Tough stuff. The right stuff.
By Larry Kudlow

Let me build on Charles Krauthammer’s great Friday column, “The GOP’s Suicide March.” Krauthammer argues that just as President Obama’s class-warfare, soak-the-rich mantra started lagging in the polls, some Republicans on the campaign trail started making the case that Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital was involved in nothing more than vulture capitalism, looting companies, and destroying jobs. Keeping class envy alive.

I’m not going to name names, because everybody knows who these Republicans are. Instead, I want to go positive, and commend Mitt Romney himself. Romney did his best in the second South Carolina debate to fight for free-market capitalism and Adam Smith, and against the spread of Obama-style crony capitalism and class envy.

During the Thursday night debate, Romney launched this:
“You’ve got to stop the spread of crony capitalism. [Obama] gives General Motors to the UAW. He takes $500 million and sticks it into Solyndra. He stacks the labor stooges on the NLRB so they can say no to Boeing and take care of their friends in the labor movement. . . . He has to bow to the most extreme members of the environmental movement. He turns down the Keystone pipeline, which would bring energy and jobs to America.

“My view is capitalism works. Free enterprise works. . . . There’s nothing wrong with profit, by the way. That profit went to pension funds, to charities. It went to a wide array of institutions. . . . And by the way, as enterprises become more profitable, they can hire more people. I’m someone who believes in free enterprise. I think Adam Smith was right. And I’m gonna stand and defend capitalism across this country, throughout this campaign. I know we’re going to get hit hard from President Obama, but we’re gonna stuff it down his throat and point out that it is capitalism and freedom that makes America strong.”

Read more @………
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/288794/mitt-s-attack-crony-capitalism-larry-kudlow

– Larry Kudlow, NRO’s economics editor, is host of CNBC’s The Kudlow Report and author of the daily web log, Kudlow’s Money Politic$.

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

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

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