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Simon Sheaff

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An Open Letter To Newt Gingrich

Posted: 02/ 6/2012 8:30 am

Dear Mr. Speaker,

Drop Out.

Now.

I am sorry, but the reality of the numbers simply means that this is the only path for you at this point and the longer you stay in, the better odds are that you allow President Barack Obama to become, despite Michele Bachmann's promises, a TWO term president. Get out while you still can, and endorse Mitt Romney as "conservative enough."

First, let's take a look at your chances of becoming the nominee: National polls have you polling pretty well, but a Romney victory tonight in Nevada seals him as the clear national frontrunner. As for the next few primaries, Romney leads polls (albeit very old polls) in all except for your home state of Georgia. (Congratulations, but that's just not gonna cut it.) Romney is not only better organized, better funded and better known, but also better liked. Delegate counts have you far behind Romney. All signs point to a clear-cut Romney nomination. So thanks for making it interesting, but there's not much more for you to do.

Second, take a long hard look at exactly what you are doing to the Republican party. We get it, you are a true conservative, and you can motivate the base. But it has become very clear that the Republican establishment doesn't like you. Sad but true, they make the real decisions. While you stay in the race, they have to try to beat you, and not Obama. With you still in the race, Obama can sit back and watch you tear into Mitt Romney for being wealthy and successful (which only hurts him among critical swing voters!). While you exist as a challenger, you take money that Romney should be spending on ads against the president. Surely, as a man who plays politics better than most politicians, you can see this.

The only thing that confuses me is where you think your path to victory is.

Take a long hard look at your campaign and decide for yourself what is best. I'm a big fan. But there is little that can be done at this point.

Sincerely,

A concerned Republican.

 
 
 
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AlaskanWannaB
BIG BIRD to Mittens: You're FIRED!!!
10:32 PM on 02/13/2012
Newt,

Stay in.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
harpo73
11:28 PM on 02/07/2012
Nothing is clear after tonight with Santorum's apparent 3 out of 3 victories. Nothing.
03:48 PM on 02/07/2012
It is to bad that Newt turned to populist anti-capitalist rhetoric in order to try and appeal to social conservatives that may be wary of "walls street types". Newt and the super PACs that support him have confused the issue over what is good and bad capitalism. They have made some normal market operations always bad capitalism, even if they are a product of free market activities.

http://www.examiner.com/bloomington-economic-policy-in-springfield/good-capitalism-vs-bad-capitalism
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flossophy
the unfamous anti-establishment classical liberal
10:11 PM on 02/06/2012
It is bewildering why young people would dismiss out of hand the one candidate who's capable of turning around the West's decline and reasserting America's civilizational responsibility in preserving what remains of the free world... 

... especially considering they're going to feel the brunt of a world dominated by Chinese capitalism and an ascending IsIamic empire as they work their entire career paying off the mountain of debt that this generation has created for them.
02:49 PM on 02/06/2012
What I find most troublesome about the Romney campaign is that he speaks in platitudes rather than addressing issues and actually avoids speaking at all except when making prepared speeches. He did fairly well in response to expected questions at the last two debates, producing effective soundbite-ready answers, but Romney overall tends not to speak well extemporaneously. I suppose the point is valid that Newt Gingrich is not contributing much at this point to the tone of the Republican nomination race but Romney still needs to be forced to deal more with opponents in an unrehearsed manner.
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SirGigglehead
NRA-Nat'l Rimmers Assoc
01:52 PM on 02/07/2012
Romney is his dad's son. George was terrible at extemporaneous speaking also. Mitt wants to best his dad's record but he forgets that his dad left him a legacy.
12:58 PM on 02/06/2012
If Mitt wins, Obama wins. I know of MANY Republicans that like Newt better than Romney and will not vote for Romney under any circumstances. Many will simply not vote or vote third party if Romney is nominated. Some of those currently support Santorum, but would support Newt if Santorum would drop out, or vice versa. If Newt and Santorum and their supporters could form a coalition and work together, there is no way Mitt Romney could possibly beat them. There IS a path forward. Remember Texas has 155 delegates, and Rick Perry will actively campaign for Newt in Texas. Less than 10 percent of the people have voted.
02:42 PM on 02/06/2012
Here is one such conservative. And while I am at that, Mr. Sheaff, since what time "A concerned Republican" writes in HuffPo?
03:51 PM on 02/07/2012
Since when do economic conservative adopt populist rhetoric and blur the lines between "good and bad" capitalism. Either Newt doesn't understand how the markets work, He doesn't believe in the free market or he is doing this to try and win support from blue collar social conservatives by trying to make them thing that Mitt and his greedy friends are going to come town and fire everyone one to make a quick buck

http://www.examiner.com/bloomington-economic-policy-in-springfield/good-capitalism-vs-bad-capitalism
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Peddler
Peddler of Information
12:29 PM on 02/06/2012
Nootie knows that he want win----------Newt Leroy is promoting Newt Leroy------and designing his personal plans for after the election. He will ride this political bull all the way to the convention. And whether Romney is the preferred candidate according to the polls------tell me, who else is left by Romney-----and he is the last sediment in the political barrel. The GOP blew it again----better luck in 2016-----I know Obama must be content!
11:36 AM on 02/06/2012
Newt's idea is three-fold.

1) How can I win in 2016, if I let Mitt push me out in 2012?

2) Perhaps I will get all the not-Mitt vote in the bigger states.

3) The longer I run, the longer I get free publicity for my books.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
rbenjamin
Rule 5 rules
11:08 AM on 02/06/2012
Dear Simon:

You are assuming the Speaker is running a presidential campaign. I respectfully submit he is not. What seems a campaign is actually a politically themed internet business that has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

Mr. Gingrich did so well with his rhetorical sniping in the early debates that he actually jumped ahead of Mr, Romney in the polls. Come to think of it, pretty much all the candidates jumped ahead of Mr. Romney at some point in the early polls. I guess it wasn't that hard to look good. Had my cat entered the debate she might have lead briefly on the strength of her Meow,Meow, Meow plan.

What we are witnessing from Mr. Gingrich is a politically themed crusade driven by spite and sustained by the basic lack of love for Mr. Romney. Spite is hard to control and It will sell books; those already printed, and those about to be written. Mr. Gingrich will continue the crusade so long as he has enough of other peoples' money to do so. When must expend his own hard earned capital, the "campaign" will be formally "suspended" and will revert to a conventional book tour.

Yours truly, rbenjamin (nom de guerre)
11:07 AM on 02/06/2012
Nonsense. Newt is fully within his rights to stay in the race all the way through the bitter end. It is his patriotic duty to make everyone keep spending and digging up dirt on each other as long as possible.
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Guardian Weasel
News Media: We don't need balance. We need truth.
10:48 AM on 02/06/2012
Sorry, kid. You're not the first Concerned Republican to tell him this, and I doubt you'll be the last. But he ain't listening.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
rkoenn
09:45 AM on 02/06/2012
Concerned Republican??? Concerned about what??? How to help the less fortunate, I doubt it. How to help people be certain they can get reasonably priced health care, I doubt it. How to quit making military escapades around the globe, I doubt it. How to have a fair system of taxation, I doubt it. Seems all they are concerned about is how to beat Obama. Ah the majority of Republicans, they definitely have deep thoughts on their minds!
09:30 AM on 02/06/2012
Umm, Newt, take my advice - STAY IN THE RACE!!!!! Ride this bad boy all the way to Tampa!!!!!

Sincerely,
A giddy Democrat
09:15 AM on 02/06/2012
Yes, that should get the Speaker's attention - but his ego is such he'll quickly ignore the sound advice on offer. His campaign is ego driven, and not based on any reality.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
Tomlastliberalleft
09:13 AM on 02/06/2012
Simon,
Politics is not a sport, or an adventure in finding what is best for anyone, anymore. What it is in every sense is a scorn filled tribute to those who have managed by some mechanism to scramble to the top of the heap. Newt would no doubt argue that the fulminations of his campaign do in fact give warm comfort to those who want their own particular pound of flesh extracted from the process. It is far too difficult now, right now, for anyone to see where this election cycle is going. Statistical treatment would say that dislodging a sitting President is seldom done; even less likely during war time.

If you are concerned about the fate of the GOP then you might want to reach out to those potential voters who your party has systematically disowned for most of my life. Then you might have a chance in a fair election where issues and performance mean more than rhetoric and the establishment of some quasi-state religion whose true intentions run counter to the basis for our happy little democracy. Stop worrying about things you cannot change.