I wouldn't write off Newt all that fast

[ThomWV]

As I recall John McCain was nominated by the Republicans because he had put his time in, had a well known name, people recognized him. How is Newt any different? Answer; he's not. Newt has put in his time, has a well known name, and people recognize him. He can claim some intellectual superiority within the Party too and apparently nothing thrills a Republican so much as branding their idiots as geniuses. I predicted Newt would be their next candidate just about the same time Obama won the last election. He wants it worse than any of them, he's next in line and that means something to Republicans, and he is perceived as some sort of intellectual-force within the Party - sounds like a contender to me.

I think this is a good thin: who better to represent them in the Debates that will certainly come? His arrogance will be his downfall and either President Obama or whoever else might find themselves sharing the debate stage with him should be able to tear him and his ideas to shreds with little difficulty.

[cali]

1. I would. Newt isn't trusted by anyone on the right and he's pissed off establishment

repubs too.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. "...people recognize him..."

...as an asshole.

:shrug:

[FSogol]

3. Does the fact that he was forced out of the Speaker job by Boehner after his 84 ethics violations

hurt his chances? (I do realize that Freepers don't respond well to facts.)

[liberallunatic]

7. My thought as well.. comparing Newt to McCain?

Please.. I'm no fan of McCain but he's nothing like Gingrich. Gingrich is a womanizing criminal chickenhawk. He has no chance of ever being anything more than a loudmouth asshole anymore.

[hfojvt]

14. Tom Delay replaced him as Speaker

a man who is also now convicted, unlike I of Newt.

[FSogol]

15. Yes, but Boehner led the coup to force Gingrich out.

From Wiki: "In the summer of 1997 several House Republican backbenchers, who saw Gingrich's public image as a liability, attempted to replace him as Speaker. The attempted "coup" began July 9 with a meeting between Republican conference chairman John Boehner of Ohio and Republican leadership chairman Bill Paxon of New York. According to their plan, House Majority Leader Dick Armey, House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, Boehner and Paxon were to present Gingrich with an ultimatum: resign, or be voted out. However, Armey balked at the proposal to make Paxon the new Speaker, and told his chief of staff to warn Gingrich about the coup."

[Aerows]

4. The only people that take Newt seriously

are the pundits that interview him. Many Republicans detest him, too.

He has so many skeletons and bad decisions in his closet that I'd imagine it's the size of a airplane hangar.

[Arugula Latte]

5. It seems like his abandonment of his cancer-stricken wife should be enough to do him in

But, who knows - this country is chock full of idiots.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

9. That didn't hurt McCain's nomination bid

In McCain's case, his wife was messed up in an auto accident.

[LiberalAndProud]

6. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the nom.

I'm looking for another expendable Republican this cycle. Newt may be it. They don't have any contenders, so they'll sacrifice an old has-been. Just my humble opinion, but the Republican field doesn't look much different to me than it did in 2008, and that wasn't a winning lineup.

[gratuitous]

10. Your brief analysis may be correct

Nobody on the GOP side is all that anxious to take on Obama in 2012, who can simply just walk out, flash a backdrop of bin Laden's wanted poster, and get a wild standing ovation anywhere in the country. Any Republican who envisions a political career after 2012 is going to find something else to do than run against Obama. Gingrich is as washed-up as McCain in 2008 or Dole in 1996. He may even announce, get out, and get back in like McCain did in 2008, sliming his way toward the Republican nomination as the only survivor of the primary season still able to ambulate on his own (slugs having no need of legs).

[Nye Bevan]

8. McCain lost a lot of support when the story of how he dumped his disfigured wife

after her auto accident, and replaced her with a younger glamorous model, became widely known. The story of Newt marching to his cancer-stricken wife's bedside clutching a yellow legal pad of divorce demands will surely be the end of his campaign.

[Bicoastal]

11. At least McCain was popular enough for Arizona to keep re-electing him...

...the only people keeping Newt in the public eye are the producers of political talk shows who need someone to fill the "angry older white man" chair.

McCain IS a charismatic guy--not nearly as much as Obama, but still. Newt is someone most people instinctively find unlikable.

[lunatica]

12. McCain has always ridden the tortured prisoner hero semi-myth

It wasn't until he ran last time that people saw who he really is. Newt? There's absolutely nothing he can hang his reputation on. And there 's plenty of dirt in his closet.

There's no foundation to your saying they're the same.

[Johonny]

13. I agree

He has also generally been good at raising money. If one of the nuts wins big in the early primaries a person like Newt suddenly looks really good.