#gingrich 2012

[beinggigantic]

*assumes b boy stance on the moon*

[goodnewtmoon]

[shortformblog]

I would define Newt’s head space as: ‘Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.'

David Lane • A  conservative leader close to Gingrich. This quote is actually from before the primary, and Lane's prediction was born out in Gingrich's speech tonight, wherein the former Speaker pledged to plow forward despite having lost Florida tonight. The article's author, Alexander Burns, adds that "Gingrich has made a career out of upending conventional wisdom and ignoring the establishment view that he should go to the corner and shut up." A long, protracted primary probably won't be any help to the eventual nominee, but it'll sure be fun for political nerds like us.  source (via • follow)

[shortformblog]

He said, she said, court papers said: On the "Answering the Attacks" section of Newt Gingrich's website, his campaign denies the rumor that he divorced his wife when she was dying of cancer, asserting that "it was [Gingrich's wife] that requested the divorce, not Newt." However, court documents obtained by CNN show Newt filing for the divorce, not the other way around. A Newt spokesman responded, saying that "Newt Gingrich filed for a divorce from his wife Jackie Battley, but it was Jackie Battley who requested the divorce" (emphasis ours). But a petition filed by Battley (then Jackie Gingrich), also obtained by CNN, directly contradict this, stating: "Defendant shows that she has adequate and ample grounds for divorce, but that she does not desire one at this time."

[shortformblog]

I would really love to spend six months to a year in the Amazon basin, just being able to spend the day watching tree sloths.

Newt Gingrich • In a 1995 Vanity Fair profile. There are lots of fun tidbits in this piece. Even back then, Gingrich was thinking of a presidential run, but his then-wife Marrianne didn't approve. "I don't want him to be president," she said, "and I don't think he should be" (he eventually divorced her). Newt often describes himself oddly journalistic terms, as if he's a pundit writing an op-ed column, and this was true in 1995 as well.  He says here that he's "a mythical person," "a psychodrama living out a fantasy," and that "what makes me unusually intense is that I personalize the pain of war, the pain of children being killed." source (via • follow)

[shortformblog]

Is Newt Gingrich beginning to fade?

37.7% Newt's support from Nov. 30-Dec. 3; that is, in the couple of days before Herman Cain withdrew from the race

24.4% Newt's support--in the same poll--from Dec. 3-Dec. 7, the first few days after Cain withdrew source

» What's going on here? Actually, we're not sure. Common wisdom says that Cain's support flocked to Gingrich after the former dropped out of the race (or, sorry, "suspended" his campaign). So how come the same University of Iowa poll--taken in the state over a weeklong period--shows a drastic fall in the former House Speaker's support after Cain's exit? Of course, the standard "this is just one poll" disclaimer still applies; this could just be an anomaly. But a 13.3% decline in one week is significant, and outside the poll's margin of error. Given the boom-bust tendency of the GOP field this year, we can't help but wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Newt (note: it's rather unusual for a polling house to make available the intra-week trends of a single poll; much respect to Reuters, who co-sponsored this poll, for doing so).

Read ShortFormBlog • Follow

[shortformblog]

His reasoning: "Regardless of how well [Gingrich] does on television, he will come off badly compared to Obama and look like nothing more than what he is: a fat, old, white man." We're betting Gingrich won't take this bet. We're also slightly surprised that Michael Savage has $1 million to spare. 

[shortformblog]

Gingrich and Pelosi, reachin' across the aisle

418 bills co-sponsored by Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich source

» Bipartisan support: For twelve years, Pelosi and Gingrich served together in the House of Representatives, and supported a total of 418 bills together. That's an average of 34.83 pieces of legislation per year that enjoyed Pelosi/Gingrich support (at least, that's what our team of math experts tells us; we didn't have time to check their work). One such bill was the Global Warming Prevention act of 1989, the memory of which probably won't do Gingrich any favors in the Republican primary (relatedly, neither will this). It should be noted, however, that much of this was non-contentious legislation, such as one honoring the 50th anniversary of the National Heart, Lung and Blood instituted.

Read ShortFormBlog • Follow