Eye on '08, Newt hits Iowa, N.H. -The Hill

[Rose Siding]

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) will spend two days in New Hampshire next week to meet editorial boards and conservative activists, convincing several of his former House colleagues that he will run for the presidency in 2008.

Gingrich will spend Monday and part of Tuesday in the Granite State and has packed his schedule with events calculated to boost his profile and woo influential Republicans whose support would be critical in a presidential primary. New Hampshire is the site of the first primary.
.....
Gingrich will also travel to Iowa on May 12 and 13 for visits to Sioux City, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City and will likely participate in events for the local Republican Party and attend one or two book signings, Tyler said. The Iowa caucuses are the first election of the presidential nominating process, followed by the New Hampshire primary a few days later.

News of Gingrich’s foray into the presidential battleground and the array of politically significant activities have prompted enthusiastic responses from House Republicans. All GOP lawmakers who spoke with The Hill said he would be a top-tier candidate who could seriously challenge the early front-runners, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
.....
“Apart from Ronald Reagan, there has been no voice more clarion in the conservative movement than Newt Gingrich in the last 25 years,” said Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of about 100 conservatives in the House. “I know that conservatives because of their respect and affection for him are going to take a real hard look at Gingrich.”

http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/041205/newt.html

[saltpoint]

1. If Newt Gingrich becomes the Republican nominee in '08 --

-- I WILL become a heroin addict.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. If he does...

We should feed him his past. In shit sauce.

[vogonjiltz]

3. Please, please, please...

Run Newt Run. That would be a very fun developement.

[Citizen Suspect]

9. Amen to that. Gingrich/Delay in 2008!

Such a development would be proof positive that God is on the Democratic side, politically speaking. :-)

[elsiesummers]

19. I'm not so convinced - I think he could be tough...

I think you are underestimating Newt.

Frist is soooo dull and not a good spokesman for his party.

Newt - yes he has a scandalous past but he is charismatic and incredibly on message and a smart debater. He worries me more than most of the other possible Repubs.

I hope Newt doesn't run and pray for that living corpse Frist as the Dem's opponent - 'cause I don't see how any but the most partisan or religious right will vote for Frist.

I don't care how sweet on Frist the media get - the guy does not have anything to offer and sure does not pass the "guy you wanna have a beer with" test.

I hope Frist is the Republican nominee because any of the Democratic top 10 could wipe the floor with him.

Newt and Jeb worry me a bit. Jeb only because of the name branding - but that could unfortunately be enough.

[Yupster]

23. The 2 percenters

Every election cycle, a bunch of candidates enter the fray, never get above 2 % in the polls, and then drop out usually before the first primary or just after Iowa or New Hampshire.

Welcome to Newt, first of the 2 percenters.

[alcuno]

4. Isn't he on his third marriage?

And shouldn't announcing your plan to divorce to your hospitalized wife disqualify you?

[alcuno]

7. Seriously. Is he currently married or not?

I know he has divorced twice.

[Verve]

5. Newt's run for prez would definitely be laughable. Yet so was G.W.'s.

What a nightmare we live in!

[Bozita]

6. Sounds like a good cop/bad cop routine -- Newt is the ...

... bad cop.

Even Jeb could play good cop.

[Mz Pip]

11. Bingo

We have a winner. That's what's happening here. Setting it up for Jeb because the alternatives are too crackpot to be taken seriously.

Newt, Rick Santorum, Dr. Billy Bob Cat Killer Frist, and not dead yet, John McCain. Uh huh.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[CoffeeCat]

28. I wondered if Newt wasn't compaigning..,

...so he could be picked up as a vp candidate?

I can't imagine that he would be serious about running for President.
He understands his limitations. He also knows that he left Congress in shame.

I wonder if Gingrich's campaigning is a strategy aimed at those in his own party, "See! People like me. I have clout and I can cull some fundie votes."

I think he's just trying to be a player again after being emasculated by his "Contract on America" fiasco.

[KlatooBNikto]

8. When they control the vote count, they can nominate just about anybody,

including Godzilla and make it stick.Come to think of it, Godzilla would actually be an improvement over Newt.

[Robeson]

15. My thoughts exactly......

...since elections can be fixed, they could run anybody.

[glitch]

21. If Newt runs and "wins" maybe then people will believe it's a rigged game.

Although I would've thought W's 2004 "win" would've woken them up.

[LiberallyInclined]

10. bring. it. on...please?

please newt- run run run!

[leesa]

12. Go home you freak!

[Nevernose]

13. If McCain or Giuliani run, then we're fucked

Regardless of where the truth lay, the MSM loves these right-wing bastards. Our best hope is to run a sacrificial candidate like McGovern, then come back in '12 with a Carter or Clinton.

[liberalpragmatist]

14. Neither will probably even win a nomination

It's not likely given how the RW Fundie base hates them.

If McCain's the nominee, then he'd probably be unbeatable.

Giuliani would be tough, but it could be done. He doesn't wear well. He's an asshole (and I've talked to SEVERAL Republicans who agree with me) and by that point it'll have been SEVEN years since 9-11.

In addition to all the ethical problems and whatnot, how is he going to run a viable conservative campaign? Sooner or later Bushco policies will catch up with us and will prove unsustainable. I guess Giuliani might slip by emphasizing his battles with the New York arts funding, his tough-on-crime platform, tax cuts, and hawkishness on foreign policy.

But if he were to run, the South and West could be VERY receptive to a new candidate, even if a state like New Jersey would wind up more competitive. NJ would probably be a tossup and we'd have to put some resources into New York (we'd still win it though).

I imagine if we ran John Edwards or Wesley Clark against Giuliani, we'd win. They'd cut into Southern and Midwestern support, could run populist campaigns and benefit from anti-NE sentiments.

Could result in an ironic partial inversion of the red-blue map. I can imagine Giuliani winning NJ, maybe Pennsylvania (given it's swing-state status and perhaps a higher popularity in the Philly suburbs) but losing Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Nevada, New Mexico, and maybe Colorado. North Carolina or Virginia might be close and conceivably go Dem. Tennessee and WV might go Dem or at least be closer. Louisiana? Given a choice between a pro-corporate pro-choice New Yorker and a populist Southern moderate, Louisiana could VERY CONCEIVABLY go Dem. Florida would probably still be close - Rudy might do better among Florida transplants in S. Florida but we might do better in Central and Western Florida.

[Nevernose]

16. Giuliani lives w/ two gay men and a french poodle

This doesn't particularly bother me, as someone whom is not a homophobe and has owned French poodles (good dogs, btw). But, if there were the will, stuff like this (and his pro-choice stance) could be used against him. Whether it should or not will be left to our candidate's advisors. I agree, too, that it will have been seven years since 9/11, and that horrible day will have lost quite a bit of power amongst the easily swayed.

In short, it may be a long shot that Giuliani manages to pull the religious right base (especially w/o the BFEE support), but if he gets it, at this point he is is still a contender, especially w/o the right opponent. I seriously wonder about our party's ability to choose the right opponent (and judging from Kerry's pre-nomination speeches, I thought he was the one). In fact, it might not be the leader I have doubts about, but that leader's advisors.

[Joy Anne]

18. messy personal lives

Newt and Rudy both have had two ugly divorces and are currently married to wife #3.

[elsiesummers]

22. Republicans will NEVER nominate Giulliani

No way. Not gonna happen. Even Condoleeza Rice has a better shot - (and I still think hell would freeze over if this were to occur).

McCain - I don't know. He has sure kissed Bush butt - maybe he could get the nomination, though I doubt it.

If McCain gets the nomination and doesn't appear too old then he could be a difficult opponent.

[Yupster]

24. agree elsie

no way Guiliani gets the nomination.

[despairing optimist]

17. Newt vs. Hillary in '08?

Say it ain't so.

[Voltaire99]

32. I'll start despairing, too, if that's all we have to choose from (n/t)

[AuntiBush]

20. Oh, I hope so! Does not matter, though.

If... Big IF, we make it to 2008, there is NO WAY the Repuks will EVER hold office in this country, EVER AGAIN! No way.

If I knew for certain we'll make it through, below is what I think I'll take up till then. Wake me when it's over.

:beer::toast::beer: :party: :beer::toast::beer:

[Chomskyite]

25. Holy Christ

. . . could we possibly be this lucky?

[CoffeeCat]

26. Newt Gingrich in Iowa City??? Bwahahaha!

Good luck with that, dough boy!

Iowa City is not a large city, but it is home to the University of Iowa and has a population of about 60,000 people.

Iowa City is arguably, the most liberal city in Iowa.

I can't imagine why Newt would travel there.

Does he enjoy being beaten up?

[CoffeeCat]

27. Question: Is Newt part of the PNAC brigade? (nt)

[Theduckno2]

29. The mid-term elections may have a lot influence

on who would get the Repug nomination in 2008. If Repug control of Congress starts to seriously slip, then a more moderate Repug, with national appeal, might be picked to stem the tide. If the Repugs do well in 2006, the far right may still prevail. Newt is a good debater at times but I tend to agree with those who say his chances are slim.

[Stinky The Clown]

30. Attention Morans .......

Fool me once, shame on ..... not gunna fool me agin

[truthisfreedom]

31. sorry. i just don't see it in the cards... a president called "newt?"

nope. ain't gonna happen.

[LongTomH]

33. Could you have ever imagined a president named Shrub?

or Dubya? Or that we would ever be considering a president named "Jeb?" Sounds like someone from the Beverly Hillbillies!

Actually, the real issue is: How crooked will the next election be? Do they even need to get close to steal the next one?