Every “non-Romney” candidate has been demonized, attacked, thrown under the bus, whatever you would like to call it, by many media and establishment figures. As the current “non-Romney” candidate, predictably, any and all real or fabricated dirt that can be put out there about Newt Gingrich is being thrown about. On and on there is a prevalent force against any success that Gingrich has, yet still he is gaining in the polls. There is something about Newt that is resonating with the conservative base and terrifying the establishment.
Inarguably, Gingrich is a man who gets things done. He was instrumental in developing the contract for America, welfare reform , and balancing the budget in ‘98 among many other accomplishments throughout his career. He comes across as very knowledgeable on all issues especially on foreign policy and economics and is an excellent debater. His personal past is ugly, but marital issues do not seem to be enough to inflame such negative attitudes as being presented among pundits and politicians in the media. So what is it that has the republican establishment so afraid of Newt?
Gingrich had a very successful political career up until the government shutdowns of 1995 and 1996. After which his popularity suffered greatly, he became known as a controversial politician, and ethics violations were brought up against him. This appears to be the turning point for Gingrich. The ethics violation was a tax issue. There were a total of 84 charges brought against Newt, 83 of which were dropped, leaving 1 penalty for “a charge of claiming tax-exempt status for a college course run for political purposes” [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich]. Were the other charges dropped because they were invalid, or is there more to the story? Let’s face it, the republican establishment is not very popular at the moment, so perhaps it is better to nominate someone who isn’t in their back pocket. I, for one, would really like to know what the grievance is so t hat I may be able to make an educated decision when it comes time to vote. Unless something substantial is revealed it appears that Newt has done nothing more that step on the toes of the Republican establishment.
The political process appears to be determined not by who is the best candidate, but by who has the most money and friends in high places. This is what is driving the force behind Newt. People are tired of being steered in the direction that the establishment and the media want them to go. People want to be inspired. They want to vote for someone who speaks out for them, who says what they believe is the right thing, and who is willing to put it on the line regardless of who they might offend. Perhaps Newt is playing us all by being this man, and if elected he will cow to the party line, but his record does not imply this. The establishment does not seem able to control Newt and that has them terrified.
