Gingrich goes … positive?
posted at 11:35 am on February 14, 2012 by Ed Morrissey
With polls showing a collapse in support and money reportedly dissipating from the campaign coffers, Newt Gingrich needs a gamechanger — badly. Gingrich has decided that his ideas were his original gamechanger, and he’s going to start focusing on them rather than on attacking his competitors:
Newt Gingrich said he’s backing off his attacks on Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum moving forward, and made little mention of his opponents in his stump speech on Monday.
“I think my ideas are much bolder than Santorum or Romney’s,” Gingrich said when asked why he didn’t mention either during his speech. “I think my ideas are much clearer and more specific and I have to focus on communicating those ideas. The two periods I focused on communicating those ideas I ended up No. 1 in Gallup both times. And we’re going back to doing what we did that worked.”
“When we went back and analyzed it I do dramatically better when I focus on the nation’s problems and I focus on the nation’s solutions,” he said. “I don’t do nearly as well when I focus on my competitors. So we took the lesson that has worked twice in the last 3 months.”
That is an interesting shift in strategy, and one that could produce some positive results. The key test will be on February 22nd, when the next debate takes place in Arizona six days before voters in that state and in Michigan vote in binding primaries. If Gingrich can focus on just picking apart the economic plans from Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney without getting personal, he might recover some of his standing with conservatives who have shifted in large part to Santorum, and who have done so in large part because of the positive manner in which Santorum has campaigned.
The question will be whether that will make much of a difference at this point. With Gingrich languishing in third place (or lower), the other two candidates probably won’t want to mix it up with him, and unless the attacks start to sting, probably will just re-emphasize how their plans work. Romney and Santorum are much more likely to go after each other than with Gingrich, and Santorum has scored points on Romney in many of those exchanges in past debates. Romney might just stick with his usual strategy to stay above the fray and focus on himself, ignoring any criticism from the candidates in an attempt to appear presidential.
Given the recent track of polling momentum, Gingrich will have to paint some very clear distinctions between his ideas and those of Romney and Santorum. If he can manage to do that without making it look personal as he did in Florida and Nevada, he might at least stop the bleeding.
Blowback
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Whoa! Newt going positive! Next thing, Ron Paul will declare his support for nuclear strike against Iran.
Archivarix on February 14, 2012 at 2:54 PM
When the media and whoever else “Palinized” Palin, no one really came to her defense. Now people say, Oh, that’s too bad that happened to her, she’ll never be electable again. I don’t believe that. The same thing happens to Newt and everyone just says Oh that’s too bad, who’s next? All the talk about not letting the “Establishment” or the media pick our nominee, but they are doing it right now and a lot of people just go along. I could see jumping on the Santorum band wagon if he had done anything other than stay out of the line of fire until he was the last non-Romney. I know some people really admire him, and I don’t begrudge that. I will vote for him if he’s the nominee, I just don’t think he is the guy to get the job done at this time.
Night Owl on February 14, 2012 at 3:28 PM
I hate what they did to Palin. I just have a minute, but heard at the top of the hour that Newt is in CA for a fundraiser. So glad to hear that.
bluefox on February 14, 2012 at 4:04 PM
Night Owl on February 14, 2012 at 3:28 PM
Newt defended her all along. Now the Mitt adherents wonder why she stands by him, along with her family.
Schadenfreude on February 14, 2012 at 4:45 PM
If you look back at the entirety of this primary season, Newt spent most of his time being positive, only attacking the media. His rise in the polls reflect that. When he was bad, he was very bad, and his fall in the polls reflect that, too.
kakypat on February 14, 2012 at 4:50 PM
You may be right, but I don’t recall that. Could you refresh my memory with an article or link? I’m not being snarky, just can’t recall. Of course I was very busy fighting Obamacare too with another forum as a group.
bluefox on February 14, 2012 at 4:59 PM
Here’s two:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2009/08/gingrich-defends-palins-death-panels/
http://texansforsarahpalin.blogspot.com/2011/10/rewind-speaker-gingrich-defends-gov.html
NoNails on February 14, 2012 at 5:50 PM
Thank you so much! Getting dinner and will read them soon.
bluefox on February 14, 2012 at 6:14 PM
Well said. Newt wanted a pledge among all the candidates to NOT break the 11th commandment. Now lets not forget that Romney drew first blood.
JeffVader on February 14, 2012 at 6:29 PM
My case for Gingrich:
1. He was a private citizen while working for Freddie and Fannie. He was doing what many people do when they leave a company with great skills – he was doing consulting work. If he had been doing this work for the Humane Society, almost no one would be complaining. Since the work was being done for the hated Freddie/Fannie, he is slammed for it.
2. Flip-Flopping on the climate change has been a charge for many of the most conservative politicians, and even the scientists themselves. While he says he does not know the cause, he does believe the climate is changing. Most people realize the climate changes in cycles, there are charts available. There have been ice-age scares and warming scares forever. At least he supports “pro-market, pro-entrepreneur, innovative solutions” (Gingrich’s website) to the problem instead of government intervention. Even the Heritage Foundation has flipped on the mandate. Dede was the Republican and Gingrich backed the R, but I think he should have backed the conservative.
3. I am not marrying this person, so I am not worried about his affairs or divorces. My ex was a horrible husband, but he was a good person who would go out of his way to help anyone. If he was running for dogcatcher, I would vote for him, and others would vote for him for a higher office. Gingrich’s personal life is his, and it should be left at that. Clinton was not clouted on the nose for sex; he was impeached for lying under oath to the Grand Jury.
4. Gingrich got things done while he was in office. When you get things done, you step on toes. This makes people mad, and they do not like you. In my opinion, this makes Gingrich a better choice, not an inferior one. His ideas were good and were implemented with help from both parties. Is that not a much better path that what we have in government today?
5. I get mad when people tell lies about me, too. It does not mean I have anger problems. It means I am human. It would most likely distract me from my message also. Not pretty, but I am not looking for pretty or perfect.
6. He was cleared of every ethics charge, even the one that carried the fine that was not actually a fine. The IRS cleared him of the last charge four years after he agreed to pay $300,000 to defray the costs of the investigation. This can be checked in the Washington Post archives.
Are we looking for a person who has never accomplished anything or are we looking for a President who has actually done things for the conservative cause? Are we looking for Mr. Perfect or are we looking for a President who can get the job done? Are we looking for a man we would marry or are we looking for a President who can deliver a budget to Congress with the hope of getting it passed? Are we looking for a man that never changes his opinion or are we looking for a President who can also learn?
I am looking for a conservative-leaning, go-get-them, well-informed person to represent the American people as President of the United States. I believe that person is Newt Gingrich.
annexwcp on February 14, 2012 at 9:28 PM
I am looking for a conservative-leaning, go-get-them, well-informed person to represent the American people as President of the United States. I believe that person is Newt Gingrich.
annexwcp on February 14, 2012 at 9:28 PM
You are right on.. I wish I could express my thoughts as well as you..Thanks..
Panentheist on February 15, 2012 at 3:15 AM
That is good to know. I, like bluefox, did not remember that. I see No Nails has the links, so I will refresh my memory.
Night Owl on February 15, 2012 at 5:54 AM
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