Reply #23: Gingrich is not a Goldwater or a Reagan

[RFKHumphreyObama]

The comparisons to both are flawed. Both Goldwater and Reagan were ideological zealots, promoting an ideology much more extreme than what was considered to be acceptable to the status quo at the time. Gingrich, by contast, is relatively moderate compared to some of the entrants we have seen from the Republican field -i.e. Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Perry et all. He is also a savvy politician who led his party out of 40 years in the political wilderness to take control of the House. So he would be more like the Connally or the Baker of our time. Which will actually make him quite a formidable challenger for that very reason, instead of the reason that the author is putting forward (that he seems unelectable now). The author has a valid point in saying that we should not underestimate our opponent and the fact that the prevailing political climate often plays a key role in determing the outcome, he's just picked the wrong example to illustrate his point

A more apt comparison for an article like this would be someone like Michelle Bachmann or Rick Perry, whose right wing extremism and zealotry is considered extreme now just like Reagan or Goldwater's ideologies were back in the day. And the point about not underestimating Bachmann and Perry's ability to benefit from the prevailing national climate is one I've been making for a long time