Points made on Monday, January 23, on the Charlie Rose show about the Republican primary in South Carolina. Participants: Mathew Dowd, Bloomberg News and ABC News; John Meacham, Executive Editor, Random House, Contributing Editor, Time magazine; Nate Silver, 538-Blog, The New York Times.
Yes, it could happen, should there be a severe down-turn in the economy in the summer – an oil crisis, for example, or bad news from Europe. There was a 24-point shift in popularity in Newt’s favour in ten days.
Newt appeals to blue-collar, white America – which includes Reagan Democrats – Archie Bunker types.
The base of the Republican Party is NOT Wall Street, NOT the rich, but blue-collar, white America. The Republican establishment has lost control of the campaign.
It’s now a race between the good Newt Gingrich, disciplined, knows where he is going, and the bad Newt Gigrich, undisciplined, short-tempered, all over the place. Attacking the press as “despicable” on the issue of his personal life – three marriages! – was brilliant.
Newt is the new Nixon. Not the new Reagan.
Mitt appeals to the “Conservatesientsia.” It is forgotten that Newt, now waging a war against the Washington System, was part of the establishment when Speaker of the House.
Voters want a passionate, optimistic narrative. That is not in Mitt’s genes.
For Americans, voting for a president is the most important personal choice – outside family choices – they make in their lives. The President enters their living room every night.
Newt Gingrich is not “the new Nixon”– he’s a slimebag, a shameless bully, a lying hypocritical demagogue. His appeal is not to “blue-collar, white America”– it is to the worst instincts of the American electorate: fear, stupidity, racism, xenophobia. He is skillfully deconstructed here: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/deconstructing-a-demagogue/?ref=opinion
The comments following the piece are worth reading too.
Either Gingrich or Romney, the election is Obama’s to lose. If Romney is the nominee, only 3-4% of anti-Mormon evangelicals are required not to vote, for the election to go to the Democrats. If Gingrich is the nominee, the percentage of non-voting Republicans will be even greater.
History indicates he is likely to place his foot firmly in his mouth well before nominating convention. Thursday’s debate demonstrated he can not leave issues (which are lose-lose for him) alone, taking bait (traps) from other candidates. Endorse Ron Paul’s proposal to send politicians to the moon. As (too much) money is poison to the democratic political process, current US politics is toxic to sound public policy.
Jeffrey and Curmugeon are correct as well, but it is not just Newt that is appealing to the electorate’s worst instincts.
Mike Sky
If Newt wins the nomination, blame John King of CNN.
Watching him terrify everyone is great theatre. If he runs he’ll be Goldwater or McGovern. Obama lovers should cheer him on.
At this time I think Obama will be reelected. Unless a catastrophe happens.
I liked the letter in the Globe that asked if President Gingrich’s wife would be referred to as the Third Lady. Gingrich is said to have described his first wife as too short and ugly to be the wife of the President. Gary Trudeau in Doonesbury has been going after him – check out Sunday Jan 29 and a couple of Sundays earlier (airport checking Gingrich’s ‘baggage’). It is hard enough to respect a country that would elect GW Bush after four years of him. It’s too terrifying to think they could elect Gingrich.