Newt Gingrich is angry

Posted on January 22nd, 2012

By ROGER SIMON

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – - Newt Gingrich trundles into the meeting hall – - a former X-rated movie theater – - to rapturous applause.

He is not the best-looking guy in Republican race or the best-funded or the most ideologically pure. But he has found his shtick, and he is shticking to it.

Newt Gingrich is the angriest man in America.

Mitt Romney will tell you that Barack Obama is a “nice guy” but that he is “in over his head.”

Newt Gingrich will tell you Barack Obama is “the most radical and most incompetent president in our lifetime!”

Obama is more than incompetent, in fact. To Newt, he is a moron. “It’s one thing to say the White House can’t play chess, it’s another to say it can’t play checkers,” Newt says and pauses like the professional he is for the laugh to build. “But tic-tac-toe?”

But Obama is more than stupid. He is dangerous. This is important to keep in mind.

The Gingrich campaign is based on the notion of perpetual struggle against perpetual peril.

“How many of you believe the left will fight us every step of the way even after we win?” Gingrich asks the crowd.

The next day, Gingrich will win the South Carolina primary. But he already knows that will happen. That is a given. Just like his nomination and election. But even that will not be enough to silence the “secular socialists” who oppose him from the left.

The “left” is a broad category to Gingrich. It includes liberals, socialists, anti-religious bigots, i.e. Democrats, most of the media, some misguided Republicans, and, well, anybody who opposes Newt Gingrich.

“We knew there’d be attacks, and the closer we were to winning the more ferocious the attacks would be,” Gingrich says.

John King of CNN, who asked Gingrich in a debate Thursday night whether he had ever asked his second wife for an “open” marriage, is part of the ferocious attack machine that seeks to thwart Gingrich.

Gingrich has called this “despicable” and now he calls it “grotesque.”

“Is the American news media just totally out of touch with reality?” he asks reporters after the rally. “You want to say: Get a life! There is a consistent pattern year after year that the American people are sick of the behavior of the news media. Sick!”

Anger, umbrage and bitterness are so much a part of Gingrich’s public persona that he likes to attack the very concept of happiness.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71768.html#ixzz1kDWHwsSt

Posted in 2012 Presidential Race, Barack Obama, Caucuses & Primaries, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Politico, Republican Presidential Race, S. Carolina, Solid Principles | Tagged as: , , , , , ,

Speaker Boehner to Deliver Opening Remarks at the 39th annual March for Life

Posted on January 22nd, 2012

Speaker of the House John Boehner will deliver opening remarks at the 39th annual March for Life in Washington on Monday, January 23, 2012.

House leaders and members of the bipartisan pro-life majority in the House are also expected to speak.

“Respect for life has never been a political position for me: it’s who I am, and it’s who we are as a people,” Congressman Boehner said.

“The cause of life endures in large part due to the vigilance of the American people, especially those who, led by Nellie Gray, march and pray in our nation’s capital each year at this time. It will be a great honor to address the March for Life as Speaker of the House and leader of its bipartisan pro-life majority.”

Posted in John Boehner, Pro-Life, Solid Principles | Tagged as: , , ,

South Carolina primary: Scramble ahead of Saturday vote

Posted on January 20th, 2012

By BILL NICHOLS

COLUMBIA, S.C.

The four surviving combatants in the 2012 Republican presidential field were crisscrossing South Carolina on Friday in the final hours before a critical primary that could either end the race or raise dramatic new questions about Mitt Romney’s hold on the nomination.

After a tumultuous Thursday that saw Rick Perry leave the race, Newt Gingrich faced with new allegations about his personal life and an evening debate that was more like a backyard brawl, the candidates tried to close the sale in a state where Gingrich seems to be surging.

Gingrich’s fast rise here in South Carolina has left the political class very nearly assuming at this point that he’ll win the state, and the latest polling from Clemson will only help cement that expectation:

Among poll respondents who had chosen or were leaning toward a candidate, this third Palmetto Poll showed Gingrich (32 percent) leading the field over Mitt Romney (26 percent), up slightly from a month ago. Ron Paul came in third (11 percent), about even with his December poll rating. Rick Santorum remained in fourth place (9 percent), despite a significant jump over his ranking last month.

After choosing a candidate, respondents gave a wide variety of answers as to what they liked most about the person they selected, but the two most popular appeared to be: “he has honesty and integrity” and “his overall political ideology” — meaning conservative principles.

“Much has been made of the ‘electability’ issue of the candidates, but in our poll the response: ‘He has the best chance of beating President Barack Obama,’” was the fourth choice of voters, after “‘He has better ideas for strengthening the economy,’” said Clemson political scientist Bruce Ransom.

The ultimate winner on Saturday “is likely to be the next president of the United States,” South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint predicted on “CBS This Morning.” DeMint hasn’t endorsed a candidate, mirroring many other residents of the Palmetto State who seem to be wavering about the right horse to back.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71730.html#ixzz1k2D9iOfF

Posted in 2012 Presidential Race, Barack Obama, Caucuses & Primaries, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Politico, Republican Presidential Race, Republicans, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, S. Carolina, Sen. Jim DeMint, Solid Principles | Tagged as: , , , , , , , , , ,

Romney campaign unloads on ‘outrageous and destructive’ Newt Gingrich

Posted on January 18th, 2012

Toby Harnden’s Blog

There is now polling indicating a possible Newt Gingrich surge after Monday night’s debate – A Rasmussen tracking survey has him just three points behind Mitt Romney. Notably, Rick Santorum may need to start wearing a lifebelt rather than a sweater vest – he appears to be sinking fast.

But the surest sign that the Romney campaign considers Gingrich the main threat here in South Carolina was a conference call just now in which top surrogates for the GOP frontrunner unloaded on the former House Speaker. It was quickly followed by web ad featuring Talent slamming Gingrich as an “Unreliable Leader” (also the title of the conference call).

The charges against Gingrich were delivered by ex-Senator Jim Talent and Representative Susan Molinari, who both served under him as House Speaker, and were pretty personal (though they didn’t go there over Gingrich’s three wives and marital infidelitites).

READ MORE AT;
http://harndenblog.dailymail.co.uk/

Posted in 2012 Presidential Race, Jim Talent, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Republican Presidential Race, Republicans, YouTube | Tagged as: , , ,

Mitt Romney doesn’t really have a Republican problem

Posted on January 14th, 2012

Posted by Chris Cillizza

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is the undisputed frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination even as he continues to endure whispers that he is simply too moderate to win over a majority of the GOP.

Exit polling from Romney’s 16-point victory in New Hampshire tells a very different story, however.

Among the 49 percent of primary participants who identified themselves as Republicans — registered independents are also allowed to participate in the New Hampshire vote — Romney won 49 percent of their votes as compared to 15 percent for Texas Rep. Ron Paul, 13 percent for former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum 12 percent for former House Speaker Newt Gingric h and 10 percent for former Utah governor Jon Huntsman.

Romney’s 49 percent is the highest mark among self-identified Republicans for any presidential candidate since New Hampshire moved its primary forward in the calendar.

Here’s a look at how Romney stacks up historically:

That Romney overperformed even Reagan among self-identified Republicans is somewhat eye-opening, particularly considering that the Gipper won the 1980 New Hampshire primary with 50 percent statewide — 11 points better than Romney did earlier this week.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/mitt-romney-doesnt-have-a-republican-problem/2012/01/13/gIQAIls9vP_blog.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics

Posted in 2012 Presidential Race, Caucuses & Primaries, George W. Bush, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Polls, Republican Presidential Race, Republicans, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Ronald Reagan, Solid Principles, Washington Post | Tagged as: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Standard & Poor’s downgrades 9 European nations

Posted on January 14th, 2012

By JOSH BOAK | 1/13/12 5:42 PM EST

The Standard & Poor’s rating agency downgraded nine European countries Friday, confirming that the continent’s efforts to contain a debt crisis that also threatens the fragile U.S. recovery have come up short.

What began as excessive debts in countries such as Greece steadily evolved into concerns about unsustainable spending in Italy and the financial strength of France, spawning a contagion that threatens to unravel the eurozone and could hit American exports and the financial sector.

S&P concluded that the political agreements and combined $1 trillion in potential bailout funding reached at a December summit were not of “sufficient size and scope to fully address the eurozone’s financial problems.”

The question is whether the move worsens a downturn that the Obama administration has warned is the greatest danger to the global economy.

Economists already expect the situation in Europe to slightly bruise the United States.

“Europe will likely experience a mild recession this year, which will slow U.S. exports, but will not dramatically affect our economy unless Europe’s financial challenges become much more severe,” Huntington Bancorp economics director George Mokrzan said Thursday while presenting the American Bankers Association’s projections for 2012.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71427.html#ixzz1jSGiCnif

Posted in Euro Zone, Solid Principles | Tagged as: , , , ,

Great People, Great Quotes…Winston Churchill

Posted on January 14th, 2012

 

I would like to start a new feature for Solid Principles today by introducing a series of posts entitled;  “GREAT PEOPLE, GREAT QUOTES”.

Many times we get so caught up in the media-driven trivialization of life in general and American pop culture in particular, that we lose sight of some of the great people that we have been blessed to have with us, both past and present.

In order to act as least as a partial counter balance to that tendency, I feel that by posting these people’s thoughts and ideas that some of our readers might be exposed to some quotes that will be meaningful in their lives.

I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I enjoyed reading these quotes. 

~~John Cronin~~

WINSTON CHURCHILL

“Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of sterner days.

These are not dark days: these are great days—the greatest days our country has ever lived: and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.”

ADDRESS, HARROW SCHOOL….OCT.29, 1941

Posted in Great Quotes, Solid Principles | Tagged as: ,

Primetime Tebow Time: Will Broncos-Patriots Set TV Ratings Record?

Posted on January 14th, 2012

Written By Robert Seidman

Tebow, Tebow, Tebow, Tebow, Tebow. Are you sick of hearing about Tim Tebow yet? Tom Brady must be, but at least he can console himself with three Super Bowl rings, a Victoria’s Secret supermodel wife and just being Tom Brady! Most of us can’t do that and if Saturday night’s game is reasonably close, you can expect to hear a LOT more about Tebow (and if there is divine intervention and Denver wins…).

But will the game set TV ratings records for a divisional round Saturday night primetime playoff game?

Here are the divisional round Saturday primetime playoff results for the Saturday primetime games which have alternated between CBS and Fox since 2002. It’s sorted by total viewers for simplicity but CBS has the highs in both total viewers (2008) and adults 18-49 (2002).

Network Date Days Pgm St Time Pgm End Time LIVE+SD PER2+ (000) LIVE+SD A1849 %
CBS 1/12/2008 Sat 8:16 PM 11:03 PM 30,896 11.5
FOX 1/15/2011 Sat 8:16 PM 11:23 PM 30,817 11.2
CBS 1/16/2010 Sat 8:16 PM 11:14 PM 30,576 11.0
CBS 1/19/2002 Sat 8:05 PM 11:42 PM 28,723 11.6
FOX 1/13/2007 Sat 8:11 PM 11:21 PM 27,440 10.5
CBS 1/14/2006 Sat 8:16 PM 11:34 PM 26,254 9.8
CBS 1/10/2004 Sat 8:15 PM 11:30 PM 25,915 10.2
FOX 1/11/2003 Sat 8:22 PM 11:43 PM 24,931 10.5
FOX 1/10/2009 Sat 8:16 PM 11:18 PM 23,776 8.9
FOX 1/15/2005 Sat 8:24 PM 11:15 PM 23,700 9.6
-
Unless New England is winning 42-0 in the first quarter, the game certainly has a chance to set a new high and if the game is close throughout I’d expect the above numbers to get completely destroyed. Consider that the Bronco’s dramatic overtime win over the Steelers in last week’s Wild Card game (which didn’t air in primetime throughout) was the most-watched Wildcard game ever with 42.4 million.

Throw in a divisional round game, the game beginning at 8pm and winter weather in the northeast and midwest (bad weather is almost always good for TV ratings, not that NFL really needs the assist from mother nature) and the ceiling could be…very high. And yes, I know, 31.6 million would be Tebow-esque and also a new high, but I’m definitely thinking higher if the game is close.

How about you?

READ MORE @

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/13/primetime-tebow-time-will-broncos-patriots-set-tv-ratings-records-poll/116439/

Posted in Solid Principles, Sports | Tagged as: , , , ,

GOP divided over potential impact of Bain attacks

Posted on January 13th, 2012

 

 

 

By Amy Gardner and Peter Wallsten, Published: January 12

GREER, S.C. — Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney appeared Thursday to have successfully blunted attacks on his work at Bain Capital, with still more conservatives coming to his defense, his rivals backing down and voters at campaign stops in South Carolina saying they disapproved of the critique.

But several Republicans said Romney still faces the challenge of persuading blue-collar voters in this recession-hit state that his stewardship of Bain — and the casualties in jobs and factories sometimes left in its wake — was ultimately good for the economy.

The debate over Romney’s business record may be an early test of what is all but certain to become a general-election debate if the former Massachusetts governor wins the GOP nomination.

If the issue picks up steam before the Jan. 21 Republican primary here, it could indicate that Romney would have a stiff challenge ahead persuading voters that his business record uniquely qualifies him to remake a broken government. If Romney is able to beat back the matter, it could suggest that Democrats will have to find another line of attack.

Republican voters at campaign events for Romney and other candidates Thursday said they were unmoved by the arguments against Romney’s time at Bain, a venture capital company that several of Romney’s rivals have blamed for bankrupting companies and laying off thousands of workers. Most damning has been an ad campaign paid for by a group backing Newt Gingrich, featuring interviews with workers claiming to have been laid off by Bain.

“It’s outrageous,” said David Hull, 46, a Daniel Island Republican who attended a rally with Jon Huntsman Jr., the former Utah governor. “The corporate world is totally different from the political world. You have no idea what it takes to save some companies, reduce others. They have to make tough decisions. This is capitalism. We can’t save everybody’s job.”

READ MORE @
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-divided-over-potential-impact-of-bain-attacks/2012/01/12/gIQAGp1huP_story.html?wpisrc=nl_politics

Posted in 2012 Presidential Race, Caucuses & Primaries, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Republican Presidential Race, Republicans, Solid Principles, Washington Post | Tagged as: , , , , , , ,

Road to 2012 – Post NH Pre SC

Posted on January 12th, 2012

Welcome to another ‘Road to 2012′ – what Pundits overlook, and what we notice

NEW HAMPSHIRE:  While it didn’t offer the roller-coaster of Iowa caucus, the early call for Romney allowed the media pundits the chance to throw in comments which didn’t come to pass, but never chose to clarify. When the early reports of NH emerged, Nate Silver of the NY Times was quick to observe that the numbers would be down for the GOP than in 2008, as well as an enthusiasm gap for the GOP field. The final number actually revealed the NH GOP votes were up 246,252 from 2008′s 239,315.  Not to be outdone, NPR also trumpeted a general ‘yawnfest’ over the GOP field, ignoring the overall lack of interest for the Democratic NH Primary which showed a significant reduction of voter turn out. Compared to the 287,527 DEM votes in 2008, Obama gained NH with only 82% or 48,970, 55,845 less than his 2nd place showing 4 years prior. Also, given the lack of excitement over the Democratic race, disenchanted independents NH voters spilled into the GOP Primary, all which gravitated towards Paul, Huntsman, and Romney.  Overall Romney gained more votes than McCain who won NH in 2008, while second place Ron Paul received 37952 more votes than his own 2008 results.

IS USA THE NEW VENEZUELA? One factor that has allowed Hugo Chavez to repeatedly consolidate his power base is Venezuelan gerrymandering, all thanks to a provision in the Venezuelan Constitution that allows non-citizen voting in elections. Needless to say, Chavez has expanded upon this clause, and President Chávez’s re-elected government was built on backs of foreign nationals voters, primarily Colombians. Every Venezuelan election sees the naturalizing of thousands of foreign nationals, all added to combat existing domestic resentment in Venezuela. When the Obama administration recently has extended temporary protected status to El Salvadoran nationals illegally in the United States, one can’t help but think of Obama’s fist bumping pal in Venezuela. When 215,000 are saved from deportation until 2013, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think how many other illegals foreign nationals will stay in time to receive their ballots in 2012?, or rather who needs ACORN when you control government departments.

NEWT’S LAST STAND: There is an unwritten rule in politics, that is to say anything to get elected. Since losing his front runner status in Iowa, failing to place in New Hampshire, and now his footing  in South Carolina, Newt’s smear Romney tactic would make Micheal Moore or Obama smile from ear to ear. When the appearance of a capitalism hating Republican started to back-fire on Gingrich in SC, he maintained it was wrong to attack Romney over his role at Bain Capital, then to claim he wasn’t backing down. If Santorum does take 2nd place in SC, then Newt’s poor showings should be enough to signal his exit from the race. If he stays in any longer, it will only fuel speculation of his 3rd Party run, or act as the residential GOP Romney critic.

CRAIG EDWARDS 

Posted in 2012 Presidential Election Coverage | Tagged as: , , , , , , , , ,