In recent months, polls have been kind to GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich. Voters appear to be jumping to the side of the former House Speaker, with the Georgian edging Mitt Romney at a national level.
As for conservative media outlets, the feeling toward Gingrich has leaned more toward cold, headed by a premiere right-wing publication. The National Review published a forceful editorial on Wednesday, cautioning voters against granting Gingrich the GOP nomination. The piece notes how Republicans have a major opportunity within their grasp -- a chance to win back the White House. To make that a reality, the editors say Gingrich is not the best fit.
"We fear that to nominate former Speaker Newt Gingrich, the frontrunner in the polls, would be to blow this opportunity," the editorial states.
The editors went on to slam Gingrich's character flaws during his time in office in the 1990s, noting that it was right for his tenure as House Speaker to end.
"...his impulsiveness, his grandiosity, his weakness for half-baked (and not especially conservative) ideas -- made him a poor Speaker of the House. Again and again he combined incendiary rhetoric with irresolute action, bringing Republicans all the political costs of a hardline position without actually taking one. Again and again he put his own interests above those of the causes he championed in public."
Gingrich's complicated relationship with the conservative press has been apparent in recent weeks. Right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh called attention to the issue last Wednesday, saying there appeared to be a "coordinated" effort against the current GOP frontrunner.
HuffPost's Sam Stein and Michael Calderone added that the line of conservative commentators coming out against Gingrich has been "lengthy and impressive." Among the critics are Washington Post columnists George Will and Charles Krauthammer, who have both questioned whether Gingrich embodies a true conservative. Earlier this week, conservative radio host Michael Savage even offered Gingrich $1 million to drop out of the Republican primary race "for the sake of the nation."
More conservative pundits, from Ann Coulter to Peggy Noonan, have come out against Gingrich. Here are some of the criticisms levied against him in recent weeks:
