Is Newt Gingrich helping or hurting his future ability to profit in the conservative marketplace? I'm not really talking about the whole campaign -- just post-Iowa, when he started bashing almost certain nominee Mitt Romney.
Not personally conservative, but I expect the answer is: helping. Romney is no Reagan or George W. Bush, so I expect even if Romney wins both the nomination and the presidency there will be plenty of room for a disloyal opposition leader like Gingrich.
Speaking of Reagan, his 1976 challenge to Ford certainly didn't prevent him from keeping the party's ear, so an Obama win would leave even more room for Gingrich to court a following.
I think this will help Gingrich, because I think Romney has no natural consistency in the GOP beyond the routine 20% that support him. Romney will eventually get widely endorsed, er "endorsed", because the party has to rally behind the nomineee, but relatively few folks will privately prefer Romney, resulting in success for Gingrich's strategy.
Slightly related topic: has anyone else noticed how weird the Romney campaign is, at all levels? Saw a Romney yard sign the other day, says "Believe in America". If I vote for the other guy, is that belief in a Socialist Internationalist cabal? Did no one on Team Romney notice that in the 9 months since Obama put a cap in OBL's ass, that meme doesn't hunt any more?
Makes you wonder the slogans they rejected. Perhaps: "Vote Romney, because you know Bill Ayres won't". Or another popular one: "Vote Romney, at least he was born here"?
@Geoff G, the French Connection is a good one; I totally didn't think of it. How about: "Its true I speak French, but only cause the enemy finds it more cutting when you use their dialect to order your Freedom Fries"
CSH - At TNR they had a little contest asking commenters to come up with a single sentence from Romney that would manage to piss off both liberals and conservatives (the accompanying article was about several instances where Mitt had done just that, not necessarily in one sentence). If you had entered that sentence, I'm pretty sure you would have won.
I don't think Newt's ever going to live down being "the Moon President." True, Jerry Brown got labeled "Governor Moonbeam" in his Presidential run, and survived politically... but Brown seems to be a much worthier character than Gingrich.
True, the Republican Party is fond of comeback stories. Wilkie got two national campaigns, and so did Nixon. Reagan and the first Bush won nominations only on their second campaigns. All that. But Robert Taft never got a nomination, and neither did Harold Stassen -- and they didn't suffer from public condemnation as clowns.
I hope so (oh, you said conservatives. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNot personally conservative, but I expect the answer is: helping. Romney is no Reagan or George W. Bush, so I expect even if Romney wins both the nomination and the presidency there will be plenty of room for a disloyal opposition leader like Gingrich.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Reagan, his 1976 challenge to Ford certainly didn't prevent him from keeping the party's ear, so an Obama win would leave even more room for Gingrich to court a following.
I think this will help Gingrich, because I think Romney has no natural consistency in the GOP beyond the routine 20% that support him. Romney will eventually get widely endorsed, er "endorsed", because the party has to rally behind the nomineee, but relatively few folks will privately prefer Romney, resulting in success for Gingrich's strategy.
ReplyDeleteSlightly related topic: has anyone else noticed how weird the Romney campaign is, at all levels? Saw a Romney yard sign the other day, says "Believe in America". If I vote for the other guy, is that belief in a Socialist Internationalist cabal? Did no one on Team Romney notice that in the 9 months since Obama put a cap in OBL's ass, that meme doesn't hunt any more?
Makes you wonder the slogans they rejected. Perhaps: "Vote Romney, because you know Bill Ayres won't". Or another popular one: "Vote Romney, at least he was born here"?
"Yes, Mitt speaks French - but he hates himself for it."
Delete@Geoff G, the French Connection is a good one; I totally didn't think of it. How about: "Its true I speak French, but only cause the enemy finds it more cutting when you use their dialect to order your Freedom Fries"
DeleteCSH - At TNR they had a little contest asking commenters to come up with a single sentence from Romney that would manage to piss off both liberals and conservatives (the accompanying article was about several instances where Mitt had done just that, not necessarily in one sentence). If you had entered that sentence, I'm pretty sure you would have won.
DeleteI don't think Newt's ever going to live down being "the Moon President." True, Jerry Brown got labeled "Governor Moonbeam" in his Presidential run, and survived politically... but Brown seems to be a much worthier character than Gingrich.
ReplyDeleteTrue, the Republican Party is fond of comeback stories. Wilkie got two national campaigns, and so did Nixon. Reagan and the first Bush won nominations only on their second campaigns. All that. But Robert Taft never got a nomination, and neither did Harold Stassen -- and they didn't suffer from public condemnation as clowns.