Gingrich: I’m a top-tier contender for the 2012 nomination
posted at 10:05 pm on January 13, 2010 by Allahpundit
Via JWF, I trust that this will be received warmly by the Hot Air readership.
“I think I’m probably on a list of seven or eight possible candidates at this stage,” Gingrich said. “We have a lot of people around the country who would like to have somebody who represents a commitment to replace the current failed programs and to develop a set of solutions that are practical and workable.”
Gingrich listed several current and former goverors who he thinks might enter the race. They include former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. He said he will discuss his possible candidacy with his wife early next year before making a decision about whether to run.
Gingrich also suggested that governors Mitch Daniels from Indiana, Haley Barbour from Mississippi, Rick Perry from Texas and Bobby Jindal from Louisiana, as well as South Dakota Sen. John Thune could run.
Well, look. His name has been tossed around, and everyone else in the field either has zero name recognition or plenty of baggage of their own. The base hates him because of the Scozzafava thing but they hated McCain too and got over it. Jindal likely has no plans to run, Huck seems like he’s into his TV gig now, and Mitt’s probably going to be chased away by the specter of RomneyCare. That leaves Palin and Perry to battle for the tea party vote, with the GOP establishment left scrambling to anoint an anti-tea-partier behind whom centrists can unify. Gingrich would more than hold his own with The One in a debate and if the economy’s still sluggish and/or foreign policy problems are mounting, his personal peccadilloes wouldn’t be as much of a problem. Good enough for the establishment! As for how he rallies the base behind him after defeating their candidate of choice in the primaries, it’s simple: He borrows a page from Maverick and puts a young, charismatic pol with impeccable conservative credentials on the ticket. Presto change-o, suddenly we’ve got an election! I think. What am I missing here? Exit question: Hey, what about John Thune?
Blowback
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Newt is smart and articulate, but has way too much baggage to be POTUS, and his love-in with Pelosi on the wrong side of global warming (in the light of the East Anglia E-mails) won’t endear him to the GOP / Tea Party base.
Best job for Newt: Go over to RNC headquarters, kick some Steele butt, then sit down with Steele, Sarah Palin, and any other Republicans listening to the American people, and write Contract for America II. Then let him sell it, but let other candidates with less baggage run for office and implement it if elected.
Steve Z on January 14, 2010 at 1:58 PM
Sorry Newt. If you had fully implemented the contract with America, the current mess might have been avoided.
EconomicNeocon on January 14, 2010 at 2:05 PM
Project much?
Seriously, Dwight was OK, but from my historical musings, it is my opinion that he was not that great of a POTUS.
He did a lot of good, but he could’ve done better, like missile defense & keeping tabs on the actions of his appointees.
My professed conservative husband has never cheated, & never would.
He is of the strongest character you can imagine.
There are leaders out there like this.
Why should we settle for mostly good when we can have the real thing?
It frankly is my business whether a politician is shagging some chick other than his wife, or screwing multiple women if he’s single, at the same time, or has done drugs, etc.
I CARE about these things bcs it is those types of decisions that define a person’s character.
Those who engage in immoral behavior behind a spouse’s back are highly capable of doing the same thing in the work place.
I have seen this play out in real life.
So put a sock in it pal.
I can make this a criteria who I vote for if I want.
Badger40 on January 14, 2010 at 2:13 PM
There are posters here who think that cheating on your spouse etc doesn’t matter when it comes to doing your job.
Cheating on your spouse defines you as someone who does not keep their promises.
This behavior & attitude bleeds over into your job.
Bcs if you thinks it’s OK to act like that within a marriage, then you can rationalize that it’s OK to do the same types of things on the job.
And this is why the leadership in America SUX.
Another reason is that why would ANYONE want to run for a public office when they get torn apart for things that are NOT an issue, or are lied about viciously for the sake of stirring up controversy? I.e. Palin.
Badger40 on January 14, 2010 at 2:29 PM
Nobody cares about Newt. Sorry.
TheUnrepentantGeek on January 14, 2010 at 2:39 PM
Newt continues to make my point that the Repub leadership will say the wrong thing at the right time to guarantee defeat. This latest delusion from Newt will probably help rally the Dems in Mass to defeat Brown.
Just the thought of Newt potentially on the national stage is enough to make Dems and Independents get off the couch to go vote. Newt always seems to forget that he was run out of DC for a number of reasons. The entire Repub leadership needs to hand in their resignations so that the younger, better spoken Paul Ryan’s can take over. They won’t, so Repubs will find again come November that they are on the back benches—where they belong.
patrick neid on January 14, 2010 at 2:45 PM
In his own mind…
Mr. Grump on January 14, 2010 at 3:14 PM
There are posters here who think that cheating on your spouse etc doesn’t matter when it comes to doing your job.
Badger40 on January 14, 2010 at 2:29 PM
Didn’t say it didn’t matter… but I think it’s a darn shame people get ruled out for it… Thw world is not so black and white, even if some wish it were so.
gosh, it’s even possible there may be some wives out there who drive their men to cheat on ‘em… see: Elizabeth Edwards…. ;)
max1 on January 14, 2010 at 3:18 PM
Sorry Newty, get the h*ll out of the way!
WordsMatter on January 14, 2010 at 3:23 PM
Just say no to Newt. The GOP needs new blood, dynamism, credibility, and fresh ideas. Enough with the old, established wooly mammoths of the party, time for a herd of bull elephants to shake the political turf on the Hill.
Goldy1 on January 14, 2010 at 3:31 PM
Newt v. Obama? I would write in Donald Duck. Seriously.
Venusian Visitor on January 14, 2010 at 4:27 PM
“This behavior & attitude bleeds over into your job.”
Do we really think just cheating on a spouse will lose him the Whitehouse? This nation just put in a friend of terrorists, and racist ministers, a hater of the constitution as too restrictive on government power and a man who loves to slaughter any children who escape his friend’s the abortionist horror chambers – simply because the womb-owner “intended” to kill them.
Why worry about just a little cheating?
Don L on January 14, 2010 at 4:30 PM
I like Newt. I am a pretty solid Palinista, but if he got the nomination, I could vote for him. He is smart and would debate circles around Barry. I agree with everything I have heard him say on the economy, GWOT, and healthcare. The gloabl warming thing was dumb and so was the Scozzafava incident, but he has been around for awhile and those are relatively small misteps so I think I could overlook them if he said ‘yep that was dumb now here is how we beat back the socialist take over of our country.’ He is definitely better IMHO than Huck or Mittens for ’12.
As for Rick Perry, he is awesome, but I don’t think the country is ready for another TX gov. Ya’ll have to go find someone else. Also, I don’t want KBH for my gov; she needs to stay in DC and be the un-Pelosi.
bitsy on January 14, 2010 at 4:35 PM
Ass of the year~yes you are, Newt.
Now, go away!
HornetSting on January 14, 2010 at 4:39 PM
I agree with Gingrich more than I disagree with him. I do get worried when he is willing to sit down on the couch with pelosi, or is willing to back a lib just because they put an (R) after their name.
I almost wonder if he would be just as bad for the GOP as Bush was again…i agreed with Bush more than i disagreed with him.)
If he became the choice I would vote for him like I voted for McCain/Palin. Lesser of two evils.
lwssdd on January 14, 2010 at 4:40 PM
The base hates him because of the Scozzafava thing but they hated McCain too and got over it. — Allahpundit
—–
No. Not enough of the base got over McCain.
If the right had forgiven him, he might have won.
Sorry, Allah, but .. on this, you’re mistaken.
Mew
acat on January 14, 2010 at 5:47 PM
Too bad he never ran for Governor somewhere.
JellyToast on January 14, 2010 at 6:01 PM
I don’t think it is fair to say the base hates Newt. I would suggest that the base and most Repubs like Newt for a host of reasons. That said however, that is a whole lot different than wanting him to run for national office.
Newt is better off in the background putting out thoughtful position papers. Running for office would kill any chances that Repubs hope for. The entire old guard Repubs need to cede their committee chairs etc and let an entire new breed surface NOW. Now is important so that the electorate will hear and see them for the next 10 months. It one thing for independents to want Obama out but it is more important to give them something to vote for. They will not vote for the old guard, especially in 2012.
patrick neid on January 14, 2010 at 6:29 PM
When was the last time Newt called it right? Must we vote for the lesser of two RINO’s?
Roy Rogers on January 14, 2010 at 6:34 PM
Thanks Newt, but no thanks.
We just learned our lesson from the McCain debacle.
Go back and play footsie with Pelosi.
NO WAY NEWT YOU ARE NOT PRESIDENTIAL AND WE ARE BUSY. THANKS FOR COMIN BY…
highninside on January 14, 2010 at 6:55 PM
Because, if you haven’t noticed Repubs/Conservatives are held to a very severe double standard!
jwp1964 on January 14, 2010 at 8:15 PM
1-YIKES!
2-NOT presidential material.
3-Aggressive enough?
4-Does he have what we need to change the country?
5-No, I have NOT gotten over McCain.
ProudPalinFan on January 14, 2010 at 10:50 PM
No, no, no no, nope, uh uh.
boomer on January 14, 2010 at 11:29 PM
No Newt, you’re not……..
You’re not even a B+ on the NObama scale.
RealMc on January 15, 2010 at 8:20 AM
Wow. You are something else.
Listen here: I’ve heard that before & it’s a lame cop out at the very least & monumentally insensitively asinine at its worst.
Are you in the same camp that can rationalize crime victims deserve their fates bcs of some behavior they exhibited that ‘drove’ the criminal to perpetrate the crime?
This is pure scumbaggery.
The world may not be black & white. And people do change.
Evidence of real change in a person’s life & behavior are grounds for reconsideration.
But that sort of behavior, in my experience, does not get changed very often.
Your comment is disgusting.
Badger40 on January 15, 2010 at 10:03 AM
It is my experience & opinion that people who engage in this lying behavior are not to be trusted.
They may change, but a lot of changin’ needs to happen before I’d believe this kind of person.
Why worry about a little ‘lying’?
Why worry about a little ‘stealing’ AKA misappropriation of goods?
Why worry about a little ‘stretching of the truth’?
Why worry about a little ‘dishonesty’?
Why worry at all?
Those who blindly trust are fools.
I’d take Newt over MaCain maybe. But he’s the lesser of 2 evils & there are greener pastures out there.
So I’m not going to pin my star to a loser when there’s better stuff to be had.
Badger40 on January 15, 2010 at 10:08 AM
Last 2 cents on this crap:
Trivialize things like cheating, little white lies, taking office supplies bcs you feel justified, breaking little rules or laws here & there bcs you can, all can lead to bigger, nastier behaviors.
It has to start somewhere.
And I do not believe that cheating on a spouse is such a ‘little’ thing.
This kind of rationalization is what is wrong with our society.
The ‘little’ things really do matter.
Badger40 on January 15, 2010 at 10:11 AM
what about his affair while his wife was ill while he was beating up clinton for lewinski. i like my candidates with some character. go mitt!
anna on January 15, 2010 at 10:37 AM
2nd that. Anyone would be hard pressed, I am sure, to find skeletons in that guy’s closet.
Badger40 on January 15, 2010 at 11:27 AM
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