The More You Know Newt...

Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker
and would-be election thief

Can a politician have too much name recognition and publicity? Apparently, if the politician is pompous, self-serving, and generally dislikable, yes.

Based on increasingly negative polling trends, the best thing Newt Gingrich can do for his campaign is disappear from it.

As the Republican primary race has dragged on, Newt has had more than ample opportunity to share his vision for America (moon colony, anyone?), but the more he makes his case for the presidency, the further he gets from the Oval Office. Owing perhaps to the increased awareness of his role as spoiler at best, and election thief at worst, Gingrich's un-favorability rating has escalated from 58% in November, to 64% in February, to 71% by the first of April.

Gingrich should go into hiding now so that he might hold on to the embarrassing 21% favorability rating he has, which no doubt reflects the last of the far right-wing diehards who are still living the "Contract With America" dream from 1994.

Click the graphic to enlarge.

Related Posts: Bad Lip Reading With Newt

Newt Gingrich Can't Quit Because He Thinks Too Much of Himself

Photo: AP/ Jose Luis Magana

Imagine you're running for President of the United States of America.

After almost a full year of campaigning, you've won 2 of the 29 state primary contests, you've spent more cash than you raised, and you've admitted that it is mathematically impossible for you to amass the number of delegates needed to win your party's nomination.

What would you do?

Reasonable human beings would acknowledge that their ideas failed to adequately ignite the passions of voters, and that their campaign lacked the support and structure needed to win. Rational people would graciously step aside, and allow the electoral process to unfold naturally.

Pompous egomaniacal blowhards, however, would apparently take a different tact. They would forge ahead pointlessly, cutting their staff by one-third and reducing their campaign activity, while simultaneously shifting their focus to behind-the-scenes manipulation of the Republican political machine.

Newt Gingrich honestly believes he is one of a handful of politicians who can save America, one of the few who is smart enough, skilled enough, and tough enough to see us through the next four years. He thinks his answers are better than anyone else's, and what's more, he is likely stunned that the rest of us can't see that. Newt cares too darned much about this great nation of ours to let it fail, or so he thinks.

In light of Gingrich's ongoing delusions of grandeur, I think it's time for an intervention. I think it's time for Newt to take someone else's advice, for a change. The time has come for Newt to get a heavy dose of the truth, whether he likes it or not.

The reality is the former House Speaker is delusional and sad. He is an arrogant and egomaniacal man, who in the face of a fair and honest beatdown at the hands of Mitt Romney, is holding out hope against all odds that he can steal the Presidency of the United States. And when his efforts to cheat his way into the White House are unsuccessful, he will secretly wish us all a fast trip to Hell in a handbasket, and pity us for our ignorance in not recognizing him as our own best chance at survival. So be it.

Give it up, Newt. Your time has come and gone long ago, and no one wants to play with you. Pack up your toys and your bloated bag of big ideas, and just go home.

2012 - Most Important Election of Our Lifetime?

Winner of the actual "most
important election" of my lifetime

After a robust spanking in the Florida primary on Tuesday, Newt Gingrich took the stage to deliver his concession speech, and he told a crowd of supporters the 2012 election is the "most important election" of our lifetime.

Really? I don't think so, Newt.

As I recall, that's exactly how Democrats felt about the election in 2004, and we were right. Democrats desperately feared the impact of four more years of President Bush, and history has proven those fears to be justified.

We lost the 2004 election to GWB, and as a result: we saw our government continue to mismanage an illegal and unjust war, we exploded our national debt, we experienced a devastating housing bubble, and we saw the near collapse of our financial industry. All of this together resulted in the worst period of American economic recession in eight decades.

So is 2012 the most important election in our lifetimes? Nope. The 2004 election was and we blew it.

Turn of Phrase - Newt Tells the Truth

"I don't think I'm going to win."


- Newt Gingrich, demonstrating an amazing grasp of the obvious (and a surprising willingness to speak the truth) with respect to how he expects to finish in today's Iowa caucus.


Gingrich went on to blame the onslaught of Super Pac funded negative ads (which many would argue tell the truth about Newt) for his decline in the polls.


Related Post: Romney's Baggage Ads Annoy Newt 

Anti-Obama Zeal Fuels Romney Success

The number one priority for conservative Republicans has never been ensuring a presidential victory for Mitt Romney. Luckily for the front running candidate, ensuring the defeat of President Obama, the idea which does sit atop the Republican "to do" list, has proven to be just as beneficial for him.

After months of confrontation from candidates whose campaigns each eventually sped off a cliff with Wile E. Coyote certainty, it looked as though veteran politician Newt Gingrich might finally mount a challenge to Romney that had some staying power. Each of the other flavors-of-the-month fizzled as quickly as Republican voters actually got to know them, but with most of his dirty laundry having been aired years ago, Newt had the potential to present a different kind of opposition to Romney. Nonetheless, the latest polls out of Iowa now show Romney beginning to solidify and even increase his lead once again.

With other GOP candidates having squandered their opportunities, Newt capitalized on the ongoing lack of Romney enthusiasm and a few successful debate performances to boost his lackluster campaign. But now, with just a little help from a few negative ads that Romney is running, Republicans have been shaken back to their senses, remembering two critical details: (1) Newt is a relentless, uncooperative, and selfish dick. (2) Newt cannot beat Obama.

The first fact, regarding Newt's erectile personality, could be reluctantly ignored by a Republican electorate that is reaching "Ron Paul is for real" levels of desperation, but the second fact simply cannot be overlooked.

For right-wing Tea Party types, President Obama is (literally) Satan incarnate. Somehow, a President who headed off a second recession and brought steady economic progress, who facilitated undeniable improvements in job growth, who ended the Iraq war, who enabled our forces to kill dozens of top Al Qaeda leaders (including Osama), and who has led the nation differently (instead of just divisively) has become President Evil.

The defeat of Obama is paramount for far-right Republicans. If Newt can't beat him, then no matter how flip-floppy and closet-liberal he is, Mitt Romney will be the Republican candidate of choice by virtue of his stature as the most realistically electable.

Bad Lip Reading with Newt Gingrich

It's been a few weeks since we posted anything from the folks at Bad Lip Reading (BLR). They've just published the Newt Gingrich edition of their video gimmickry, and at the risk of Newt overload on the blog today, it's too funny not to share.

BLR videos work best when you are not familiar with the voice of the candidate, so I fully expected this one to be lame since we all know how Newt sounds. But as soon as I saw Newt say - "I will strip for wildflowers and a basket of peaches" - I knew it was going to be just fine.

Enjoy the Newt video here.

Romney's "Baggage" Ads Annoy Newt

I'm writing this post mostly because, like Mitt Romney, I'm interested in anything that will piss off Newt Gingrich. Romney and his Super Pac supporters have "gone negative" against Gingrich with their latest campaign ads in Iowa, and the former Speaker of the House has been whining non-stop about it.

From what I can ascertain, the former Speaker's complaints are not rooted in concerns over campaign ethics (Newt has no professional ethics legs to stand on), nor are there issues with making the campaign personal (Newt has no actual feelings to protect). Instead, Newt's opposition to Romney's negative media burst must stem from more practical concerns, like the ad campaign's effectiveness and Gingrich's declining poll numbers in Iowa.

Romney's response to Gingrich's vociferous objections to the negative ads is a simple that one I can support - Tough sh*t, Mr. Speaker.

I kind of enjoy the ads, but you can evaluate one of them for yourself. I give you "Baggage," starring Newt Gingrich.

(Oh yeah, gay people...no need to waste your time watching this ad. Mr. Gingrich has already provided your marching orders. Just vote for Obama.)

Newt Tells Gay Iowa Man to Vote for Obama

Photo: USA Today

A gay college professor in Iowa asked Newt Gingrich how he would engage the gay community if he were elected President.

Gingrich, who is not known for his tact, diplomacy, or internal editorial ability, simply told the man he should vote for President Obama.

It's astonishing to realize that Gingrich has so little regard for the GLBT community that he can simply dismiss gay voters. The underlying message his response sends to gay and lesbian people about what they could expect from a Gingrich presidency is clear - you aren't voting for me anyway, and I have no plans to support you or your causes.

On the plus side, his candor is refreshing and everyone knows where he stands.

Rise and Fall of the Anti-Romneys

Newt Gingrich

The anti-Romney shooting star pattern we have seen with Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Herman Cain has been so consistent that it's practically become a predictable scientific phenomenon.

I stumbled on this very clever interactive graph of polling data that demonstrates the trend perfectly.

The remaining question is whether Newt, the most recent contender in the Republican field to twinkle, has enough staying power to present a real challenge. I'm hoping he follows the pattern and flames out like the rest within a few weeks of his peak, so that former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman's star may finally have a chance to rise.  Given the opportunity, Huntsman will stand tall over the intellectual dwarfism of his peers and demonstrate what a legitimately qualified candidate actually looks like.

Of course, armed with only his incredibly relevant experience and his intellect and good sense, and in the absence of the non-stop foaming-at-the-mouth ideological rhetoric that seems essential to gaining the approval of the far right wing, I doubt Huntsman will garner enough support to pose a serious threat to Romney.

Here's wishing on a star...