It’s easy to dismiss the Gingrich surge as just the next flavor of the week. Two reasons why he may last longer than the others: First, 43 percent of his supporters say they’re with him for the long haul, which is substantially higher than the numbers for the two other frontrunners (see the McClatchy link below). And second…where else could Republicans possibly go from here? The only three left in the race who haven’t had their 15 minutes are Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum. Which means if Gingrich fails his audition, there’s pretty much only one viable candidate left waiting in the wings.
Here are the polls that are undoubtedly giving Rick Santorum room for hope. First, McClatchy:
— Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, 23 percent;
—Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, 19 percent;
—Cain, the former restaurant executive, 17 percent;
And the CBS News poll:
The field of Republican candidates now has three candidates within striking distance of each other at the top of the list: with 18 percent, Herman Cain is in the top spot, followed by Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich with 15% each. Support for both Cain and Romney has declined since late last month, and Gingrich is the only one of the top three whose support is steadily – if slowly – on the upswing.
While Cain still leads in the CBS News poll, there are plenty of signs that he’s on the downswing. His support among women has plummeted from 28 percent to 15 percent in the last month, and he’s lost conservative and Tea Party backers. Most Republicans are still sticking by Cain, with 60 percent saying the allegations won’t impact their vote. But 30 percent say the scandal makes them less likely to support him.
It's looking good for Romney now even if he is not an ideal candidate. He is more "middle of the road" and he has more charisma.
I mostly like Gingrich. He's intelligent, articulate, well read, well informed on domestic and foreign policy issues. He is also tough and cuts through the BS. He's habit of speaking frankly (among other things) has earned him enemies over his long career in government. Of course, he is considered the anti-Christ by liberals and the media (*redundant*), because he is a conservative with a brain. Nothing scares them more… n nLast election cycle, I was hoping we would have a Clinton-Gingrich show down. Both were polarizing figures for the opposite party. Both were intelligent and capable of handling the duties of president. Both were committed to the driving ideas of their side of the political spectrum. I hoped such a match up would bring about a much needed, and heated, debate about the direction of our society – with a vote to determine which path we clearly wanted to take. n nSuch a debate still needs to happen – even more so now. And I still believe Gingrich is the candidate out of this field who can best articulate and fight for conservative ideas/policies. n nOf course, nominating Gingrich means that it will energize the media and liberal opposition even more than they will naturally be one a Republican has won the nomination. Again, they view an intelligent conservative as pure evil – just as they loathe with a passion any minority or woman who dares to gain popularity as a conservative. n nI think the Republican party needs to fight back hard against the media's attempt to define who is and isn't electable.
Gingrich, eh? so the GOP is determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, are they? Newt is very bright, I give him that. but as we've seen with our current "smartest president ever," sometimes that's overrated. more importantly, Gingrich can't beat Obama, in my considered opinion, because independents don't like him and Democrats will be actively frightened into getting out to the polls and voting against him. n na bad choice all around. I still want Chris Christie to change his mind (I'm a hopeless romantic) but failing that, Romney is the best bet for regime change in the White House. and that has to be the first priority.