The rise of Conservatism against All Perceived Odds? – Is it possible?

Newt Gingrich at Amherst College - See Article and more photos at The Daily Hampshire Gazette

In the deepest liberal enclave in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, an odd event occurred this past week – New Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and 2012 Presidential Candidate spoke before a packed house at Amherst College – and received standing ovations. (MassLive) – The article does note that Gingrich is not as “Polarizing” as say “Karl Rove” – however, he is to the right of Karl Rove, which makes this all the more stunning. Although sponsored by the College Republican’s one might think that meant 100 people tops in an auditorium –however, there as overflow and the estimates are over 1000, if one counts the room holding 800 to 1000 and the overflow noted as 200.

Then Rasmussen conducts a poll of the most influential people – in the world. and of all the individuals that might be conservative, Ted Cruz came in a stunning 3rd, behind the President and the Pope, who took first (Washington Examiner).

With the hoopla surrounding various legislation and acts as of late, with Republican Leadership bending over backwards to “to get along” by being less Conservative rather than negotiating deals and working with the more liberal elements of the Democrat caucus, it just boggles the mind as to why they refuse to recognize a trend – perhaps one that is away from Washington’s blind eye, business as usual perspective and more toward the prospect of listening to the people rather than the media, the lobbyist, and the like.

Although only two examples, one can find more than a few as of late, and as the mid-terms are coming up this year it will be interesting to see how well those candidates that don’t associate with either party, or modestly do – will be elected over those incumbents who really annoyed the daylights out of people (by either association with or support for Obama Care, Immigration (the way it’s currently being managed and a host of other complaints).

It is quite possible that the younger generation and those who are sick and tired of being taxed to smithereens, while “Rome burns and the Washington elite fiddle” – might just vote en masse to shake things up a bit. Should that occur, it will be, despite the pundits, more conservative candidates, albeit liberty candidates, who end up with the majority.

Trump Endorses Mitt Romney – Let the Panic, Punch Lines and Punditry Begin - Analysis

Trump Endorses Romney - The "Thrill is lacking" - image inquisitr.com

From the Boston Globe: Donald Trump, Real Estate mogul, and reality television star has backed a GOP Candidate – the new American Idol, one Mitt Romney. Romney appeared somewhat “befuddled” during his endorsement by Trump in Las Vegas, according to the Boston Globe. That’s one version – there are several – over on the far left - Mother Jones speculates that the real reason Trump endorsed Romney was political in nature, that Romney needed a Trump endorsement instead of that endorsement going to Gingrich – in a tea-party infused vote-getting scheme, that also involved Trump holding Romney’s hand in public.. One can find articles outlining how Romney bought the endorsement, which makes little sense considering the wealth on both sides of this “deal”.

Endorsements, as far as they go, give publicity to both parties, unless of course, the endorsee has no access to airtime, or is in essence only known in a small circle – for example the endorsement of a private citizen, is, to this mind, of more import that that of a Hollywood Star or Television Star, musician, athlete, or the everyday endorsement on finds from the Media for either the President or Mitt Romney – depending on the outlet. It is a manner in which both parties get attention, and most publicists will note that any publicity is good publicity.

But what about Trump and his conservative credentials – are they more “tea-party” or “Republican Party”? It’s hard to tell from this perspective, one might say neither – and be closer to the truth – As a self-made man, who has done well is real-estate despite his personal ups and downs, perhaps Trump understands Romney better than perhaps the more intellectual Gingrich or the very balanced Santorum, and as a stated Republican/Tea Party kind of guy – the Libertarian, Ron Paul.

Trump’s endorsement will be talked about for the next 48 hours, or perhaps less, as Romney at present seems to be filling the need for the media’s feed of a main and central national Character. Although pushed by the right media (Fox News and the Drudgereport – especially), Mitt Romney has had problems generating enthusiasm above polite clapping – however, the left jumped in, especially when it appeared on Newt Gingrich might actually run over the GOP’s pre-ordained candidate, Mitt Romney. Trump, who is a frequent guest on Fox News, and from local New England talk host, Howie Carr, plays golf with Rush Limbaugh. Perhaps Trump is more a part of the “mainstream” Republican machine than first thought – and should Romney win the nomination, and then of course, the Presidency (anyone who believes that this race is winnable by the current President lacks a clear senses of history and a dose of reality: inflation, increased unemployment figures, and personal income, across all spectrums, especially the poor and middle class, and his record), perhaps Trump (as suggested and most sanely)would be in line for a new gig, say Ambassador to China.

How likely is that to happen? Not at all likely – considering the fact that Romney is a businessman, and as such, he does know how to make “deals” – and since he is actually a hybrid (politician and businessman) one can best be sure that he will make promises to win endorsements and support, and when it comes time to get down to business, chose who he feels is the best fit for the “job at hand” – the old saying: “S—t rolls uphill” refers to the top of the Corporate heap, when a staff runs amok and bad things happen, well, the guy at the top suffers and generally – is fired. Romney, and this is Massachusetts “lore” (i.e. rumor as there is only hear-say), has been known to promise the moon and the stars to those who will help him achieve a goal, like the Governorship of Massachusetts, and then completely forget that promise once elected. Apparently, this leaves a lot of resentment on the floor, but overall, those individuals recover and become - opponents, or if rank and file Massachusetts Republicans get back in line and support whoever they are told to support.

It goes without saying the endorsement was odd, considering that Romney has appeared to shun “the Donald” at every step, and he did appear very uncomfortable in accepting the endorsement from Trump, but for that matter, so did Trump – he lacked the enthusiasm one might except from a Trump endorsement.

The GOP race for the nomination continues this weekend in Nevada where Romney is expected to win handily – given the fact that he has had an organization in place – and that’s the key – follow the Establishment GOP Logic, and one finds a pattern that makes some wonder why bother to vote?

The Reality

There are always a batch of GOP approved candidates and one of those is a favorite (regardless of electability), and so, the guy that comes in second or perhaps even third, (if the guy that comes in second is...less than acceptable by the elite corp), that candidate then becomes a cheerleader, and in four years or eight, is on the stump and yes, before the party begins, is touted as the front-runner – (See Bush, Dole, Bush, McCain, and now Romney – just for fun.) The main point that is never mentioned is that they are all, to a man (and or to a woman, if there were one who had gotten into the race, or done well enough to stay in the race) Republicans. For better or for worse, they are "Party animals", just like their Democrat counterparts.

Should Romney get the nomination, then it will be for some, a choice between Obama Lite and Obama, and, truth be told, people who hold doubts about the former Massachusetts Governor, even those in Massachusetts who would prefer that Ron Paul be the nominee (and there are more than a few of those), will hold their nose and vote for – Romney. In this season of “anyone can beat Obama” should be a shoe-in; even if there is a third party candidate from which to choose.

That said this nomination process is not over, and that is a good thing – for entertainment purposes, for the country – especially – as long as Gingrich, Santorum and Paul remain in the race. This is true, should the aforementioned amass delegates in those 26 proportional states, then the contest remains anyone’s ballgame until someone reaches 1100 delegates, and that’s a ways off. This shines the light on the candidates and their ideas far longer than the Obama campaign would like – strategically it is sound – and sound strategy that goes against GOP logic. Therefore, a week after Super Tuesday and the settling of the dust, so to speak, the calls for this one or that one to get out of the race will begin (a la McCain and Huckabee).

The closest to a second place at this point is one Newt Gingrich, who is much maligned by the press and the Romney Campaign, and the GOP, and anyone who could possibly be considered establishment, with only 5 states weighing in by the weekend, it is still too early in this game to crown a winner – (although both candidates would prefer that the case) – So, grab the popcorn, and sit back and enjoy the ideas that will be bandied about and especially the hysteria from the left, and the most important thing to be assured of is this: no matter which one of the candidates wins the nomination, and despite the rhetoric from the RNC that they will choose a candidate if their choice is not brought to the convention on say, the popular vote, those who fought hard and long and lost, will come back as fierce proponents of the nominee – then begin their careers as either talk show hosts for Fox News, or perhaps earn a post in the administration, or, wait eight years, (in the case of the very young Santorum, who is the most appealing candidate at this point – from an anti-Romney point of view), and run as the “anointed” one. The problem both Gingrich and Santorum both have is they have both bucked the Republican system, Gingrich to the point of causing much chagrin and gnashing of teeth and blatantly false accusations and rhetoric from those who know him well – because – when all is said and done, the head of the free world is also the titular head of the party that brought him to the table.

Therefore, the Trump endorsement will mean little in a week or two, as so many endorsement do, what will matter is how strong those Conservatives, the base, react in this election, and one can bet the house, they are not going down the road of concession anytime soon. Newt and Santorum, therefore, (or one of them) will be with us through June, when the primary season ends – and that will make their job, as party cheerleaders (following the common wisdom that it must be Romney, will be Romney, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it being Romney), will be to bring the base to its senses and get them out to vote.

Of course, one cannot forget South Carolina and its predictive primary nature. It is a case where anything can happen, and yes, (no tin foil here – only pragmatism), Gingrich may well rise like a Phoenix from the ashes of Romney’s PAC’s assaults, and the myriad sources of irritation, and win the nomination outright – Romney may be in “safe” territory now, but on Super Tuesday, the shakeout will begin, and should he fail to sweep on Super Tuesday, especially in battleground states, then it will be anyone’s (well, the guy with the most delegates) at that point game. Call this blogger crazy, but on several points, Gingrich is the better candidate, intellectually, in the debate arena, and in the ability to appeal to both spectrums, in spite of the media, and in spite of the negative ads – there is a genuineness about the man, as there is about Rick Santorum, (someone who is given little credence, and who should be watched closely, as he has substance.) Gingrich also knows how to bully both parties into doing what needs to be done, a quality that one finds, to date, lacking in one Mitt Romney. Romney is, to this mind, the appeaser, one who would enter the White House with good looks, and the perfect agenda, and then sit right down with Harry Reid and negotiate something that would appeal to both parties, rather than actually be what the country needs. Perhaps he has changed, and does so daily, but one gets the impression that what the nation needs is someone who could care less about what either Party wants, but what is necessary to put the House in Order – and that’s with or without

Trumps endorsement – which, one has to believe was given based on the hard line Romney has taken with China - a favorite target of Trump is the reason that is the beginning and end of the “why Romney” endorsement.

As the FL Polls Turn – Media Touts Romney Lead, but 24% May Change Mind - Palin’s Friday Endorsement of Gingrich in FL Primary.

Sarah Palin, shown with Newt Gingrich, image - from the AP via slantright


The numbers on Florida polls are literally everywhere, from the Right centered, Rasmussen Reports, showing Mitt Romney with Double Digit leads to Quinnipiac polling which shows Romney with a lead, but 34% thinking of changing their minds before casting that vote.

The Florida Polls (Using Real Clear Politics, for reference: (includes national polling) shows Romney with an 8 to 9 point lead over Gingrich with all polls, except for Rasmussen – of those polls, Quinnipiac has the greatest amount of undecided’s 6%, and the larger number will to change their mind before the election 32%, none of that data appeared anywhere online – as if it is somehow insignificant that those who are about to cast a ballot are still seeking an option to Romney – The Rasmussen Poll of 750 Likely Florida Voters, shows that 21% are still likely to change their mind – as of the 28th, (subscriber link) something that is not noted in most releases and significant because the number one issues is Florida: national security, might not be Romney’s forte.

That hasn’t stopped the media from pushing the idea (and that is the Drudge Report, Fox and the rest of the media – in concert – (this should set off bells, whistles, sirens) Mitt Romney is the second Obama, someone who cannot be beat, which is – in a word ludicrous – the man did win the Governorship of Massachusetts, but truthfully not on his own merits, it was a remark made by Shannon O’Brien to the mothers of the State of Massachusetts, a week prior to the election, with Romney’s numbers taking a nosedive, that sent voters running in the direction of the man who would introduce fees, and mandated health care to the Commonwealth – the other race he lost to Ted Kennedy in the 1994’s, Teddy being more politically astute than poor Shannon.



Above political pundit and author Ann Coulter and Mitt Romney - image slanted right blog
Ann Coulter Appears to Trust Mitt Romney, or is just a moderates moderate, using conventional Washington think that only a candidate that is left of center can win - image slanted right blog

Therefore, there’s an issue of trust that has spanned decades, when it comes to Mitt Romney.

Someone had to step up and help the tiny voices out of the Bay State who are hoping someone pays atteniton to the Romney Tax increases, etc. before it's too late! Enter Sarah Palin, who, using her Facebook page offered the following note in regards to what is happening to Newt Gingrich. Frankly in a match-up vis a vis credibility between Romney surrogate Ann Coulter, and then Tea Party Leader and credible politico Sarah Palin, there is simply no contest. One can only hope in the last day before the remaining 50 % of the votes are cast (Florida votes early and by mail and possibly often – not unlike Massachusetts) those that have not cast their votes or had harbored doubts about Romney got a chance to read Sarah Palin’s note:

‘Cannibals in GOP Establishment Employ Tactics of the Left
by Sarah Palin on Friday, January 27, 2012 at 5:57pm
We have witnessed something very disturbing this week. The Republican establishment which fought Ronald Reagan in the 1970s and which continues to fight the grassroots Tea Party movement today has adopted the tactics of the left in using the media and the politics of personal destruction to attack an opponent.

We will look back on this week and realize that something changed. I have given numerous interviews wherein I espoused the benefits of thorough vetting during aggressive contested primary elections, but this week’s tactics aren’t what I meant. Those who claim allegiance to Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment should stop and think about where we are today. Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater, the fathers of the modern conservative movement, would be ashamed of us in this primary. Let me make clear that I have no problem with the routine rough and tumble of a heated campaign. As I said at the first Tea Party convention two years ago, I am in favor of contested primaries and healthy, pointed debate. They help focus candidates and the electorate. I have fought in tough and heated contested primaries myself. But what we have seen in Florida this week is beyond the pale. It was unprecedented in GOP primaries. I’ve seen it before – heck, I lived it before – but not in a GOP primary race.

I am sadly too familiar with these tactics because they were used against the GOP ticket in 2008. The left seeks to single someone out and destroy his or her record and reputation and family using the media as a channel to dump handpicked and half-baked campaign opposition research on the public. The difference in 2008 was that I was largely unknown to the American public, so they had no way of differentiating between the lies and the truth. All of it came at them at once as “facts” about me. But Newt Gingrich is known to us – both the good and the bad.

We know that Newt fought in the trenches during the Reagan Revolution. As Rush Limbaugh pointed out, Newt was among a handful of Republican Congressman who would regularly take to the House floor to defend Reagan at a time when conservatives didn’t have Fox News or talk radio or conservative blogs to give any balance to the liberal mainstream media. Newt actually came at Reagan’s administration “from the right” to remind Americans that freer markets and tougher national defense would win our future. But this week a few handpicked and selectively edited comments which Newt made during his 40-year career were used to claim that Newt was somehow anti-Reagan and isn’t conservative enough to go against the accepted moderate in the primary race. (I know, it makes no sense, and the GOP establishment hopes you won’t stop and think about this nonsense. Mark Levin and others have shown the ridiculousness of this.) To add insult to injury, this “anti-Reagan” claim was made by a candidate who admitted to not even supporting or voting for Reagan. He actually was against the Reagan movement, donated to liberal candidates, and said he didn’t want to go back to the Reagan days. You can’t change history. We know that Newt Gingrich brought the Reagan Revolution into the 1990s. We know it because none other than Nancy Reagan herself announced this when she presented Newt with an award, telling us, “The dramatic movement of 1995 is an outgrowth of a much earlier crusade that goes back half a century. Barry Goldwater handed the torch to Ronnie, and in turn Ronnie turned that torch over to Newt and the Republican members of Congress to keep that dream alive.” As Rush and others pointed out, if Nancy Reagan had ever thought that Newt was in any way an opponent of her beloved husband, she would never have even appeared on a stage with him, let alone presented him with an award and said such kind things about him. Nor would Reagan’s son, Michael Reagan, have chosen to endorse Newt in this primary race. There are no two greater keepers of the Reagan legacy than Nancy and Michael Reagan. What we saw with this ridiculous opposition dump on Newt was nothing short of Stalin-esque rewriting of history. It was Alinsky tactics at their worst.

But this whole thing isn’t really about Newt Gingrich vs. Mitt Romney. It is about the GOP establishment vs. the Tea Party grassroots and independent Americans who are sick of the politics of personal destruction used now by both parties’ operatives with a complicit media egging it on. In fact, the establishment has been just as dismissive of Ron Paul and Rick Santorum. Newt is an imperfect vessel for Tea Party support, but in South Carolina the Tea Party chose to get behind him instead of the old guard’s choice. In response, the GOP establishment voices denounced South Carolinian voters with the same vitriol we usually see from the left when they spew hatred at everyday Americans “bitterly clinging” to their faith and their Second Amendment rights. The Tea Party was once again told to sit down and shut up and listen to the “wisdom” of their betters. We were reminded of the litany of Tea Party endorsed candidates in 2010 who didn’t win. Well, here’s a little newsflash to the establishment: without the Tea Party there would have been no historic 2010 victory at all.

I spoke up before the South Carolina primary to urge voters there to keep this primary going because I have great concern about the GOP establishment trying to anoint a candidate without the blessing of the grassroots and all the needed energy and resources we as commonsense constitutional conservatives could bring to the general election in order to defeat President Obama. Now, I respect Governor Romney and his success. But there are serious concerns about his record and whether as a politician he consistently applied conservative principles and how this impacts the agenda moving forward. The questions need answers now. That is why this primary should not be rushed to an end. We need to vet this. Pundits in the Beltway are gleefully proclaiming that this primary race is over after Florida, despite 46 states still not having chimed in. Well, perhaps it’s possible that it will come to a speedy end in just four days; but with these questions left unanswered, it will not have come to a satisfactory conclusion. Without this necessary vetting process, the unanswered question of Governor Romney’s conservative bona fides and the unanswered and false attacks on Newt Gingrich will hang in the air to demoralize many in the electorate. The Tea Party grassroots will certainly feel disenfranchised and disenchanted with the perceived orchestrated outcome from self-proclaimed movers and shakers trying to sew this all up. And, trust me, during the general election, Governor Romney’s statements and record in the private sector will be relentlessly parsed over by the opposition in excruciating detail to frighten off swing voters. This is why we need a fair primary that is not prematurely cut short by the GOP establishment using Alinsky tactics to kneecap Governor Romney’s chief rival.

As I said in my speech in Iowa last September, the challenge of this election is not simply to replace President Obama. The real challenge is who and what we will replace him with. It’s not enough to just change up the uniform. If we don’t change the team and the game plan, we won’t save our country. We truly need sudden and relentless reform in Washington to defend our republic, though it’s becoming clearer that the old guard wants anything but that. That is why we should all be concerned by the tactics employed by the establishment this week. We will not save our country by becoming like the left. And I question whether the GOP establishment would ever employ the same harsh tactics they used on Newt against Obama. I didn’t see it in 2008. Many of these same characters sat on their thumbs in ‘08 and let Obama escape unvetted. Oddly, they’re now using every available microscope and endoscope – along with rewriting history – in attempts to character assassinate anyone challenging their chosen one in their own party’s primary. So, one must ask, who are they really running against?

- Sarah Palin

Gingrich is still besting Romney on a national basis, this despite, Romney’s continual assault, and the Republican Establishment firmly behind him, whether they are “entirely accurate or not”, it is a whole-hearted effort to Stop Newt! – Why? Simply because he has, in the past, failed to support, or knocked down the ludicrous ideas of some of the most powerful men in the beltway – they are, simply put, getting even. – At the expense of the nation.


Sarah Palin is spot on, and in this opinion (and having lived the history and knowing that one can access the Congressional Record and “Fact Check” these bozo’s, ) this is the best treatment of what can happen if a decent candidate, and qualified candidate, dares to run against the Beltways “chosen candidate).

At this point, with one day left and it is hoped that the people of Florida come to their senses – (and this is spoken as an individual who has lived under “Romney’s governorship”.), and vote for ABR (Anybody but Romney) – if not, there are only 46 states left to weigh in, of those half are proportional delegates and should Florida prove to be as moderate as say New Hampshire , then the contest will shortly move to less moderate states, where an opportunity exists to best Romney (especially in Nevada). It will help whoever the nominee is, in the end, (and that includes Romney’s debate coaches and his use of a teleprompter), (familiar) and his health care program (familiar) to do their best against Barack Obama in the fall. They will be battle hardened and much more capable of taking the heat that will be dished out by the other team. Well, hopefully, if the right candidate is chosen as the nominee, otherwise, if it is someone who so resembles the President, then independents and moderates (see blog title) may have to vote for the President – it’s an adage “Better the Devil you know that the Devil you don’t”.