Friday, December 2, 2011

Eye of Newt...

Blowhard. Newt Gingrich is a bloviating, pedantic, annoying asshole that just won't seem to leave the national political stage. The guy has been around in politics for the last 30 years, flirting with presidential runs several times - and actually succumbing in a couple of instances - and basically just disrupting the political process wherever he can.
So how is it that this jackass is now leading the Republican primary field? Simple. The guy talks straight, I'll give him that, and these conservative voters like that, regardless of what he's actually saying. Herman Cain had overwhelming positive numbers, and his star was on the rise, until Republican primary voters actually started paying attention to the substance of his 9-9-9 plan, and the implications of his policies (there were a few, I think, but few and far between) - not to mention the sexual harassment and infidelity issues.
The problem with Newt Gingrich, is that he has so much personal and political baggage that he'll have a tough time winning against the equally vacillating Mitt Romney. Also, if Newt is to stay strong, he'll have to get the religious conservatives to look past his spotty (to say the least) past of moral indiscretions (which they're alway wont to do with Democrats, but always seem to be able to do with Republicans). Maybe Newt can salvage his relationship with these right-wing Christians by telling them that he has repented for his past sins, and that he'll need their help and guidance to stay on the straight and narrow moving forward.
All of that being said, I don't see Newt having any staying power. His baggage and his haughty attitude are too much for any electorate to overcome, even one as desperate for alternatives as Republican primary voters are for an alternative to Mitt Romney. Look for all of his old moral shortcomings to come up again, as well as his sometimes more moderate political positions. He's the "flavor of the week", as so many pundits have been using for the literal plethora of Republican primary frontrunners - some running and some deciding against running; Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Chris Christie, Ron Paul (unfortunately John Huntsman, the only rational Republican in the race, cannot seem to get any traction) - and his parabolic rise will eventually slide back down the other side.

11 comments:

Dyl said...

So you're saying Ron Paul isn't rational?

Unknown said...

Are you saying you do?

Dyl said...

What? Are you asking if I say that Ron Paul is rational? I don't go around saying it unprompted or anything, but yes, I absolutely believe Ron Paul a rational person.

Unknown said...

I think his rationale is irrational. He believes that a libertarian society is possible, and that market forces will always make things right. His fallacy is not in the ethos itself (just like communism, socialism, democracy, or even a monarchy), the problem is his failure to recognize that the problem with any -ism is that they don't work out the way you want them to, and inevitably become corrupted.

Dyl said...

So he's irrational because he disagrees with you politically? I've never heard him say that market forces will always make things right. I've heard him say that small government is the best way to promote and protect individual freedom. And since it's authority that is responsible for corruption, this seems like a rather rational viewpoint.

Unknown said...

Nope, because you're simply replacing one failed system with another. Rule by corrupt government, or rule by corporations - what is the difference?

Dyl said...

So, by that logic, people who support or are ingrained in our current system are irrational as well...

Unknown said...

You know they are.

Dyl said...

Then why did you say that Huntsman isn't?

Unknown said...

Because at least Huntsman is talking about a system that actually exists, instead of believing that another system would replace it and make it perfect.

Dyl said...

Ron Paul isn't talking about perfection. You should give him more attention. You might find some things that you agree with.