Is Newt Gingrich "Electable"?

[Denny Crane]

the only way he'll be called Mr President, is if he self appoints himself President of the New Gingrich fan club.

The press wrote off his campaign early when his staff quit en masse. Now look at him.

 

[barfo]

Now look at him.

Do I have to? He's easily the least attractive candidate.

barfo

 

[barfo]

The robotic consistency of Romney's newfound conservatism does contrast sharply with Gingrich, who lurches between hysterical right-wing paranoia and bouts of bipartisanship. And yet the erratic character of Gingrich's swings suggests that they're unplanned, and thus that they spring from actual conviction, albeit momentary convictions. Gingrich actually believes what he is advocating at the moment he is advocating it. Nobody can plausibly say the same of Romney."

"Romney is the handsome swindler who plots to win your mother's heart and make off with her fortune. Gingrich is like the husband who periodically gets drunk and runs off to spend a week with a stripper in a low-rent motel but always comes home in the end. Which one would you rather see your mother marry?

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

The choice isn't binary. With Obama, you get the reckless spender who charges up your credit cards to the max, gets new cards and charges those up too, then leaves you the bills long after he's gone.

 

[BrianFromWA]

barfo

damn...you're kind of making me into a Gingrich guy.

 

[barfo]

damn...you're kind of making me into a Gingrich guy.

That's what I'm here for.

barfo

 

[MARIS61]

The choice isn't binary. With Obama, you get the reckless spender who charges up your credit cards to the max, gets new cards and charges those up too, then leaves you the bills long after he's gone.

That would be Bush. Every financial problem we're dealing with was initially caused by Bush.

Obama is the shady "credit-repair, debt-consolidation" guy that promises a way out but simply compounds (pun intended) your financial nightmare.

 

[chris_in_pdx]

Man I would hate to be a Socialist in this era.

There are no socialists in American government today. There are only moderate corporatists and hard core corporatists.

 

[chris_in_pdx]

That would be Bush. Every financial problem we're dealing with was initially caused by Bush.

Obama is the shady "credit-repair, debt-consolidation" guy that promises a way out but simply compounds (pun intended) your financial nightmare.

Obama is Hayes Barnhard from Paramount Equity?

 

[huevonkiller]

The prediction markets still say Mitt will win the nomination.

I think Mitt has the organization, and just enough friends to get this done. Newt's history is coming up more and more in the press.

 

[Denny Crane]

That would be Bush. Every financial problem we're dealing with was initially caused by Bush.

Obama is the shady "credit-repair, debt-consolidation" guy that promises a way out but simply compounds (pun intended) your financial nightmare.

Bush charged up one credit card, Obama charged up 10.

 

[barfo]

Leading Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has failed to meet the requirements to be in the presidential primary election in Virginia, where he resides, the state's Republican Party said.

Gingrich had been leading in a poll of Virginia voters and a spokesman for the former speaker of the House of Representatives defiantly pledged to run a write-in campaign for the March 6 vote. However, Virginia does not permit write-ins in primary elections, according to the state code.

How do you spell incompetent?

barfo

 

[huevonkiller]

Good, King Newt won't have a chance to run against King Obama.

 

[Denny Crane]

How do you spell incompetent?

barfo

O-b-a-m-a

 

[huevonkiller]

:O

 

[barfo]

O-b-a-m-a

Obama qualified for the Virginia primary.

barfo

 

[BrianFromWA]

Obama qualified for the Virginia primary.

barfo

and all the other 56 states'.

 

[barfo]

and all the other 56 states'.

People who doubt Obama's reelection chances aren't taking into account the fact that there are 7 states that the Republicans don't even know about.

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

Gingrich has little money and no ground organization per se. It's rather amazing that he's even where he is at this point.

 

[barfo]

Gingrich has little money and no ground organization per se. It's rather amazing that he's even where he is at this point.

And, he's certainly enough of a political insider to know what it means to have no money and no organization. So it follows that he's not so much running for president as just going off on a long and winding ego trip.

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

And, he's certainly enough of a political insider to know what it means to have no money and no organization. So it follows that he's not so much running for president as just going off on a long and winding ego trip.

barfo

I guess you can read minds, particularly his.

Perhaps anyone who runs for president is doing so for the ego trip.

My take is he is enough of a political insider to know to run a campaign that differentiates himself from the others running. Like he's the 1% and the others are the 99% (based upon money). Or that he fired just about his entire campaign staff (or they quit) early on because they didn't agree with how he wanted to run. Yet here he is, at or near the top of the polls.

 

[barfo]

I guess you can read minds, particularly his.

Hmm.

Perhaps anyone who runs for president is doing so for the ego trip.

Very likely.

My take is he is enough of a political insider to know to run a campaign that differentiates himself from the others running. Like he's the 1% and the others are the 99% (based upon money). Or that he fired just about his entire campaign staff (or they quit) early on because they didn't agree with how he wanted to run. Yet here he is, at or near the top of the polls.

I guess you can read minds, particularly his?

As for being at the top of the polls, do the names Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Herman Cain ring a bell?

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

Hmm.



Very likely.



I guess you can read minds, particularly his?

As for being at the top of the polls, do the names Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Herman Cain ring a bell?

barfo

I'm not reading his mind in any way, shape, or form - as you try to.

I'm just looking at what he's said and done. Those others you mention are all much better funded, so their options are different.

 

[barfo]

I'm not reading his mind in any way, shape, or form - as you try to.

That's pretty funny. You are reading his mind in exactly the same way as I am reading his mind.

I'm just looking at what he's said and done. Those others you mention are all much better funded, so their options are different.

My point was that being at the top of the polls is not a lasting achievement (and therefore not a meaningful achievement). Gingrich is already falling. Bye bye Newt.

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

That's pretty funny. You are reading his mind in exactly the same way as I am reading his mind.



My point was that being at the top of the polls is not a lasting achievement (and therefore not a meaningful achievement). Gingrich is already falling. Bye bye Newt.

barfo

Let's put it this way.

You have no money and no organization, and you don't even register in the polls.

Newt registers better in the polls than the entire list of names you mentioned, as well as Huntsman, Gary Johnson (who's now going to run as a Libertarian Party candidate), Buddy Roemer, and quite a few others.

Basically, all Newt's done is fire his staff and show up for the debates, yet here he is near the top of the polls.

He doesn't need to be on all 57 states' ballots to win the nomination, you know.

 

[barfo]

Let's put it this way.

You have no money and no organization, and you don't even register in the polls.

Newt registers better in the polls than the entire list of names you mentioned, as well as Huntsman, Gary Johnson (who's now going to run as a Libertarian Party candidate), Buddy Roemer, and quite a few others.

Basically, all Newt's done is fire his staff and show up for the debates, yet here he is near the top of the polls.

He doesn't need to be on all 57 states' ballots to win the nomination, you know.

You think he's going to win, Denny?

I've got a bridge for sale, in that case. Cheap!

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

You think he's going to win, Denny?

I've got a bridge for sale, in that case. Cheap!

barfo

I don't know if he will win. My guy is Paul, and he's been steady if not improving in the polls. Republicans don't like Romney, even though getting behind him early would almost assure victory. Maybe it will be a brokered convention.

The scenario for Newt is a win in Iowa, the New Hampshire and then it's southern states where Newt should do well. The flip side is he loses the first two and becomes irrelevant.

 

[barfo]

I don't know if he will win. My guy is Paul, and he's been steady if not improving in the polls. Republicans don't like Romney, even though getting behind him early would almost assure victory. Maybe it will be a brokered convention.

A brokered convention would be great fun; I hope I hope I hope it happens.

Paul has the same problem that Romney has - only a limited number of Republicans can stand him. What Romney's got that Paul doesn't is that the few that can stand Romney are influential, rather than fringe-y.

The scenario for Newt is a win in Iowa, the New Hampshire and then it's southern states where Newt should do well. The flip side is he loses the first two and becomes irrelevant.

Not sure what you were saying about NH, but Newt's certain to lose that.
Anyway with proportional delegates, winning early doesn't matter so much as staying in the race (as far as eventually being the nominee). Some of the dwarfs are going to run out of money. Romney and Paul and possibly Perry can stay in regardless, not sure the rest of them can keep going if they don't start winning. Maybe Newt will stay in in a low-budget way, but as Virginia shows, lack of money and organization can and will hurt him badly.

The answer is: no, Newt Gingrich is not "electable".

Yes, Virginia, there is a Newt Gingrich. Just not on the ballot.

barfo

 

[tlongII]

Unfortunately Obama will win the election and he'll win it easily. Bummer since he's done the worst job of any president in my lifetime.

 

[barfo]

Obama will win the election and he'll win it easily.

Correct. Triple points for acknowledging a reality that you don't like.

Bummer since he's done the worst job of any president in my lifetime.

Do you think President McCain would have done better? How, exactly? Or, maybe more relevantly, what would President Romney have done differently?

barfo