Why is Newt Gingrich still running?

[alp227]

by Karen Tumulty, Washington Post, Sunday 4/8/12

While he’s still not ready to entirely concede defeat, exactly, Newt Gingrich these days sounds more like a man leading a cause than a campaign.

The onetime House speaker, who has almost no chance to win the Republican nomination, said he has a new mission: to make sure Mitt Romney runs as a conservative in the general election, as he has promised, rather than tacking back to the center, as his campaign has suggested he might.

(...)

He wants to build in a strong commitment to the 10th Amendment, which assures power for the states, rather than Washington; a balanced-budget provision that would include a fund for debt repayment financed by royalties from oil and gas; a plan for energy independence; and a science research project to map the brain. Maximizing understanding of how the brain works is an idea he believes voters will find relevant in their own lives, given the aging of the population and the increasing incidence of such diseases as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

(...)

Nevertheless, as he tries to pick up a few convention delegates here and there in the remaining contests, there are other issues that the former representative from Georgia is going to have to figure out — such as how he will pay the bills for a campaign that, in its latest filing, was carrying as much debt as cash on hand.

full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/with-prospects-fading-newt-gingrich-resolves-to-keep-running/2012/04/07/gIQAgraT2S_singlePage.html

That part about debt? 19th out of 25 paragraphs here.

[abelenkpe]

1. Why is anyone other than mitt running? Nt

[RobertEarl]

7. Why is even Mitt running?

He's a loser, too.

I'd be willing to bet Obama's people have been calling all the Republicans and egging them on. They are making fools of themselves, creating havoc in their party and making Obama look cool.

[Jamaal510]

24. My guesses...

MoRon Paul says he's running to strengthen the "Libertarian movement".
Rick Satantorum sees the 2012 GOP race as a football game, and thinks he can make a "2nd half comeback" against Willard Rmoney.
Noot Grinch is probably staying in to sell some books, or because Willard has been paying him off to siphon votes from Rick.

[MADem]

2. He's like an old vaudeville clown, realizing how terribly he misses the limelight and laughter.

Pathetic old fool. In his case, though, he's a noxious and pathetic old fool. He should simply shut up and go home--but then he'd have to live with himself.

[grasswire]

3. he and Callista are selling their books on the campaign trail

Book signing tables at the events. Seriously.

[Ikonoklast]

4. His massive ego will not let him do otherwise.

Newt is not a smart man, he is not charismatic, he is not even well-liked by his compatriots.

He is not a young man, and knows that this is the Last Hurrah.

He wants it to last as long as possible, because after this, obscurity.

[muntrv]

5. He needs attention.

[Lugnut]

12. Not exactly.

He needs greenbacks. Lots of them.

[freshwest]

6. For the same reason he started. He's in debt up to his eyeballs and is a paid performer. Woof!

[center rising]

8. Simple, EGO!!!!!

[jeff47]

9. Because it's a tour designed to advertise his business, not a campaign.

Newt sells books and gets paid for speeches.

Newt's business was slowing down. People weren't buying books or paying for as many speeches. So he runs for President, gets his name back in the headlines, and says outrageous crap to get media coverage. When it's no longer cost-effective, he'll go back to selling books and speeches.

[alp227]

11. Yes, and do you think Herman Cain was doing a book tour not a real campaign too?

Also, these campaigns and the media attention mean bigger speaking fees for Gingrich and Cain.

[jeff47]

17. I don't think so - Cain still has money

If it's a tour, you burn all the campaign cash 'cause you can't use it anyway.

[KharmaTrain]

10. Hey Noooooot....

...the department store called...they want their manequin back.

also they say you're 15 minutes have also long expired...

The marvel of being an extreme narcissist...know one will ever know your greatness better than you.

[sofa king]

13. Because he's evil.

Gingrich has three interests only: money, power, and sex. Considering he is so fat now that he probably cannot find his penis, it is the first two we have to worry about.

All of the effort expended so far will be worth nothing in terms of money and power if Gingrich cannot survive to the convention.

But if he can stay in until then, suddenly everything changes. Suddenly, Gingrich will find himself sitting on perhaps enough delegates to make trouble for the real candidates. He'll control a voting block that he can use to disrupt the convention and extract money and power from the subsequent deal to shut him up.

What he really wants is the running-mate slot, for reasons which should be frighteningly obvious.

But if he doesn't get that I'm sure he'll be able to use his position at the convention to reopen the flow of conservative cash, probably in the form of mass book-purchases and a lucrative speaking tour, and of course his "consulting" fees.

The thing to remember is that Gingrich has no empathy, no remorse, and no moral code to inhibit him from doing whatever he needs to do to get what he wants. What he wants is the White House, and he knows he's not going to get in there through the front door.

So he is going to be evil about it.

[tanyev]

14. At this point, for spite.

[DCBob]

15. Money and ego.. but mostly money.

The more he keeps the media following him around the more books and lectures he can sell. And of course he clearly needs the money to fund Mrs Tiffany.

[JoePhilly]

16. Because Tiffany's jewelry does not buy itself.

[glinda]

18. Because he and others are being paid to "promote their lies and

disinformation" for as long as they can. That and it is proof that Newt and the others are paid hacks.

[Lil Missy]

19. To sell books and raise his profile for speaking fees. n/t

[polichick]

20. Exactly - and because he's an attention whore.

[rucky]

21. It's a great way to funnel money. n/t

[MormonReform]

22. Romney only has 37%

Looks like he wants to be a power broker at the convention to stop Mitt Romney.

[and-justice-for-all]

23. Because is a fucking megalomaniac...nt