dismissed Herman Cain and asserted that Newt Gingrich is the only viable alternative to Romney. Some oracle.
Yeah, I was wondering bout that.
Mr Cain's 999 plan could be his downfall - I'd like to see the last 9 go, and adjust the first two numbers, but it's probably too late, now. Hopefully everyone will forget it and he can delegate Tax reform to Mr Ryan, who would do a much better job. · Oct 12 at 4:42pm
Good point. I guess I was focusing on Troy's prediction that Newt was next up for a "Cain" moment.
Re: Cain Surges; Newt Savors Sweet Revenge
I like Newt! Whoever wins will need his help.