Is Gingrich Going to Blow the GOP Nomination?

[Flummoxed Lummox]

After seizing all the momentum in South Carolina, Gingrich has been less than impressive in the Florida debates. The GOP establishment is firing all guns at him now. Will he win Florida or is he just the latest in a long line of anti-Romney flavors of the month?

Discuss amongst yourselves.

[Dementia_Madness]

For what it's worth, as far as I can tell from our current list of nominees, based on the forerunners, the ONLY way Obama will lose his re-election is if HE BLOWS it himself. I could be wrong, but Romney cannot beat him...and Newt, though he could under different circumstances, the damage being done to him by republicans is enough for Dems to ride the wave IF he was to win the nomination. Paul is simply the "anything but" guy and when it comes to republicans that simply isn't good enough.

This is what should have happened, Republican candidates should have all got together, before they ran, assessed their strengths and weaknesses and then chosen three candidates to run, on mutual agreement to not run any negative adds, simply state their cases what they ran for and let the people decide, that way when it came down to it, they could choose the #2 guy as VP and form a stronger "Union". Stop doing the democrats and medias job for them....in fact make it harder by standing together and behind each-other and EVEN IF you hate each other at least act respectful and honorable towards one another. WE need a candiate of "YES" rather than "NO"...and a positive beginning will make it easier to continue on a positive path...if you start from the negative, you either keep going more in that direction, or at least have to make your way to zero before you can ever hope to get to plus.

[NCVol]

Early on it sure seemed like there was a gentleman's agreement between the candidates to keep from really hitting Romney.  A couple of times the moderators lobbed these gigantic softballs to the other candidates and they just refused to play along.  Most of the negative Romney ads at that time came from democratic groups aligned with Obama.  I haven't heard, but I'm guessing there's no need for democrats to run them anymore... 

Kind of funny but when Newt had his first spike, a librul commenter who is often really accurate was ecstatic about it because he predicted Newt was enough of a narcissist to begin relentlessly hitting Romney, to heck with the consequences for the general!! Seems to be about right, or else some big money just decided they weren't sure ROMNEY had any chance.  But there sure seemed to be a big shift, from the other candidates seemingly playing for VP, to where Romney is being hit pretty hard from the right. 

[MRM]

Newt did not have an inside track to locking up the GOP nomination despite what the media has said since the SC primary. He won one state, a neighboring state. He should win that state just like Romney should have won NH.

DM, I've said all along that Obama will win in November because of the lack of quality in the field this year. I'm still not sure why the best of the best within the GOP decided not to run this time. But I also think if this country is continue down the path of doom that will lead to other events in the world, Obama is the right person to be in charge to continue us down that path.

It just amazes me most Republican voters want a true conservative with strong religious ties and strong convictions similar to their own and yet there's one candidate there that best matches their criteria, yet they're not giving him a serious look. And I'm talking about Rick Santorum. I guess since he isn't a "big name", they won't give him a serious look. I guess they feel a "big name" is the only thing that will beat Obama. How did that work in '08? Was Bill Clinton a "big name" when the Democrats started looking his way in '92? No. Many of the GOP voters have been jaded by star power instead of seriously looking at the candidate(s) that best represents them.

[Dementia_Madness]

It just amazes me most Republican voters want a true conservative with strong religious ties and strong convictions similar to their own and yet there's one candidate there that best matches their criteria, yet they're not giving him a serious look.

It's because the establishment knows that IF that ever happened the "Party" (no not political as in dem rep) will be over.

[Jeremy Roenick]

DM, I completely agree with you points.

Obama is going to win re-election, because there is a growing number of former Republicans (like myself) that have grown weary of the party not getting the message.  And the message is we don't want any more McCain/Romney/Newt lobbyist establishment types being billed as our "salvation" from the democrats.

If either Romney or Newt is the party's candidate, I will be voting third party and I'm sure a growing number (compared to '08) will be joining me.

[Dementia_Madness]

I will not vote for Romney or Paul...I am on the fence about Newt. He has a checkered past but so do we all, David was a murderer, Paul/Saul hunted down Christians, we are all flawed, the question is what flaws can we live with in a leader and what ones can we not, and if people can change (which they can with God) do they change or are they simply telling us what we want to hear?

[Sasquatch]

At first I was for Paul, but some of his views, especially foreign policy, are just plain loony.

I don't know what I will do if it is Romney or Newt, which apparently it will be. I like Santorum, but he doesn't have a snowball's chance. I am still holding out hope that someone else will get in, although I know it is too late.

I honestly think you could dig up Reagan, and he would do a better job than Obama.

In the end I guess we as a country are screwed. It was a good run though.

[Charleston]

The Republican Party is killing itself this primary season and will not recover.  IMO, Newt has thrown in the towel and has tanked purposely in the debates this week after the multiple high profile attacks on him.  The aggravating part about the attacks is former POTUS losers like McCain and Dole have been pulled from hibernation to join in and kill the momentum created by the American people last week.  McCain the loser would not attack Obama 4 years ago but he is attacking a member from his own party this week.

[MRM]

I like Santorum, but he doesn't have a snowball's chance.

If people would actually put aside that feeling and try to drum up support for him by talking to friends, family, co-workers, etc., he could see that boost and pass those two. People don't trust Newt and they've never fully backed Romney. So if you're not for either one, get behind someone else instead of this "I don't think he could win" train of thought. If enough people get together, anything can happen.

[NCVol]

I don't like any of the GOP candidates, obviously (except for on some issues RP), but IMO, Santorum is just a lightweight.  Plus he has that "google" problem, and he lost his last election by 18 points, an all time record for a republican sitting Senator! 

[NCVol]

At first I was for Paul, but some of his views, especially except for his views on foreign policy, are just plain loony.

Edited, and I agree!!! 

Seriously, that's where I think he's most sane of all.  Kind of a fundamental difference it seems.... 

Where I think he's crazy is his deluded faith in the "free market" to solve all ills.  For example, he believes if we allow Exxon to pollute all they want, we as individuals can just sue them for violating our property rights and that will prevent pollution!! 

Sounds fine, except it's delusional.  Among other things, the benefit of polluting (shifting costs of production to the broader public, aka a negative externality) is massive and accrues almost entirely to the polluter who has a gigantic incentive to continue shoving off his costs onto the broader public, while the incremental cost or harm per person is very small, but cumulatively large.  And so the polluter can and will bring massive resources to fight any restraint, but each "victim" cannot match those resources since the potential reward, his or her personal damage, is so small.  So you'd have to massively encourage class action lawsuits, which are just as flawed a method of checking pollution as regulations, and less effective.  Which is, of course, why we HAVE environmental regulations, since the court based approach objectively, in real life, in this reality based world, FAILED.  And it's simply easier to regulate negative externalities than to pretend the court system can effectively or efficiently address them, in the real world.