Jan

20

Want Gingrich to be the Nominee Just to Watch Him Debate Obama?

Filed Under Politics | 28 Comments

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Earlier today I was talking to someone who had a take on Newt Gingrich that isn’t uncommon on the right side of the political spectrum these days: “I’d love for him to be the nominee — imagine how he’d crush Obama in a debate!”

Yeah, by our definition he might… but then what? Nobody thinks Obama is the president right now because he out-debated John McCain do they? I mean, maybe he did (RINOs aren’t exactly a debate challenge for liberals), but that’s not the reason he won. Obama won because because he wasn’t vetted, successfully sold the gullible on the concept of Xanadu and had a wink-wink nudge-nudge relationship with the “one-percent” that he demonizes in broad daylight and accepts huge campaign donations from behind closed doors.

When considering voting for Newt for no other reason that he would clean Obama’s clock in a debate, the words of the late William F. Buckley, Jr. are worth remembering:

“A good debater is not necessarily an effective vote-getter: you can find a hole in your opponent’s argument through which you could drive a coach and four ringing jingle bells all the way, and thrill at the crystallization of a truth wrung out from a bloody dialogue – which, however, may warm only you and your muse, while the smiling paralogist has in the meantime made votes by the tens of thousands.”

If being a kickass debater equated to success in gaining elected office, Buckley would have spent the late 1960′s as Mayor of New York City.

That said, it’d be great fun watching Gingrich debate Obama. But if I voted for Newt in the primary that wouldn’t be the reason.

Judging from the latest poll heading into the primary tomorrow, Republicans in South Carolina might want to see that debate. One thing’s for sure, the ABC News interview with Newt’s ex wife hasn’t ruined his chances… quite the opposite if anything.

Comments

28 Responses to “Want Gingrich to be the Nominee Just to Watch Him Debate Obama?”

  1. backwoodsconsr on January 20th, 2012 10:21 pm

    The fire he's showing is what's getting my attention. Yeah, I'd like to see him debate Obama, but the way he's handing it to the media rocks too. What he did to John King at the beginning of the debate last night was priceless.

    There is a lot of sentiment against anybody who has been in Washington too long and it leads to a "Vote everybody out" mentality. But watching Newt causes me to think of the old saying, "You can't bullshit a bullshitter." Newt has been around politics long enough to know all the games and all the tricks politicians and the media play. He can see right through it and he's calling them on it. That's what I love.

  2. Doug on January 20th, 2012 10:31 pm

    Yes, the potential upside is that he's been around Washington politics long enough to know all the tricks. The potential downside? He's been around Washington politics long enough to know all the tricks.

  3. swede on January 20th, 2012 10:34 pm

    "That said, it’d be great fun watching Gingrich debate Obama. But if I voted for Newt in the primary that wouldn’t be the reason."

    We need to remember that 25% are always left / 25 – 30% always right. It's those 45% indies in the middle who decide all elections – and they are for the most part politically and civically illiterate dopes. That's who Obupkus sold his HopeyDopey shtick to and they bought it. If Newt pounded Barry into the ground in a debate, which he could likely do, the nice center America folks would say, "OOOooo that was so mean. He should be more polite to a black person." Winning the debate would just lose votes.

    Reagan was a genius at winning with wit and humor. Pounded poor little Walt Mondale to death with a fuzzy mitten. "Wellllll….there you go again…"

  4. backwoodsconsr on January 20th, 2012 10:41 pm

    "I will not make age an issue in this election. I refuse to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience."

  5. SignPainterGuy on January 20th, 2012 10:41 pm

    Is that a conundrum or a catch-22 thing ?

    And that, Doug, is precisely where I am !

  6. SignPainterGuy on January 20th, 2012 10:44 pm

    I liked the "I won`t hold your youth and inexperience against you" after Mondull implied that Ronaldus Magnus was too old.

  7. Pasadena Phil on January 20th, 2012 10:47 pm

    Gingrich is interesting at the moment because he is so upset. But he's upset because his ego has been wounded by his ex-wife. She hurt him right where it hurts the most. So he is lashing out. I have almost zero confidence that Newt will do the right thing were he elected. He is a Washington insider and well-connected lobbyist. He is in bed with all of the special interests we are fighting against.

    I hope he wins in SC because I want to see a brokered convention. But I don't want any of these clowns to come out of that convention as the nominee but one of them will. The best we can do is strangle that nominee and hang a well-explained platform around his neck in the form of a noose. The next president will need to fear voters every minute of his term if we are going to escape our current post-constitutional situation. There is no waiting until 2016. We are out of time because we wasted the last four years. Victory should be probational with no celebrating in November at the ousting of Obama. Let's see results before the cheering starts. "Winning" the election wins nothing.

    Now let's see if we can get the conservative media to at last start vetting Obama and stop complaining about the media bias. A good start would be those reported gay affairs Obama had while at that church in Chicago. There is so much more to go after but that one would be a blockbuster start.

  8. SignPainterGuy on January 20th, 2012 10:49 pm

    Your memory of the quote appears to be better than mine, you youngin you !

  9. Marshall_Will on January 20th, 2012 10:50 pm

    I'm w/ Doug here. Foaming at the mouth for a 'debate' ( especially given everything is on the line this, perhaps last cycle ) is like getting all pumped in the locker room for the coin toss of the SuperBowl. Only leaving (4) quarters left to be played?

    We need to start *punching through* that wall and go w/ the "assumed close". Newt, Mitt, Rick need to be asking the American public, "Once you get your Country ( and Constitution ) back, what 'direction' would you LIKE me to take this nation!"

    JFTR an assumed close isn't… Would you like to buy some apples today? It's "How MANY apples would you like to buy today!?" Subtle but important difference. This is precisely what Dick O'Drama pulled on that 45% dithering in the middle! Unfortunately for Him, He's already burnt that card.

  10. Granny55 on January 20th, 2012 10:51 pm

    Ditto!

  11. SignPainterGuy on January 20th, 2012 11:12 pm

    One good thing I`m fairly certain of, Odrama has lost, not gained, support over the last 3 years. He has tons of money to buy what can be bought, but his policies have turned off many of his dazzled and blinded masses !

  12. Pasadena Phil on January 20th, 2012 11:24 pm

    I agree that Obama should be easy picking (cancer is a tough sell and very expensive to market) but as was amply demonstrated here in CA in 2010, the GOP seems to find a way to lose to even the most detested Democrats. CA was a two-fer.

    Even the Democrats,most of the whom didn't want to vote for Jerry Brown or Barbara Boxer, couldn't believe that the GOP would run someone as bad as GOP national establishment choice. Meg Whitman. Even the other bad liberal GOP pick, Carly Fiorina, would have won had it not been for Whitman.

    So the GOP engineered losing a governorship and senator to the two most detested politicians in CA. And it's the same crowd that is making a mess of the presidential race. Never underestimate the ability of the GOP to pull defeat out of the jaws of victory. They just don't want to win. So long as keep conservatives from gaining even the slightest foothold anywhere in party leadership, they don't care if they lose to Obama. It's Jebbie in 2016 that they are preparing for.

  13. backwoodsconsr on January 20th, 2012 11:38 pm

    I've been watching it on YouTube. I was a little off on the exact words.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoPu1UIBkBc

  14. SignPainterGuy on January 20th, 2012 11:47 pm

    Well, I`m really hoping that Rick and Newt will continue to disappoint the RNC and do better than they expect. Romney winning the nomination isn`t written in stone !

  15. clu seatoe on January 21st, 2012 12:20 am

    …while the smiling paralogist has in the meantime made votes by the tens of thousands.”

    “Paralogist.”
    I like that word. It’s one perfect description or Loser. He knows it too and has flooded our Country with illegals for his use of just that purpose and he appeals to the non-thinking inner city folk too (or as Eric Holder has said “my people”) who will fall for and follow any pied piper who is not too cerebral. Especially a black one.

    I fear that Newt will be too cerebral in any debate and talks as if just because he understands what he says everyone else does too.

    At times Newt requires a bit of the thought process to understand or get the reference but if there’s no well of understanding to draw from, forget it – too much like work. The recent arriver to our shores, and especially the illegal, who knows not about the history and roots of America will not understand Newt’s logic or references to various government founding documents and will gravitate to follow the simple paralogics of Loser’s, “It’s free and all you have to do to get it sign up.” Soon the trap will snap and we got‘cha.

  16. backwoodsconsr on January 21st, 2012 12:40 am

    Time has flown by in the last few days. All day today I've had to remind myself that my chance to vote will come when I get off work in the morning. I look forward to doing my part to burst Romney's inevitability bubble.

  17. swede on January 21st, 2012 12:52 am

    "I have almost zero confidence that Newt will do the right thing were he elected. He is a Washington insider and well-connected lobbyist. He is in bed with all of the special interests we are fighting against."

    I have a little more confidence. I am quite sure he'd sell out and do the WRONG thing – for the reasons you just cited plus I honestly believe his ego is bigger than Obarry's, if that's possible. That, and he's a moral midget.

  18. swede on January 21st, 2012 1:06 am

    That is indeed a classic moment. Ranks right up there with the Nixon/Kennedy debate, the Checkers speech and LBJ's "Daisy Spot". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDTBnsqxZ3k

    Goldwater's slogan was "In your heart, you know he's right." After the Daisy Spot ran, LBJ's campaign pushed their answer, "In your heart, you know he might." The height of the the cold war a year after the Cuban Missle Crisis. It's called argumentum ad metum – appeal to fear. An incredibly effective logical falicy. Al Gorbot made it work for a while too.

  19. SignPainterGuy on January 21st, 2012 1:39 am

    Enjoy ! And then go for a good celebratory breakfast !

  20. Doug on January 21st, 2012 2:50 am

    Foaming at the mouth for a 'debate' ( especially given everything is on the line this, perhaps last cycle ) is like getting all pumped in the locker room for the coin toss of the SuperBowl.

    Bingo!

  21. backwoodsconsr on January 21st, 2012 11:21 am

    My vote has been cast. I arrived at the small, rural precinct where I vote shortly before 8:00 AM. There was only one other person in line ahead of me. It's Saturday, so there are not a lot of people who need to vote before they go to work.

    It's raining hard in the Upstate of SC today, other areas will probably get the rain later on as the front moves through. I'm not sure whose chances that would affect the most. Enthusiasm would be the determining factor. Ron Paul's supporters would probably be the most enthusiastic, but that's just a small group and I would expect both of them to show up anyway no matter what the weather.

  22. A.Men on January 21st, 2012 1:05 pm

    ABO 2012 (Anybody But Obama 2012)

  23. SignPainterGuy on January 21st, 2012 3:57 pm

    "… both of them …", when it`s RuPaulBots, don`t 2 count as a swarm ?

    Gotta love small towns; the longest lines you`ll see are funeral processions and grocery store check outs when snow is in the forecast !

  24. Marshall_Will on January 21st, 2012 5:58 pm

    Clu,

    Awesome post. On one hand, we have the Kenyan Cop that somehow believes ATM machines are recent innovation, the other, throngs of Paycheck Immigrants that either think Money Dispensers miraculously date back to Jamestown or… are in some way "government provided"?

  25. Marshall_Will on January 21st, 2012 6:06 pm

    Pasadena Phil said:

    "Victory should be probational with no celebrating in November at the ousting of Obama. Let's see results before the cheering starts. "Winning" the election wins nothing."

    Well.., I don't see any 'celebrating' for politicians, it's time for them to roll up their sleeves and actually DO something for a change? ( Personally I'm getting SMASHED! )

    Oh and +10k for Mrs. Will. Dining out on Friday kind puts a punctuation mark on another one "in the bag" before booting Teh One. I was trying to parallel park and Mrs. W noticed our Oppressive Prog neighbor getting out their car at the same restaurant.

    Suddenly.., I couldn't parallel park! I couldn't beat feet FAST enough! Too late. Prog say; "Oh are you two going to dinner!?" Mrs. Will said "Yes" ( as we drove OFF! ) Or as Joyanna Adams would say: "Nobody Dines!" We went down the block and had dinner AND drinks! Pleasant evening…

  26. SignPainterGuy on January 21st, 2012 9:33 pm

    Glad you two had a nice dining experience. Ambiance is half the enjoyment !

  27. Pasadena Phil on January 22nd, 2012 12:28 am

    Well you got your wish. Newt CRUSHED Mitt 41% to 27%. Now it's Newt who is full of "inevitability" delusions. Time for Santorum and Paul to step up and really jam things up. "Jebbie" refuses to take sides. Go figure.

  28. Hyperfobea on January 23rd, 2012 10:09 am

    "If being a kickass debater equated to success in gaining elected office, Buckley would have spent the late 1960′s as Mayor of New York City."

    I beg to differ. Buckley's speech was like Belloc's writing, i.e., certainly intelligent but a bit too lofty for the common man. Newt may be a pompous ass, but he really does know how to communicate with bigs and littles. In a debate against Thulsa Obama Doom he will shred the flimsy facade so that even the blind will see what lies beneath.

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