Newt Gingrich is back! This time backing Todd Akin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You’ve got to give it to Gingrich – the man’s ability to leap from astute political timing to disastrous miscalculation is nothing short of astonishing. Gingrich was once the Republican front runner until his fantasies about moon colonies and the enormity of his intellect soured the public’s attitude towards him, bringing his Presidential ambitions to a rather pathetic close.

In true Gingrich fashion, he has decided to propel himself back into the limelight, this time by backing Missouri senate candidate Todd Akin who famously coined the term ‘legitimate rape’. From the Guardian:

At the first major fundraising event held by the Akin campaign since the Missouri senate candidate was blackballed by the party funders and leaders, Gingrich pledged his support and said he was just the first in a wave of well-known Republicans to stand by Akin.

Republican party leaders have said the controversial remarks have made it impossible for Akin to unseat incumbent US senator Claire McCaskill. They have pleaded with him to step down in time to name a replacement for the election.

Gingrich came to Missouri on Monday to back Akin at a $500-a-ticket fundraising lunch, at which he addressed about 50 of the congressman’s supporters – and earlier, the media.

At at a press conference at a train station in Kirkwood, a suburb of St Louis, Missouri, Gingrich said Akin was running a winnable race and made his own prediction – that the national Republican leaders, including Mitt Romney, would reverse track and back the candidate once they “adjust to the reality” that he is staying in the race.

This isn’t of course, anything to do with backing Akin. It is a way of Gingrich getting himself back into the public eye using the tried and tested philosophy that any publicity is good publicity.

Gingrich is utterly shameless in his approach to politics – he’ll use any angle possible to keep himself relevant, this time backing a candidate whose views on female reproductive rights were so medieval he even got disowned by Rush Limbaugh.

What’s next on the Gingrich comeback trail? A duet with Chris Brown? A Lance Armstrong solidarity march?

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A match made in heaven?

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Daily Banter Mailbag! Today, Bob, Ben and Chez discuss the insider secret that Obama’s victory is almost guaranteed, whether the latest edition of ‘The Newsroom’ was in bad taste and how crazy Romney would be to pick Newt Gingrich as his running mate.

The questions:Did you read Michael Tomasky’s piece in The Daily Beast about Obama’s virtually assured victory via the electoral college? It seems like a fairly airtight argument. Do you think that’s why Romney just lies and lies and lies? Maybe it’s because he’s panicking. They just don’t stop even when caught out with a whopper. The just move on to the next lie and hope something sticks. It looks desperate to me. What do you guys think?
Amanda Shelby

Chez: Yeah, I read it. It does seem like a pretty airtight argument and I really appreciated his contention that the reason you’ll never hear anybody in the political press talking about it at this stage of the campaign is that it takes all the fun and drama out of it — all the phony it’s-a-tight-race nonsense that drives ratings and page views. I’ve said before that I think Mitt Romney is the worst candidate the GOP has produced in, well, maybe ever; he’s certainly the wrong guy at this stage in our history (although, more than that, he’s a completely inept as a politician gunning for the White House). But the one place I worry is when I look at how much money he’s raising. Yeah, it’s true that money won’t technically buy you the presidency when you’re a candidate nobody likes, but it can do a lot of damage — as we’ve seen. I think if things keep going as they are, Obama should be fine and Romney should be a historical footnote in a couple of months, but it’s true that anything can happen.

Bob: Romney’s strategic lying is the natural extension of cynical Rove-style politics of the previous decade. They’re calculated that the upside of getting people to believe the lie outweighs the downside hit they’d take when the lies were debunked. Meanwhile, the Tomasky piece was interesting but I’m not counting on anything right now. Anything can happen and it’s only August. The worst thing that could happen would be for Democrats to get complacent — and that sort of thing always happens. Romney could absolutely still win, and Democrats should be extraordinarily vigilant until all of the votes are counted.

Ben: I blogged about this earlier in the week Amanda. While I think Tomasky is probably right, I’m not ready to call it a day just yet. And while there is a lot of truth to the notion that the media are making this into a two-way race to get ratings, it is still worth getting very worried just because of how much money Romney is accumulating. I cannot overstate just how dangerous a Romney Presidency would be at this stage in history, and as long as the guy still has a heart beat, I’m worried. I do think Romney is panicking a bit and that’s why he is saying pretty much anything to anyone, but he represents the interests of extreme wealth and power so he will remain dangerous due to the insane amount of money he can get his hands on. I’m pretty cynical about politics and the media in general, but when you have one political party that would be considered fascist extremists in any other country outside of Saudi Arabia, I’m all for the dog and pony show if the other side is winning it.

Why did everyone go gaga over the latest episode of ‘The Newsroom’? It was typical ‘Go America!’ BS. Celebrating killing anyone is pretty sick regardless of what they have done. Imagine an Iraqi had managed to kill George Bush after he fucked their entire country up. How would Americans feel about the Arab world dancing in the streets? Would Aaron Sorkin be making sappy tv shows idolizing Iraqi patriotism? I don’t think so.
James

Ben: I was at the White House the night they announced the death of Bin Laden, and I felt pretty confused about it as a Brit. I didn’t know anyone who was killed during 9/11, so didn’t feel so emotionally connected to it as the people out on the streets celebrating. If I’m honest, I did feel a little uneasy about cheering the death of someone, even though it was a psychopathic mass murderer. Perhaps it would have been different had something that colossal happened in my home city, London, but it didn’t, so I don’t know. We had 7/7, but it paled in comparison to 9/11. I saw The Newsroom episode and that it was pretty crass. I don’t get that type of American patriotism – I’m a Brit so I guess we just process things differently. However, I’ve been in America so long that I understand that that’s just the way Americans are. I’m not a fan of it, but a part of me now gets where it comes from. Not sure if that answers the question, but I’m just being honest.

Chez: What I liked about the last episode of “The Newsroom” was the way it very authentically depicted the drip-drip-drip nature of what happens when a very big story breaks and what it feels like to cover a story that honestly changes history. Granted, Sorkin couldn’t help but throw in all those little subplots that have often distracted from the main thrust of the show, but the way he related the tension, frustration and exhilaration as each little detail came into focus was right on the money. Now, as for your issue with the tone of the show, you’re of course entitled to your opinion — the same way that I’m entitled to tell you that you’re a fucking idiot. Spare me the aloof, hyper-liberal moral relativism, James. Having worked at Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks — and as an American in general, and one who’s incredibly proud of his country despite its many faults — yes, I teared up, broke down, hugged my friends and even did the Snoopy dance when I learned that our Navy SEALS had put a bullet through Bin Laden’s head. And so I very much appreciated Sorkin — who by the way is liberal to a fault — relating the various emotions that went through most Americans’ heads and hearts on that night, including the satisfaction and relief that the guy who had killed thousands of our people had himself been killed. There are times — provided you’re not some patronizing asshole — when you stop analyzing every little goddamn thing and just accept that you’re going to FEEL things that may be somewhat questionable but that that’s just the way it is. I was thrilled the night we killed Bin Laden — and I still am. But by all means, you go right on lecturing.

Bob: Sorry, James, but the killing of Bin Laden was significant and, honestly, I didn’t lose any sleep over it. This is the reality of world affairs and American politics. There was no other viable option and, if nothing else, it offered some sense of closure for the victims of 9/11. When Bin Laden orchestrated those attacks he stepped onto a global battlefield and all bets were off. And regarding “Go America BS” I would recommend that liberals embrace a little patriotism once in a while. There’s nothing that’s exclusively conservative or right-wing about recognizing the history and significance of the United States, and yet they’ve practically branded the flag as their own. That’s a travesty and we let it happen.

Hey guys, do you think Gingrich is really trying to get on the Romney ticket? The dude went psycho on Romney during the primary and barely gave him the seal of approval after he burnt out and lost all his money. Is Gingrich really that mental? On what planet would Newt be a good pick for VP? Maybe I am not seeing it but are there demographics he can reach that Romney needs? help me out here.
Jeff Kowalsky

Bob: Of course he is! Gingrich’s primary goal is for political power. At this point, he’d steamroll a busload of Young Republicans to get to the White House. Besides, primaries are always brutal. In 1980, George Bush referred to Reagan’s economic plan as “voodoo economics” and so forth, and yet they ended up on the ticket together. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were merciless on each other and she went on to endorse Obama, speak at the convention and accept the nomination for Secretary of State. It’s all politics.

Chez: Gingrich is one of the most conniving politicians the right has produced in recent memory — a guy who wants power for power’s sake and would do anything to attain it. He may hate Romney but oh how he’d love to be one step away from the Oval Office. I’m assuming, though, that Romney knows this and would never in a million years pick him for VP because if he did his first cabinet appointment would have to be a royal food-taster, like the kind kings used to have centuries ago, since I’m pretty sure Gingrich’s days would be consumed by Buster Keaton-style plots to kill Romney by poisoning his lunch, pushing him down a well, dropping a piano on him, etc. etc.

Ben: I hope to God Romney picks Gingrich as his VP. It would make for fantastic TV and a hilarious Presidential election. Can you imagine the spats between Gingrich’s handlers and Romney’s people? Gingrich is limitlessly narcissistic and ambitious and I would bet money he’d stage a coup at some point arguing Romney wasn’t up to the job and that only he, emperor of fantasy moon colonies, would be capable of rescuing America from the grip of the Satanic Muslim Obama. In reality though, Romney’s people aren’t stupid and there’s no way they’d risk their candidates chances by adding a loose cannon like Gingrich onto the ticket.

——

Got a question for the mailbag? Email us at TheDailyBanter@gmail.com!!!

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He's Back! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Bob Cesca: You can tell it’s August in a general election year because Republican A-listers are jumping through Flaming Hoops of Crazy in order to be considered for the job of wingnut red meat chucker for the next four years.

Take Newt Gingrich for example. Since he dropped out of the race, the level of race baiting and far-right zealotry has eased back a few notches.

Until yesterday.

Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, BLAM! Newt and his bulbous marshmallow-shaped head re-emerged from hiding and blanketed the news — firing his cartoony supersoaker filled with piss and vinegar at everything brown and liberal.

It began when Gingrich endorsed the Romney campaign’s lie about the president and welfare reform. Not only did he repeat the lie, but he did it with classic Gingrich race-baiting and hyperbole — making it literally about his grandchildren.

He said, “I think on the hard left, there is an unending desire to create a dependent America,” and continued by calling it a “radical” conspiracy. “It’s not just that Obama is a radical, it’s that the people he appoints are more radical.” Then he triangulated his attack by comparing the president to Bill Clinton, who signed welfare reform into law in 1996, “In many ways Obama is the anti-Clinton. Clinton tried to move the party to the center, Obama’s moved it to the left.”

That’s not what Gingrich said at the time — you know, when he was helping to impeach President Clinton. “I hope every American when they watch Bill Clinton speak will realize how much weaker and less effective Obama is than the man who is nominating him.”

And then he referred to President Obama as “a direct threat to my two grandchildren’s future.”

It’s all about the children, isn’t it. President Obama hates Gingrich’s grandchildren personally and he’s plotting to destroy their futures with his radical agenda that involves allowing them to have free health insurance until age 26, etc, etc.

Nevertheless, whenever the issue of welfare comes up, you can bet on Gingrich jumping onto the pile faster than he jumps onto new wives. Everyone’s aware of his long history of race-baiting, and anything that’s even remotely welfare-related is a juicy springboard for his Southern Strategy politics. I mean, he won the South Carolina primary in large part due to this “welfare queens” tactic.

There’s more.

Gingrich appeared on CNN yesterday and went full Joe McCarthy. In fact, he literally defended McCarthyism and said that it helped to root out communists that had infiltrated Hollywood and the government, even though it swept up completely innocent Americans whose lives were ruined by a certifiably paranoid alcoholic Republican senator who resigned in disgrace after orchestrating one of the darkest episodes in American politics. But okay. Gingrich thinks it was awesome.

He continued by saying that a similar approach, which happens to be spearheaded by wackaloon Michele Bachmann, is absolutely necessary. He told Wolf Blitzer that there might be a connection between Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin and a pro-Muslim Brotherhood posture by the State Department, “This State Department has been amazingly pro-Muslim Brotherhood. American citizens have the right to have the Congress ask the question.”

Have you left no sense of decency, sir?

So there we have it. Race-baiting, anti-Muslim fearmongering and McCarthyism — your Modern Republican Party from 1950-present.

And why has Newt suddenly resurfaced to talk about this stuff? Obviously because he’s lobbying to be Mitt Romney’s vice presidential nominee. He’s positioning himself as a Palin-style bomb hurler by way of a Cheney-style old school supervillain pulling the strings for a jittery neophyte stuffed-shirt nominee. As far as I’m concerned, Gingrich is the frontrunner for the post. Other than his dubious personal life, he’s just about the correct balance for Romney who might have trouble in ultra-right-wing southern evangelical precincts. A shameless ideologue who loves red meat more than Tiffany’s charge accounts would certainly help on that front, while adding some inside-Washington heft to the ticket.

Of course the danger here is self-evident: the possibility of Vice President Newt Gingrich calling the shots behind the curtain.

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Gingrich has won only two primaries since January. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is expected to suspend his campaign next week and endorse Mitt Romney, his spokesman has said. Mr Gingrich now says he expects Mr Romney, who won five primaries on Tuesday, to be the Republican nominee.

The campaigns are said to be working out an orderly endorsement, with Mr Romney keen on Mr Gingrich’s support. He has won only two primaries – South Carolina and Georgia – since the election season began in January. The Gingrich campaign had indicated it would reassess its future if he did not win the contest in Delaware. Mr Gingrich will reportedly hold his last campaign event on 1 May in Washington DC.

During a campaign stop in North Carolina on Wednesday, Mr Gingrich all but conceded.

“You have to at some point be honest about what’s happening in the real world as opposed to what you would like to have happened,” Mr Gingrich told supporters.

“I don’t think we can lose by 30 points in Delaware and feel good about it”

He added that Mr Romney “had a very good day yesterday. You have to give him some credit.”

The former House Speaker said he would continue to campaign for the next week as a “citizen”, adding he would discuss economic issues, such as high unemployment.

“We are going to stay very, very active and we are working out the details of our transition,” Mr Gingrich said. “But I am committed to this party. I am committed to defeating Obama.”

Read more at the BBC…

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Gingrich: His own worst enemy

By Ben Cohen: The reason why Newt Gingrich never had a chance in the Republican Presidential primary wasn’t because of his political views or even his lack of funding. Gingrich was destined to fail because every now and then, he spoke his mind.

Before he decided to run for President, Gingrich actually believed in global warming, siding with science and Democrats over the idiocy of his own party, much to his own political disadvantage.  Gingrich also more recently called Paul Ryan’s genocidal plan for medicare ‘right-wing social engineering‘ – a serious blunder when the entire GOP establishment had lined up behind it. Gingrich did eventually renege on both accounts, but the damage had been done. Gingrich has a reputation for going against the establishment, and it continues to cost him dearly.

Now that Gingrich is basically out of the primary, he is lashing out at the establishment for his failure to succeed. And this time, he is focusing his rage at Fox News, his former employer and the PR arm of the Republican party.

This is a suicidal move given his future in politics is basically over, and no other self respecting news network will go anywhere near him.

At a meeting for Tea Party activists, Gingrich stated the following:

I think Fox has been for Romney all the way through. In our experience, Callista and I both believe CNN is less biased than Fox this year. We are more likely to get neutral coverage out of CNN than we are of Fox, and we’re more likely to get distortion out of Fox. That’s just a fact.

Fox has responded venomously, claiming Newt is vying for a job at CNN. They released the following hilariously snarky statement to the Guardian:

This is nothing other than Newt auditioning for a windfall of a gig at CNN – that’s the kind of man he is. Not to mention that he’s still bitter about the fact that we terminated his contributor contract.

Gingrich is almost certainly right about Fox New’s subordination to Republican party interests. Roger Ailes no doubt pegged Romney as the most viable candidate to run against Obama and ordered the network to give him favorable coverage. Gingrich and the rest of the Republican field were not only fighting Romney’s money, but the establishment and Fox News – an insurmountable task in modern politics.

Regardless of whether Gingrich was right or not, had he kept his mouth shut, he may have got another gig at Fox given his ability to attract an audience. However, due to his inability to take orders, his one shot at staying in the limelight has vaporized as quickly as his Presidential campaign did. Unfortunately for Newt, burning bridges is a common theme in his storied career – one that has left him with many more enemies than friends.

It’s hard to feel sorry for Gingrich even though he has displayed some courage in bucking his party and taking on Fox News. The truth is, a man whose personal life even nastier than his political one  should not be shown a great deal of sympathy. On the contrary, thanks to Gingrich’s rebelliousness, we should be glad that we may never have to see him again.

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By Ben Cohen: Finally, former Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum has called it a day and suspended his Presidential campaign. This comes as no surprise as a win against Mitt Romney has been unthinkable for several weeks now given the discrepancy in funding and support from within the party. If you break down the amount of money spent in relation to the votes and delegates won in the Republican Presidential primary, Rick Santorum is by far and away the most effective candidate – a very serious problem for Romney given he probably won’t be able to raise as much money as Obama will in the general.

The numbers are extremely interesting. As of last month, the Republican candidates spent the following (via the Huff Post):

MITT ROMNEY

Ad spending per vote: $12.70

Cost per delegate: $90,796

RICK SANTORUM

Ad spending per vote: $3.01

Cost per delegate: $28,944

NEWT GINGRICH

Ad spending per vote: $4.78

Cost per delegate: $76,774

RON PAUL

Ad spending per vote: $6.33

Cost per delegate: $129,275

Romney out spent Santorum 3:1 for each delegate, and 4:1 for each vote – a stunning ratio that underlines how weak a candidate he is.

Romney’s strategy has been simple – outspend everyone and pander to the far Right as much as possible. It hasn’t been easy as both Gingrich and Santorum surged at various points during the campaign, but the principle that money buys elections has remained true. While Gingrich and Paul still remain in the race, Romney is now an absolute sure bet for the nomination.

While I disagree with Santorum on virtually every policy issue imaginable, I did get the feeling that he was a genuine politician who believed what he was saying. And for this reason, I feel slightly sorry for him given his acquiescence to the most disingenuous candidate the American public has ever been subjected to. While Mitt Romney may not be a religious nut like Santorum, his beliefs are so malleable that it doesn’t really make a difference. Both candidates would be a very serious disaster in the White House – Santorum because of his religious beliefs and militant conservatism, and Romney because he would roll over for the extreme interests in the Republican Party.

In some ways, had Santorum won, it would have reaffirmed the spirit of democracy in America. Sure, he would have made a terrible candidate, but it would prove that money doesn’t have to make the major difference in winning campaigns. Sadly, it does, and it means the candidate most allied with the interests of big business almost always comes out on top. Romney won because corporate America believes he will be best for them. He has the most chance of beating Obama this year, and should he get in, he will do exactly as he is told. Candidates like Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are too risky for business – not because they don’t believe in the same nonsensical economic theories, but because they have shown independent thought and a willingness to actually be themselves. Corporations want a yes man, and Romney will say yes to pretty much anything.

Santorum fought tooth and nail to win the nomination, and too his credit, didn’t compromise on his core beliefs. While it is probably a good thing he is out of mainstream politics, ironically, it isn’t good for democracy.

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Is Newt Gingrich Finished?

Newt Gingrich is dramatically curtailing his campaign schedule, laying off about a third of his staff and dismissing his campaign manager as he focuses on a last-ditch effort to win the Republican presidential nomination at the party’s convention.

Gingrich’s strategy hinges on preventing front-runner Mitt Romney from winning the 1,144 delegates he needs for the nomination, Gingrich spokesman RC Hammond said Tuesday night. The former House speaker plans to spend much less time in primary states and instead personally call delegates to try to persuade them to back him at the Republican National Convention in August.

“We are not going to cede to Mitt Romney’s strategy to take the party down,” Hammond said. Ultimately, Gingrich would take the fight to the convention floor, Hammond said.

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Check out this highly entertaining back and forth between Wolf Blitzer and Newt Gingrich on the final Florida GOP debate last night after Blitzer challenged Gingrich on assertions he had made about Mitt Romney's personal finances:

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It is incredible to watch Gingrich's grandstanding in these debates, his self regard so abnormally high that he borders on the sociopathic. In recent times, Gingrich has had his own way with the media giving him an even more inflated sense of himself. But amazingly, Wolf Blitzer answered back calling Newt out for his misdirected rage and made him look rather silly. And Blitzer was right – Gingrich made some fairly serious statements about Romney's finances and he should repeat them when standing in front of his adversary. This isn't to say that Gingrich's accusations were wrong, but his pandering to the crowd and grandiose gestures against 'the media' were painful to watch.

I'm becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Gingrich, because not only is he highly entertaining to watch, but he is single handedly bringing down the GOP with his relentless attacks on house favorite Mitt Romney and isolating himself from his party with every move he makes.

The word is, Republicans do not want him to win and are working frantically behind the scenes to get rid of him. Whether it works or not remains to be seen, but after a few more weeks of Gingrich's continuous assaults on Romney and the media, the damage will have already been done.  The GOP cares only about the general election, and they know full well Gingrich cannot win. The more Romney is humiliated and the more the media hates Gingrich, the worse it looks for either candidate against Obama later on in the year. If Romney wins the nomination, he goes into the general with serious battle scars, and if Gingrich wins, he goes in virtually naked with no protection from his party or the media.

More great news for the Democrats.

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I sat down to watch the GOP debate in Florida last night, the first time I've done it with the intention of seeing the whole thing through (otherwise, I have just skipped through youtube clips for the best highlights).

After about 30 minutes, I couldn't take any more. Presentation wise, Newt Gingrich has this thing sewn up. He runs circles round Romney and makes him look like a blustering ken doll. Gingrich is clear, concise and utterly full of himself – a great combo for debating.

The thing is, all of the candidates other than Ron Paul lie so blatantly that the debate doesn't actually mean anything. They are arguing over a reality that does not exist. To the GOP field, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the sole reason the economy fell off a cliff in 2008 (a convenient way of blaming poor minorities), and Cuba is the gravest threat to American security since Soviet Russia.

It was a surreal moment when Gingrich announced that President Obama has been too obsessed with the Arab Spring and not concerned enough with Fidel Castro. Given Gingrich has supported every war and every escalation in the Middle East on record, one would think Gingrich would have chosen his words more carefully.

But not Newt.

The man's ability to believe his own rhetoric is extraordinary. He seems positively intoxicated with his own brilliance and boldness, and his confidence is growing with every debate. Gingrich lies and lies and lies without shame and there seems to be no stopping him. Poor Mitt just isn't capable of lying with the same ease, and he's having a terrible time keeping up with Gingrich.

Anyhow, the debate became so ridiculous that I had to stop watching it. With Romney desperately trying to paint himself as a tough guy by threatening every country on earth, Rick Santorum blathering on about Terry Schiavo, and Ron Paul insisting that we have to dismantle the government to restore the economy, I pulled the plug.

I'll try again for the next one, but I'm not promising anything.

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I've been saying consistently the Mitt Romney is a sure bet for the Republican nomination. After Newt Gingrich's dominating performance in South Carolina this weekend, I'm now not so sure.

Romney has a very, very serious problem on his hands as Gingrich's portrayal of him as an out of touch elite is resonating with voters in a big way. The numbers are looking increasingly worse for Romney with the analysis showing voters believe Gingrich is better equipped to beat Obama in the general (voters favored Gingrich over Romney by a 14-point margin, 51-37 percent).

Amazingly, as loathsome as Gingrich is, he is actually turning out to be the charismatic candidate – an amazing feat that underlines just how weak the GOP field is.

Gingrich is playing to the Conservative base using the Southern strategy (thinly veiled racism) at every turn. He refers to Obama as the 'foodstamp' President and a radical. Gingrich will run an 'American' campaign as opposed to Obama's 'foreign' one. It's a role he is entirely comfortable playing, and one that Romney can never adopt successfully. As Bob Cesca writes:

This grueling primary may not end anytime soon if other southern states continue to be as receptive to Newt Gingrich’s howling as South Carolina was. Mitt Romney may adopt the same strategy, however it won’t come off as genuine to those on the left, right, or middle. It’s already well-established that Newt Gingrich is a raging prick, but Mitt Romney simply isn’t believable.

The Democrats will be positively giddy with excitement at the prospect of Gingrich winning the nomination. General elections are won by taking the center, and Gingrich simply won't be able to appeal to swing voters like Romney can. Gingrich may be able to fire up the Reagan conservatives, but his militancy on foreign policy and economics isolates him from moderates. To boot, his questionable moral character has the religious Right feeling uneasy and they might not come out in force either. In short, Gingrich is too controversial to win the general election, and the GOP knows it and so do the Democrats.

The problem is, Republican voters don't, and they may just propel Gingrich onto the national stage where he will be humiliated by the President.

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