Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
Who isn't unloading on Newt Gingrich this week? There was the absolutely brutal video of an Iowa voter complaining about Gingrich's comments on Meet The Press. Shaking his hand the entire time while offering such helpful thoughts as "What you just did to Paul Ryan is unforgivable," "You’re an embarrassment to our party," and "Why don’t you get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself?"
Charles Krauthammer and Rush Limbaugh both alleged Gingrich betrayed the party. National Review's Rich Lowry dedicated his column today to ridiculing Gingrich, arguing that he turns every debate into "a grand sociological clash between different regions of the country." The Wall Street Journal similarly unloaded on him, saying Gingrich's own failures during his time in office are the reason why Paul Ryan has proposed changes to Medicare.
In his recent campaign book, "To Save America," he describes Mr. Obama as bent on leading a "secular-socialist machine" that "represents as great a threat to America as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union once did." Mr. Ryan speaks softly but proposes policies commensurate with America's problems. Mr. Gingrich speaks loudly but shrinks from hard choices. Who's the "radical" and who's the real leader?
And now CNN is reporting that South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is also hammering Gingrich over his remarks.
I'd previously thought I didn't know of anyone who supported Gingrich but we've had a few Ricochet members weigh in on his behalf. So to them and others, is this it for Gingrich? Can he recover from the worst first week of a presidential campaign ever?
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Sep '10
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
Ancient proverb:
"When you've become the pinata, the party is over."
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
Gingrich was dead meat before he went down this path. The response he provoked proves it. Like Romney, he has failed to recognize the sea-change in American politics initiated by Barack Obama. Both are managerial progressives on the model of Richard Nixon.
Dec '10
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
Triangulation fail
Mar '11
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
I think, at his core, Newt Gingrich is a conservative. Maybe not as conservative as some people would like but he is surely more conservative than McCain, Dole, Graham, etc. I think if he were to become President that he would represent the ideology decently well. Not perfectly. Not as well as Reagan. But I think he would do a more than above average job.
The problem he has is that he thinks conservatism scares a lot of people. Granted, it does scare people--hardcore liberals. But it scares a lot less people than Newt, and other people, think. That is what I hear when he criticizes Ryan's plan. When he teams with Pelosi. When he agrees with Hillary. It's not because he believes what Pelosi or Hillary think. He does it because he thinks that is the best way to put a "nice" face on conservatism. "Look, see, we're not as scary as you think. If Ms. Pelosi will do this commercial with me, how bad can I and conservatism really be?" It's like he has some type of inferiority complex regarding our ideology. When, really, it should be the exact opposite.
Jun '10
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
Newt is a smart principled conservative, whenever he's not being a stupid unprincipled populist instead. Which one today? Flip a coin.
Dec '10
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
Gingrich has succumbed to the temptation which vexes all my highly intelligent progressive friends. He has come to believe, as an article of faith, in his bureaucratic competence. He is so smart that the size of government no longer matters, only who is pulling the levers. Anyone who can argue for a "variation" on the individual mandate is entirely out of touch with conservatism and the root flaw in his very nature - pride. He is over politically.
I never expected him to do well in the primaries. But, I was looking forward to hearing him in the debates. He's so over, I'm not even sure he'll make the next one. Brit Hume explains his downfall best. He speaks promiscuously.
Edited on May 17, 2011 at 10:14amAug '10
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
Newt announced his candidacy on Wednesday, jumped the shark (twice!) on Sunday, and has spent Monday and Tuesday attempting to walk it back. Epic Fail. The type of Fail immortalized in the movie The Right Stuff - where the rocket attempts to lift off a little - then spectacularly blows up.
Who knew Newt was attached to a microwave timer?
Oct '10
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
Rush was saying today on the radio that he met with Newt several months ago, and that Newt was highly confident that he was going to win the nomination. Over confidence seems to be a recurring problem with him.
Edited on May 17, 2011 at 10:58amDec '10
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
I can't not believe he went after Ryan and then is surprised when the entire base turns on him, that just seems unforgivable stupid. I had my hopes but I am done with him completely now. What a waste.
Mar '11
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
He seems out of step with the times, dated. We don't need grand theories or massive Conservative Big Govenrment ideas, we need someone to hack at the whole edifice. Cut it all, scale everything back, then worry about reforming the remainder once we can see daylight.
Oh, and he did that thing with Nancy Pelosi. Unforgivable!
Jul '10
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
Newt never had any supporters to begin with, other than Sean Hannity.
The man is such a self-serving weasel that it wouldn't surprise me to see him run as a Democrat in 2016.
Dec '10
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
I find it amusing that Newt N. Gingrich, Super-Genius, is so prone to the kind of stupid mis-steps that so many other geniuses have assured us that a certain ex-Governor (Snowbillius alaskus) would embarrass the GOP with.
Apr '11
Re: Easier To Find Gingrich Detractors Than Supporters?
Gingrich's comments were unforgivable. The GOP is going to have a hard enough fight on its hands even if it manages to unite behind the Ryan plan. Now the Democrats have an opportunity to hammer away at it as extreme by citing quotations from the former Republican Speaker of the House. I used to admire Gingrich for his willingness to offer fresh ideas, but now I see him as just another political opportunist willing to say anything to get elected.