The media is about to pull the plug on Newt
The big dogs, of course, will keep at it. Dan Balz of The Washington Post and John Heilemann of New York Magazine won’t be touched. But everyone who isn’t a brand name political reporter is back on the leash. The army is already starting to demobilize as you read this. It just doesn’t know it yet.
This is how it ends for Newt Gingrich. On the day after the South Carolina primary, he had two busloads of reporters, bloggers and electronic media types following his every word. Tomorrow, he won’t need two buses. He’ll be lucky if the seats are filled on one.
Presidential candidates survive on the oxygen of media coverage. It’s what keeps them going, enables them to keep raising money. Once the coverage is withdrawn, it’s only a matter of time before their candidacies expire. Out of sight, out of mind, out of money.
After tonight, all but one of the GOP presidential candidates will start being taken off life support. By the time we get to Super Tuesday in early March, you probably won’t even remember Rick Santorum’s name.
Blowback
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This is totally wrong. What Gingrich needs now is LESS media coverage, since every single statement he makes is immediately made into a “gaffe.” Romney has gotten as far as he has precisely because he is getting less media coverage, and what coverage he does get is generally positive.
With Gingrich presumed “dead” now, we’ll see the bulk of coverage switch back to Romney.
The last time the cameras focused on Romney was in South Carolina, where he promptly melted down in about two seconds.
Doomberg on February 1, 2012 at 9:46 AM
The MSM can’t wait for a filthy rich politically tone-deaf Lyle Waggoner looky-likey. They’re salivating.
Marcus on February 1, 2012 at 9:47 AM
You mean he is about to be given the Perry treatment – where the media ignores you and pretends you don’t exist?
Hmmm…
Why do I have this sinking feeling that things are not going to end well for Romney and his media buddies, who are being pulled on a string by Rove et al?
TheRightMan on February 1, 2012 at 9:48 AM
They’ll just miss Newt’s comeback.
The Nerve on February 1, 2012 at 9:51 AM
Fait (almost) accompli…
Fallon on February 1, 2012 at 9:52 AM
But we have to listen to the Architect. He knows all//
NJ Red on February 1, 2012 at 9:53 AM
NEWSFLASH:
The word is that Bachmann is going to endorse Romney when he gets to Minnesota. It is being twittered by various media outlets. That will surely mean that the crowning of Romney will be complete since he will have gotten the “tea party Gal’s” endorsement.
KickandSwimMom on February 1, 2012 at 9:54 AM
Here it is being reported by Boston.com:
http://bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2012/02/01/mitt-romney-heads-minnesota-amid-talk-michele-bachmann-endorsement/G4aA9PCRt76JFMM3cxIOMM/story.html
KickandSwimMom on February 1, 2012 at 9:58 AM
executive producers at FauxNews are scrambling to book new guests as their 24/7 dedication to Newt is wearing thin on viewers
gatorboy on February 1, 2012 at 10:01 AM
This idiot on Fox this morning said he was voting for Obama again because Newt looks like the Sta Puft man and Mitt looks like he went to the dentist and got his head capped. This is what’s out there pulling levers. Can you believe this stupidity?????
NJ Red on February 1, 2012 at 10:01 AM
Oh brother, check this out.
NJ Red on February 1, 2012 at 10:03 AM
Um…no. It’s very much correct, and again I marvel at how Hot Air is sometimes “upside-down” world. Romney has by far the most media coverage and attention of any candidate in the race, as the frontrunner for quite some time (despite his SC hiccup). What I imagine you’re getting at is the fact that Newt seems to be making terrible headlines on a thrice-daily basis and Romney almost never does. But that’s not because the media isn’t “covering Romney” or “spinning” it favorably, it’s because Romney has much better message discipline. Romney doesn’t give ridiculous speeches about moonbases, or talk about how his opponent is starving Holocaust survivors, or prattle on about the unfairness of debates, etc. etc. Gingrich does.
Esoteric on February 1, 2012 at 10:28 AM
Romney Media: Newt once again brings a scathing attack against Romney. It seems he is attacking capitalism as we know it and trying to bring our nation to it’s knees, what kind of anti-capitalist pig is Gingrich? Of course, Romney is a super awesome pro-capitalism person as evidenced by his ability to transfer money from one person’s pocket to his own, so Newt is completely off base! Counts as negative coverage of Romney. Newt shut the f^ck up! Newt is a disgusting peice of work for sure and this shows how desperate he is.
Romney Media: Romney brings a scathing attack againt Newt about his time as Speaker. It reminds voters why they hated him back then. Newt’s ethics charges shows that his is an immoral person, and his subsequent resignation under pressure proves he was guilty beyond any shadow of a doubt and a quitter to boot. Romney is so completely presidential when he goes on the offensive, he’s so dreamy!
astonerii on February 1, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Connie on February 1, 2012 at 10:32 AM
oops
This.
Also, Fox has begun to switch tactics now. After attempting to marginalize the Tea Party for the past few months, they’re trying to stroke them.
As for Michele Bachmann: Principles? What principles? I like Mitt’s money just as much as everyone else does.
Connie on February 1, 2012 at 10:35 AM
And these are the same people that want to make donations to candidates controlled by the government (public funding) and support campaign finance laws that quash free speech, nice litle scam they got going for them, what better way to control information.
clearbluesky on February 1, 2012 at 11:03 AM
So once again, we let the media pick our candidate.
CurtZHP on February 1, 2012 at 11:03 AM
Smoke, mirrors, and the marginal tax rate bait and switch…
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/11/10/its-about-more-than-marginal-t
ShadowsPawn on February 1, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Check out the foreground in the photo at the link. The photographer worked for that one.
kunegetikos on February 1, 2012 at 11:22 AM
Throughout the FL campaign Fox played endless clips of Gingrich repeating his lies about Romney without bothering to show a clip of Romney’s responses. They had Gingrich on every news and opinion show every day. People must have been complaining about it big time because they got sensitive about it in the past few days. Romney may have spent a ton of money but Gingrich is the one who got all the free air time.
Gingrich also got a lot of help from the unions and other liberal groups in FL because they are really worried about Romney.
Gingrich according the CNN exit polls lost just about every group of voters. Of course Fox pushed those 2 or 3 wins this morning. Only diehard evangelicals, ultra-conservatives, and strong tea party members went for Gingrich. Romney dominated all the other groups.
Bottom line is that Gingrich would have been toast in SC without his buddy John King serving up that great big opportunity for Gingrich to play the media bully. He is a one trick pony – a media bully. Add that to the fact that SC is an open primary state and there is no telling how many Republicans-for-a-day voters he had voting for him. For a person who has treated the women in his life the way he has and then parades his current meticulously made up wife around with him like some kind of trophy or what have you to win the women’s vote in supposedly conservative SC is incomprehensible to me. There is something funny about that. He lost the women’s vote in FL by a huge margin.
MadJayhawk on February 1, 2012 at 1:01 PM