Saturday, January 28, 2012

Newtlear Gingrich and GOP Toxicity


The GOP has a real problem. A toxic problem that poisons Republicans. His name is Newtlear Gingrich. Having been thoroughly trounced by Mitt Romney in the last Florida debates, Newt Gingrich has showed the electorate just how small he really is by accusing the former Massachusetts Governor in typical Gingrich hyperbole of "the most blatantly dishonest performance by a presidential candidate I've ever seen". He went on twisting facts by suggesting that the Mitt Romney campaign stacked the audience with Romney supporters to which the Florida GOP has refuted completely. Remember this is the same Newt Gingrich who threatened to boycott the last debate if the audience was not allowed to express itself citing freedom of speech. Apparently, Newt Gingrich only believes in freedom of speech when they are cheering for him and jeering at his opponents. Classic demagoguery!
As the polls show a strong Romney surge in Florida, Newt has gone critical and the nuclear meltdown that the GOP has been predicting is upon us once more. This is Newton's second atomic meltdown within the last month and his third in this campaign cycle. The first occurred this summer when, while in the middle of a campaign, Newt inexplicably took off with wife number three for a pleasure cruise to the Mediterranean. By the time he returned his disillusioned campaign staff had abandoned him for more disciplined candidates. The GOP thought that would send the rotund Napoleon packing for home and his lucrative lobbying firm. We were wrong. Meltdown number two occurred after going from the front runner to the back of the pack in Iowa and New Hampshire. Blaming the new front runner (Mitt Romney) for his implosion, Mr. Gingrich sunk his fangs into the "inevitable" Romney and his slanderous, venomous attacks combined with his demagogic debate performances turned the tides in South Carolina just long enough for them to rally behind the new populist anti-capitalist Newt Gingrich. Now just a mere eight days after his landslide victory in the Palmetto state we are seeing his numbers again fall through the floor after a series of gaffes, poor debates, and new revelations.

On this the third meltdown of Mr. Gingrich we see the toxic candidate falling back on his reliable stradegy of misinformation, pious self-righteous indignation, and slander as he continues his assault on Mr. Romney for his tax rate, his lack of understanding the "human condition" due to his fidelity, his stock portfolio, his jobs record, his dog, his immigration policy, his wealth, his private equity background, his supposed "dishonesty", and even his French. If Mr. Gingrich could lift a kitchen sink he most certainly would hurl it at the former governor.
Mr. Gingrich has become toxic to the GOP. He resembles the DNC and the President in his scathing attacks against conservative values and principals. Mr. Gingrich can't seem to help himself or should I say Mr. Gingrich's ego won't allow him to concede a single point or election result. Some have said that his concession speeches in Iowa and New Hampshire were perhaps some of the worst concession speeches in living memory and were certainly without class or any connection to reality. In his bitterness and resentment towards anyone that gets between him and the nomination, Mr. Gingrich has, in his uncontrollable wrath, attacked the very pillars of conservatism and the Republican party. It has become a scorched earth campaign. If he can't have it no one will!
The question is how long will this go on? I see Mr. Gingrich going all the way to the convention hoping for a populist uprising against the delegates choice. The problem is there may not be a party by the time Newt's radioactivity has been allowed to spread from state to state, loss to loss, and broadcasted for all to hear. Mr. Gingrich should abandon his outrageous leftist rhetoric or drop out all together if and when he looses in Florida. If he should continue to espouse the views of the so called "occupy" movement and the President I would hope that his support dries up and the sensationalist rhetoric that the media will certainly continue to broadcast will fall on deaf ears. We must reject this toxic candidate and rally behind our GOP champion after Florida. We must show resolve and we must send a message that criticisms of our defining principles and values are not tolerated by one of our own so called standard bearers.
Part of the problem that the GOP has been facing the last several years has been managing expectations. Too many republicans have fallen into the erroneous idea that there is a perfect candidate with a perfect record and one that lines up perfectly on all our own views and on top of all that has the ability to win the White House in a general election. The GOP should remember that our tent is very large and is home to all conservatives, most independents, and many disaffected democrats. To make the tent smaller and cater to only the most extreme part of the party is to commit political suicide and abandon government to a more compromising left of center coalition which is where we are today. Newt Gingrich's polarizing effect would lead to a smaller tent where angry white men go to chuck bombs at the opposition. We have never been that party and we hopefully never will be. We are the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. We are the party of the majority because the majority want economic prosperity and increased freedom.

Compromise has become a dirty word in some parts of the conservative movement. Compromise is the very essence of government and republican ideals however. Without the Great Compromise of 1787 the colonies would never have untied and the war of independence would have failed as states would have fractioned into multiple uncooperative confederacies. Fort Sumter was the result of South Carolina's inflexibility after the 1860 elections and it cost half a million US lives. I can't help but point out that South Carolina's election results demonstrate a persistent lack of compromise of the Palmetto state. Instead of supporting one of the other 3 "electable" candidates, South Carolina enabled a mob and a toxic candidate that has the ability to significantly hurt the RNC with his outlandish attacks on the very pillars of conservatism. While it may be just rhetoric to Mr. Gingrich to discredit his chief competitor, his controversial statements have sparked discussions about the "fairness" of capitalism. In an atmosphere when middle America and the "rich" are being offered up as the answer to government fiscal gluttony this is not a subject a serious candidate should be flirting with.

I am not saying that the GOP needs to compromise but we have to keep in mind that we need to win the White House first and the house and senate through attrition. A president is the first piece we can put in play and a rallying point for more conservative legislatures to contend for senate and house seats in the by-elections. Upon taking back the executive branch the new GOP president can start to slash government spending and entitlement programs, eliminate overly restrictive regulations, and cap, cut, and balance the budget. Consequently the economy will see significant growth which will be the means to convert many to the principals of conservatism, the free market economy, and meritocracy. This in turn will create the atmosphere for a vast republican takeover of all branches of government. Finally after making large gains in the house and senate the most conservative representatives can build coalitions and argue for the items we did not impose upon our presidential candidate which enabled him/her to win in the general election in the first place to kick off the overall GOP agenda.

The White House is just one part of a bigger goal of the GOP and the only way to get back to a more pure form of government and one that the founders would still recognize. Therefore it is in the best interest of the GOP to not push candidates to adopt the most controversial aspects of the far right agenda to allow for the largest tent possible that will encompass a majority alliance. While the base of our party agrees that those principals are important to conservatism, the presidency is not a dictatorship and must learn to compromise with the house and senate leaders for the government to function and the more inroads a GOP president can make the better. Stringent campaign promises and inflexible positions only weaken our ultimate nominee.
President Obama has adopted the divisiveness of extreme presidential politics excluding many independent voters and some democrats. In the spirit of James Madison and the founding fathers that were part of the Great Compromise of 1787 we too should be prepared for a president to compromise with the senate and house majorities. As long as our candidate is fiscally conservative, defense oriented, and representative of republican values we can use him or her to declare a national rallying point for a larger more sustainable conservative government that will be won through gradual attrition. Remember that this year it is all about the economy stupid. If we continue on that theme and we don't let the President divert the conversation with peripheral points of disagreement the White House is ours to lose.

So lets not let the toxicity of Newt Gingrich and some of the fringes most uncompromising republicans influence the race to the point where our nominee is forced to take ever more rigid position to appease the base of the party at the expense of the general election and the White House. This is just the begging and we need to keep the heat on Barak Obama and his failed policies and not be distracted by the absurd attacks from Mr. Gingrich on our own sacred pillars of free marks, capitalism, meritocracy, and private property. There is simply too much at stake.

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25 comments:

Terrye said...

Ideologues do not have to compromise, but every now and then a politician does. The idea that any compromise is betrayal is just ridiculous.

However, Gingrich has managed to get the support of people like Sarah Palin who always rail against compromise, while at the same time being an example of a politician who not only compromises but actually sells out. Over and over again.

That is what is so disheartening about all this...to see Sarah Palin on TV prattling on about how the so-called "establishment" is using Alinskey style attacks on poor baby Newt. Gag me..I mean really...she was the VP candidate for the GOP. Gingrich was the Republican Speaker of the House..they are the establishment. They use the GOP, exploit it and rail against it at the same damn time.

Anytime she and Newtie and their fan club want to leave and start their own damn party..fine with me..don't let the door hit you on your ass on your way out honey..they don't have to take part in the GOP debates..oh hell no, they can debate themselves in their own forum. Jump right in there.

I mean come on, if Newt Gingrich can not stand up to Romney without crying like a little girl what would Obama to do him?

Doug NYC GOP said...

Terrye

I think there will be very few comments which will be as succicnt as yoours.

The post nd the above comment nail it.

Palin needs to go away....not that anyone is really listening to her.

Anonymous said...

@ Terrye, excellent comment, no need for me to expand. @ Doug, I agree, Sarah does need to go away the group that's listening to her is very small and rabid without a single thought of their own.

dd

Anonymous said...

Agree with all of the above. Well said, everyone.

The longer Newt is in this race, the more he hurts everyone--from the nominee on down. Hopefully, he will go away and we will have a few months to recover. But I don't think Democrats and independents are going to easily forget how stupid Republicans have been behaving.

-Martha

Machtyn said...

The problem is that this is the behavior and attack style we had expected from Obama. Essentially, Newt has taken one point of attack away from .the GOP by not allowing us to say we take the high road of prosperity.

Alan said...

Santorum will eventually pull out, but Romney supporters will have to live with Paul and Gingrich until the convention. Romney will win Florida, but Gingrich's ego will not allow him to bow out gracefully. He will be the Newtron bomb because he loathes Romney. His hate grows visibly stronger day by day. It's hard to say whether he would go third party, but his hate of Romney and love of self may send him over the edge, no matter if it guarantees Obama's reelection.

Publius Nemo said...

Sarah Palin is just the sort of fringe republican that I am talking about. She is a coward. She has sent her husband to endorse Newt Gingrich and said that in South Carolina she would vote for Newt but is still withholding an official endorsement. She is a politician in the worst sense of the term and has cashed in on her "civic service" as has Newt Gingrich. She appeased the most radical part of the party with her verbose rhetoric but turned off 75% of the national electorate destroying John McCain's electability and now she wants to be a part of the Newtron bombs toxicity. This woman needs to read (that's a laugh) her former running mates book, "Why Courage Matters" and back Newt or shut up. She is simply trying to sway the party without risking her own political comeback which she thinks will either be alongside Newt or in 2016. Turn her off and exclude her like the pariah she is. Greed, ego, and ambition has run it's course on the Palin disaster.

Terrye said...

Lionhead...I am not rabid. I am not the one who is going on TV and running my mouth about Alinskey tactics and all manner of paranoid and hysterical nonsense.

Machtyn said...

The one thing I know is that Romney didn't start sinking with Independents until Gingrich and his SPAC starting hitting Romney with "King of Bain" and "Blood Money" style attacks.

Sure, you could claim that this needed to come out now before the GE, but it violates the so-called Reagan Commandment. The thing is, Romney was completely prepared for these attacks. That he has to get these out during the Republican Primary is a little blind-siding. I mean, if the Republican voters fall for "King of Bain" and "Blood Money", tell me, what is the difference between the GOP and the DNC. Pro-Life and Pro-Gun? That's about it. Family Values? Nope. Fiscal responsibility? Nope (not with moon bases, VA hospitals, etc, etc.) Foreign Policy? Not really - we all essentially agree that we need to pull out of the Middle East.

Publius Nemo said...

Lionhead has let his bias totally distort the meaning of this post. I believe that Newt Gingrich is the only toxic candidate of the remaining 4 and the only unacceptable candidate when there were 9. Newt's primary concern has and always will be Newt himself. He tears down consensus and attacks the fundamentals of capitalism adding fuel to the DNC fire. Is that not so? I think it is delusion at best that you believe Newt will jump on the peace and reconciliation train just as he has begun a new tirade on republican principals. That is the whole point of this post! Did you not understand that? He is toxic and will not concede defeat and everyday that he stays in to spew forth his fiery diatribes against our conservative values is a victory for the DNC and the President. Do you really not see that or have you succumbed to demagoguery and mob like irrationality? For the record the tea party is not the problem...Newtron bombs toxicity is the problem.

Terrye said...

Publius..over at Hot Air they have a post up right now talking about how this works for Palin politically..etc..they don't say this is the right thing to do or the best thing to do or that it will help defeat Obama or anything else..they simply state that jumping on the Newt bandwagon {sort of} and railing against the establishment is a good tactic for Palin. I happen to think they are wrong, but it is interesting that even the far right thinks of Palin's behavior as a sort of tactic..not a call of duty or the right thing to do.

Lionhead said...

Publius Nemo, your posting speaks for itself. What you have said reveals your bias' against Newt. You have declared him as the "toxic candidate." I don't think any professional of Romney would go after him in the fashion you've done.

He's likely the loser in FL. What more do you want man, a quart of blood or his head on a pike outside Mitt's campaign headquarters? You show him no respect for any of his accomplishments & you alienate the 30% +/- voters that support him. Romney will need ever one of those votes to defeat Obama.

Then you go on to attack Palin, her husband & me.

"Do you really not see that or have you succumbed to demagoguery and mob like irrationality?"

Really, demagoguery & mob like irrationality? You're daft man. Sorry Publius, I don't do ad hominem attacks on anyone including you.

Now, for the record, I will be voting for Rick Santorum on Tuesday. I fully expect he will loose the Primary, but I will support him on principal. He has gone back home & Ron Paul has left to go to Maine, both knowing they will loose here.

They no doubt will receive concessions from the GOP for their efforts. Newt is smart enough to know when he should stop. There's no need to isolate & demonize him. Enough!

Publius Nemo said...

Lionhead, My only premise here to support the GOP principals of free market economy, meritocracy, and capitalism. I do not want to alienate anyone. Like I said the tent is big. It stops at anti-capitalis rhetoric however. I hope you are right and Newt will slow the attacks on GOP principals. I will laude him. He has a right to go after Mitt Romney on record and policy but the "rich fat cat" and "pays to low of a tax rate" is bad for everyone right of center. I think Santorum is an excellent vote and I would support him as the nominee 100% and I hope he has a terrific showing on Tuesday. He has not used leftist attacks to bludgeon the front runners and has my total respect as does Ron Paul, Herman Cain, and others that have not dipped into the anti-capitalist well. I offer this comment as an olive branch of peace to my noble GOPer Lionhead. Thanks for all the comments. E Plurbius Unum.

Lionhead said...

Publius, thank you & I accept it. We have found common ground. Now on to defeat the Marxist/Socialists!

Anonymous said...

Ive said it before and Ill say it again, Palin is all about Palin, she doesnt give a damn about Gingrich, she is supporting him so that he can go on and lose to Obama and then she will be ready by 2016. She doesnt want Romney because Romney has a chance to beat Obama and if he does, it hampers her 2016 chances.

Publius Nemo said...

Amen Brother Lionhead!

Terrye said...

Lionhead...oh come on..what bias? Why is it when people savage Romney they are supposedly just speaking the truth, but when Gingrich or any other candidate gets some push back..it is called bias.

I am not biased against Gingrich...I just think he is a crook. It has nothing to do with bias. It is my opinion..last time I looked I had a right to my own opinion.

Terrye said...

Publius, Santorum is way better than Gingrich that is for sure, but he has not been honest in some of his attacks against Romney and he has not had to deal with some of the attacks that the other candidates have suffered. After all, his record is not perfect either..but then again, there is no perfect.

Adam said...

Publius Nemo,

Are you Matt "MWS" from Race. You write exactly like he does?

Publius Nemo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ohio JOE said...

"Palin needs to go away" Ah no, Mr. Romney is the one who needs to go away. He is not any more honest than Mr. Gingrich.

Ohio JOE said...

"Sure, you could claim that this needed to come out now before the GE, but it violates the so-called Reagan Commandment." Mr. Romney already violated it long ago.

"The thing is, Romney was completely prepared for these attacks" Oh no he was not. His pants were completely down.

Publius Nemo said...

Ohio Joe. You are right. Mitt Romney was not prepared for attacks against capitalism, free markets, and low taxes. You hit the proverbial nail squarely on the head! That is an attack right out of the playbook of the President and the extreme left. You speak of the eleventh commandment but failed to mention that the greatest sacrilege in the GOP is to attack the republican principals of low taxes, free markets, and capitalism. You have highlighted the problem with Newt Gingrich right now. Take that rhetoric out and he is welcome to come back in the tent from the political no man's land he's wandered into. It isn't Newt personally but his leftist attacks that makes him unsuitable. We even allow for his past indiscretions because we don't demand a perfect past. It should greatly concern all GOPers. As for Romney, Paul, and Santorum they would all be suitable GOP nominees. I liked Perry too until he dipped his cup into this leftist well. Newt has probably crossed the invisible line in his rhetoric for this year. The funny thing is he believes in the GOP principals as much as the other candidates but he let his desire to be the nominee get in the way and hurt the party to go for the front runners jugular. It's a real shame for such a provocative unconventional thinker. I hope he gets back in line and fights for conservative principals and values. This isn't a Mitt or nothing post. It just so happens that Newts attacks have been hurled at what he sees as Mitt's Achilles heel. Obama would agree with him and should Mitt Romney win the nomination we will be defending him against similar leftist attacks against low taxes, capitalism, and free market economy. I hope you can concede that those attacks are counter predictive. Thanks for your comments.

Unknown said...

Can we get a cartoon of Newt, with at least one of his wives, floating in space on a weightless-honeymoon, since during the 90's he mentioned space vacations, including honeymoon excursions that would offer "interesting possibilities", reminding one of a Roman Emperor said to swim in a pool, with slightly similar objectives.

Unknown said...

Ok. I have to admit--i'm a guy-- I like the idea of a honeymoon in space. But the government shouldn't be in that business. If "the Donald" can make it pay.., well, in that case, I'm all in.