Newt Gingrich, The Ship Be Sinking

There's always this hope that candidate X will "blow candidate Y away in a debate."

Gingrich is either really smart -- or he conned people into believing he was -- despite his personal "failings".

I think a lot of people -- including most especially Newt Gingrich -- thought he could be candidate X to Obama's Y.

I had my hopes. I no longer do. And, we'll never see this debate now. Newt has sunk his own campaign before it's left the dock.

 

The governorship of Texas has not exactly been a launching pad of great men (or women).

A recent conversation between W and Perry has been reported, in part. GWB reportedly told Perry,
in so many words, that the Texas governorship was "a great job". Have a hunch he was trying to tell him something.

 

Gingrich is incredibly smart. But his personal issues are tough to get past and what hurts him even more is that he's been in congress for more than a decade.

 

Bush & his folks will not get behind Perry.

And, while they're not close, if he got the nomination, Dems would hang Bush around his neck like a fucking millstone.

He was GWB's Lt. Governor. Again, they're not especially close, but America is not going to elect George W. Bush's former number 2 as president.

 

I wonder if the Weiner scandal and the John Edwards stuff being back in the news have anything to do with staff running away from Gingrich? Right now, no one with any public indiscretions has a shot — especially those trying to court the Christian right.

 

I know it's not going to happen, but I'd be curious what would happen if Jeb entered the race. I'm not saying he'd win the general election, but I think he could get the nomination.

 

He was doomed long before any of that stuff happened.

 

Jeb would obviously have the same issues, and they'd be even more magnified.

He'd also have advantages Perry does not have.

 

Oh, think Jeb most certainly would like to take a swing at it.

But -- almost certainly -- NOT in '12.

 

Jeb himself has very few skeletons. His daughter had a drug problem that was well-known in the state capitol.

 

His wife has had a ton of issues as well.

 

Those skeletons are the reason it was W and not Jeb who ran 11 years ago.