Monday, July 12, 2010
The former Speaker
Newt Gingrich has informed the AP that he is considering a run for the presidency in 2012.
This calls for a TigerHawk poll. Considering all of the strengths and weaknesses of the former congressman from Georgia, what say you?
11 Comments:
By 
Kinuachdrach, at
Mon Jul 12, 09:28:00 PM:
Newt should become a Democrat and run against Obama. Democrat presidential voters don't look at the candidate, just at the Party label. (Check Democrat votes cast -- not percentages -- since Watergate).
The rest of us are Hoping for Change. Rage Against the Machine -- and Newt is an insider, part of the Washington Machine that has failed us all. Newt has no chance in a Republican primary.
He would be better sticking to writing novels.
By JPMcT, at
Mon Jul 12, 10:22:00 PM:
I met Newt once at a fund raiser before the Obama election. He is a VERY bright man and I think he would make a great president...if he had to pass an entrance examination and not an election.
Unfortunately, he has been "Palinized" by the media. He has also not helped himself much with the Republican base by some of his positions on Climate and Immigration.
He might squeak by as a Vice-Pres candidate, but I think that people are all too familiar with his weaknesses and will never learn of his strengths. He can't win.
By 
, at
Mon Jul 12, 11:20:00 PM:
Newt is of low moral character. His conduct with the women who became his former wives has been reprehensible.
By Rohan, at
Tue Jul 13, 02:18:00 AM:
I think overall it would be less effective. Newt Gingrich seems to be a good conservative candidate, but he'll always be paired with Bill Clinton in the public's mind.
So if he runs, that gives his opponent a chance to cloak himself in Clinton's mantle. Clinton is/was rather popular, and I think that offering the Democrats a golden opportunity to play on Clinton nostalgia would be a tactical mistake for the Republicans.
By , at
Tue Jul 13, 10:27:00 AM:
We need a leader, not a philosopher king.
Newt is past his sell-by date, as a candidate. He has too much baggage.
Is this just an exercise in self-promotion? Or does Newt mean to be constructive?
By , at
Tue Jul 13, 09:00:00 PM:
He is so screwed with women he doesn't have a chance.
This may help him sell a few books and get a few speaking gigs though.
By Progressively Defensive, at
Wed Jul 14, 12:33:00 PM:
Giuliani 2012; also has the issue of having treated his wife and children poorly, but what a wonderful mind.
Gingrich is has a great mind, too, though. '94-'00 were great years for the USA generally, NAFTA, Welfare Reform, deficit reduction, taxes kept pretty low.
Could be a Romney-Pawlenty ticket.
By Progressively Defensive, at
Wed Jul 14, 12:33:00 PM:
Giuliani 2012; also has the issue of having treated his wife and children poorly, but what a wonderful mind.
Gingrich is has a great mind, too, though. '94-'00 were great years for the USA generally, NAFTA, Welfare Reform, deficit reduction, taxes kept pretty low.
Could be a Romney-Pawlenty ticket.
By Bomber Girl, at
Wed Jul 14, 07:20:00 PM:
I can't see Giuliani making it. Even New Yorkers, who like "oddball" candidates, have Giuliani fatigue. He wears on you and I can't see him appealing to the broad US public. And he does have his issues.
By , at
Wed Jul 14, 09:32:00 PM:
The idea of "Giuliani 2012" is one of the dumbest trial balloons you could float ... for many, many reasons.
Since this topic was raised, here's a tangent. I've got a source who would only confirm what everyone in Rudy's NYC City Hall would tell you: "Rudy Wife 3" was an absolute horrorshow ... "Rudy Wife Number 2" was much loved by all.
Had the campaign gone further in 2008, Rudy Wife 3 would have been three cinder blocks tied to Rudy's ankles in deep water.
When you run for President, your spouse isn't an asset: he/she/it is only a potential liability.
The quiet, unrecognized MVP of the 2008 campaign was Michelle Obama: She only "stepped on her dick" once. Had Obama been saddled with any of his competitors spouses, he'd never have been President.
Lately, Obama has been moving Queen Michelle on the board a bit aggressively ... Developing ....
By Ray, at
Thu Jul 15, 05:12:00 PM:
Newt's history doesn't show a lot of executive capability. The platform and agenda he put together beforehand was brilliant, and he implemented most if it decently well, but once his initial agenda was past, he showed a lack of adapability and was throughly outmaneuevered by Clinton.
He strikes me as a brilliant if somewhat erratic man, given to big ideas and the like. He'd be a great adviser to have on staff, a decent cabinet member, but I'm not confident putting him in charge. Of course, in these things one must always consider the alternatives.
