REPUBLICAN REDEFINED » REPUBLICAN

Newt Gingrich Calls it Quits

T CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:51:45 +0000

Better late than never?

I suppose one could make the argument that Newt was merely being Newt; or that he was getting out on his terms. I typically wouldn’t buy those arguments; but I don’t have anything better to offer, so what the heck? Millions in debt, ever-dropping in the polls, and waaaayyy behind in delegates; the former Speaker announced Wednesday that it was finally time to throw in the towel.

CBS NEWS: With millions of dollars in campaign debt and just two Republican primary victories under his belt, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich finally called it quits Wednesday, suspending his campaign for the presidency so he could go back to being an “active citizen.”

“Today I am suspending the campaign, but suspending the campaign does not mean suspending citizenship,” Gingrich said in lengthy remarks to a bank of television cameras. Gingrich told reporters last week he would make his departure official this week.

Gingrich deemed the campaign “a truly wild ride” during the appearance in Arlington, Virginia, saying, “I could never have predicted either the low points or the high points.”

POLITICO: Although he did not officially back Mitt Romney, he offered lukewarm words of praise for the man who beat him for the GOP presidential nod, saying that “this is not a choice between Mitt Romney and Ronald Reagan.” Given that it is a choice between Romney and President Barack Obama, Gingrich argued “the gap” between the two “is as wide as any point in American history.”

He called the campaign a “truly wild ride.”

I’ve posted below a brief clip of Newt’s remarks. You can thank me later. I’m not sure what the former Speaker thought he was accomplishing with an emptying of the ideas pool on his way out, but I can tell you it was the longest concession speech this blogger remembers watching. Painful on so many levels.

Politico already has up a “Best of Newt 2012″

Senator Bob Corker: We Can’t Trust the Senate to Live Within Its Means (VIDEO)

T CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:22:02 +0000

“You absolutely cannot trust the United States Senate to live within its means.”

Say what you want about Senator Corker, but the guy is among an ever-dwindling group of ”grown-ups” still walking the halls of the United States Senate when it comes to getting the country’s financial house in order. He may not always represent the model conservative this Tennessee constituent longs for; but on fiscal matters, he rarely finds himself on the wrong side of things.

From Senator Corker’s YouTube Channel: April 25, 2012 – In remarks on the Senate floor today, Senator Corker said the postal reform bill, s. 1789, is further proof that “you absolutely cannot trust the United States Senate to live within its means.” The postal reform bill violates budgetary limitations for fiscal years 2012 and 2013 and would add $11 billion to the federal deficit.

I’ve only loosely followed this debate the last few days, but I’ll try to limp through the basics. Senate Republicans attempted to block a Harry Reid-driven postal reform bill from coming to the floor with a point of order challenge to the proposed legislation because they said S. 1789, would add to the deficit in violation of last year’s Budget Control Act; and add $34 billion to the nation’s debt.

THE HILL: After brief debate, the Senate voted 62-37 in favor of waiving the point of order, just narrowly meeting the 60-vote threshold. Nine Republicans voted with Democrats to waive the point of order: Roy Blunt (Mo.), Scott Brown (Mass.), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Susan Collins (Maine), John Hoeven (N.D.), Jerry Moran (Kansas), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Pat Roberts (Kansas) and Olympia Snowe (Maine).

That’s a Murderer’s Row of Moderates if I’ve ever seen one…

The Senate voted on 16 amendments to the reform bill (8 passed/8 did not) and the Body was set to pick up the rest on Wednesday. Here’s a list of the proposed amendments.

Here’s the debate in a nutshell…

[Senator] Sessions argued the bill would require the Treasury to repay $11.4 billion in money that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) overpaid to its employee retirement system, and would let the USPS defer $23 billion in payments to its retiree health benefit plan. In each case, Sessions said those funds would have to be offset by new government debt, but should instead by offset by spending cuts.

Rep. Susan Collins (R-Maine), one of the sponsors of the bill, repeated her arguments from Monday that the Congressional Budget Office analysis saying the bill costs $34 billion is “misleading.” She said that the funds involved come from the USPS, and that returning them would not amount to any new burden on taxpayers.

“There are no taxpayer dollars authorized by this bill or appropriated by this bill,” Collins said.

“Any new burden” on taxpayers… Now I understand. Haven’t we heard that before?

Newt Gingrich to Officially Suspend Campaign Tuesday; Endorse Mitt Romney?

T CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:01:03 +0000

“I think obviously that I would be a better candidate, but the objective fact is the voters didn’t think that.”

Newt Gingrich will reportedly suspend his campaign for the Republican nomination next week – most likely in his home state of Georgia. After losing soundly to Mitt Romney in all five primaries Tuesday night, a concession seemed inevitable. But this is Newt Gingrich and I think we all know that only Newt will decide when enough is enough. There’s that… and the fact that his campaign is reportedly “millions” of dollars in debt. (I think the most reasonable figure I’ve seen puts the bill somewhere north of $4 million.)

Maybe the tortoise just ran out of track?

CNN: Newt Gingrich will officially end his bid for the Republican presidential nomination and formally express his support for Mitt Romney next week, two sources close to Gingrich tell CNN.

While details are still being worked out, Gingrich is likely to hold his final campaign event Tuesday in Washington, DC where he will make the announcement surrounded by his family and supporters.

It is not surprising that Gingrich is suspending his campaign for the White House as he has all but acknowledged it is winding down and Romney is the presumptive GOP nominee.

“When he says he is transitioning, what he means is that he is trying to determine as a citizen how he will pro-actively help Mitt Romney become president and the Republican Party win back the Senate and help (House Speaker) John Boehner keep his majority in the House,” said one of the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

So, it’s back to Newt the Party spokesman… Or Newt the Party critic? Or Newt the Author? Newt the Historian? Newt the Romney Surrogate?

Who knows at this point? Frankly, I’m not even sure if Newt knows.

Think about it. He’s spent months hammering Romney in ways that Santorum never even dreamed of and Romney was in large part responsible for derailing his campaign with truckloads of cash after South Carolina. Can the two really mend those fences?

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RS McCain has an update:

UPDATE: While everybody’s busy scripting their Downfall video parodies, here are more details from inside the bunker:

Newt Gingrich plans to formally leave the Republican presidential race next Tuesday, senior campaign aides told Fox News, after struggling for months to turn around his sagging bid for the White House. . . .
Gingrich’s exit is a stark turnaround from his public posture just a few months back, when in December he confidently declared following his rise in national polls that [he was] “going to be the nominee.”

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By way of Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:

“Fox News is reporting that Gingrich will officially concede on May 1, and will “more than likely” endorse Romney at the same time.”

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Gingrich being Gingrich on the way out. Courtesy of National Journal:

“I think you have to at some point be honest with what’s happening in the real world, as opposed to what you’d like to have happened,” Gingrich said. “Governor Romney had a very good day yesterday. He got 67 [percent] in one state, and he got 63 in other, 62 in another. Now you have to give him some credit. I mean this guy’s worked six years, put together a big machine, and has put together a serious campaign.

“I think obviously that I would be a better candidate, but the objective fact is the voters didn’t think that,” Gingrich said. “And I also think it’s very, very important that we be unified.”

Gingrich said he will continue to campaign in North Carolina through the week “as a citizen,” and that “we’re working out the details of our transition and we’ll have information for the press in the next couple of days.”

Two Gingrich campaign officials confirmed to CBS News/National Journal that Gingrich will suspend his campaign and will likely endorse Romney on May 1 in Washington.

Dick Cheney on VP Pick: “Most Important Criteria is Capacity to be President” (VIDEO)

T CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:55:45 +0000

Former Vice President Dick Cheney – still recovering from his recent heart transplant – is the latest prognosticator to weigh in on Mitt Romney’s eventual Veep short list. While I’m relatively quick to dismiss most commentators and their opinions on this matter, I hold VP Cheney’s opinion in extremely high regard. For what it’s worth, I view Cheney as the greatest Vice President selection of my lifetime; and that includes the first Bush. Cheney was chosen to help George W. Bush effectively govern. He had no aspirations of someday becoming President. He just wanted to do his job and go home. Sure, he checked a few of the obligatory boxes, but he was competence personified… that is before the MSM turned him into something else.

CNN: ”I’ve been involved in a couple of vice presidential searches, some more successful than others,” Cheney said at an event for students at the Washington Center. His remarks were carried by C-SPAN.

In 2000, Cheney led the vice presidential search for then-candidate George W. Bush that culminated in his own selection as running mate.

He continued, “The thing that I think is important to remember is the decision you make as a presidential candidate on who your running mate’s going to be is the first presidential level decision the public’s going to see you make. It’s the first time you’re making a decision you’re going to have to live with. It gives the public a chance to see you operate and see what you think is important, what kind of individual you choose to serve as your running mate, what are the criteria.”

“I think the single most important criteria has to be the capacity to be president,” Cheney said. “That’s why you pick them. I think lots of times in the past that has not been the foremost criteria.”

“As you watch the talking heads out there now, they’re saying you’ve got to pick a woman, a Hispanic, someone from a big state. They’re all interesting things to speculate about but it’s pretty rare that the election ever turns on those kinds of issues.”

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H/T Washington Examiner via Right Scoop:

Boehner Says 1 in 3 Chance GOP Loses House; DNC Chair Wasserman-Schultz Agrees (VIDEO)

T CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:48:35 +0000

In an interview with Fox News on Monday, aired on Tuesday, Speaker of the House John Boehner cautioned that there was a 1 in 3 chance that the GOP could lose the House in November. As you might expect, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was quick to agree…

From THE HILL/ Via HOT AIR PUNDIT:

“We have 50 of our members in tough races, 89 freshmen running for their first reelections and we have 32 districts that are in states where there is no presidential campaign going to be run, no big Senate race and we call these orphan districts

“You take 18 of them, California, Illinois and New York, where you know we’re not likely to do well at the top of the ticket and those districts are frankly pretty vulnerable.” Boehner put the odds at 2-to-1 that the GOP will hold onto control.

“I would say that there is a 2-in-3 chance that we win control of the House again but there’s a 1-in-3 chance that we could lose and I’m being myself, frank. We’ve got a big challenge and we’ve got work to do.”

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Wasserman-Schultz Agrees…

You’ve gotta love a few things about her response. First, her proclamation that Nancy Pelosi would never make this kind of prediction is priceless. Of course she wouldn’t. That woman is so out-of-touch with reality that I’m certain she still thinks she’s the Speaker. Second, how great is it to hear this windbag call the House takeover Republicans hit Pelosi’s camp with “historic.” I’d love to find a clip because I’m certain she was among the first to downplay the thumping as anything but historic.

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More of the interview with Speaker Boehner…

Political Pundits and Commentators Prepare for Jeopardy (VIDEO)

T CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:01:59 +0000

Host of MSNBC’s Hardball Chris Matthews, Former Bush administration Press Secretary Dana Perino, host of Fox News Sunday Chris Wallace, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Former Obama Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, and NY Times columnist Tom Friedman are among the contestants that will be competing for the title of Political Talking Head Jeopardy Champion. Actually, I’m not sure that’s the angle the network is playing; but I think you probably get the picture.

Actually, I’m not really sure how they put the cast together. The addition of Kareem Abdul-Jabar has me scratching my head a bit. When I think of the NBA great, I tend to think basketball, but his role as Global Cultural Ambassador, I suppose, warrants his inclusion. Lewis Black and Dr. Oz, on the other hand, not so much.

While I would have loved seeing Charles Krauthammer in the field, I do very much look forward to seeing if Tom Friedman can prove what we all know he thinks – that is he, of course, the smartest man on the Flat, Hot, and Crowded planet….

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The tournament will air May 14-18

Jeopardy: Power Players (list of contestants)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer and Global Cultural Ambassador Skyhook Foundation	Lewis Black Stand-up comedian 52nd St. Project and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation	Anderson Cooper CNN “Anderson Cooper 360°” and syndicated talk show “Anderson” The Trevor Project
David Faber NBC “The Faber Report” and “Squak on the Street” New Visions for Public Schools	Thomas L. Friedman The New York Times Conservation International	Robert Gibbs Former White House Press Secretary Pine Hills Literacy Project
Katty Kay “BBC World News America” International Women’s Media Foundation	Chris Matthews MSNBC “Hardball” and NBC “The Chris Matthews Show” La Salle College High School	Kelly O’Donnell NBC News Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation
Lizzie O’Leary CNN 826DC	Dr. Mehmet Oz “The Dr. Oz Show” HealthCorps	Clarence Page Chicago Tribune American Institute for Stuttering
Dana Perino Fox News Channel “The Five” Pets2Vets	Chuck Todd NBC News Samaritan Inns	Chris Wallace “Fox News Sunday” Hope For The Warriors

How are they preparing?

H/T Politico…

Marco Rubio on State of the Union “You Don’t Have to Support Illegal Immigration to Appeal to Hispanic Voters” (VIDEO)

T CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:33:26 +0000

Florida Senator Marco Rubio on CNN’s State of the Union with Candy Crowley…

Topic Du Jour: Immigration

Will Mitt Romney do better in Florida among Hispanic voters than John McCain did in 2008? (President Obama claimed 57% of that vote)

“I expect him to do better than how we did in 2008, but you have to work on it. … I think we just got out of a primary cycle and now that’s why we’re going to have a campaign where each side is going to tell and try to convince people to vote for them… They’re willing to vote for Republicans or Democrats on an election by election cycle. The number one issue in the Hispanic community, let’s be clear is economic empowerment.”

On the last line there, I do believe the senator is correct. While I’m sure that President Obama’s minority status swayed a percentage of two toward his camp, I think the more plausible argument is one that says Hispanic voters were simply voting for “change.” I don’t mean the Obama promise of “change”; I merely mean change as in anything is better than what they had. I don’t mean that as a knock on GW Bush either. I just happen to think the Hispanic community is the most under-represented and most discriminated community in the USA of 2012; and that status hasn’t improved since 57% of them voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

What I’m saying here is that promises are promises and change is the only wild card that could actually produce results. They may very well get more of the same, but staying with the guy that’s done nothing for them for four years and expecting a different outcome is…well, crazy.

The interview continues to stay on immigration for the duration of the clip posted below. Crowley, in her trademark awkward journalistic style, presses Rubio on whether the Republican Party can appeal to Hispanic voters with illegal immigration reform as one of its planks in November.

RUBIO: This notion that somehow in order to appeal to Hispanic voters, you have to support illegal immigration is just not true.

CROWLEY: This comes across, does it not, as anti-immigrant?

RUBIO: Other than only just talking about what we’re against, you have to talk about what you’re for. What I have said consistently is that the Republican Party is and must become the pro-legal immigration party. We have to make very clear that we support legal immigration. The vast majority of American of Hispanic descent are legally here.

CROWLEY: The problem isn’t legal immigration. That’s part of the American Dream.

RUBIO: It does matter how you talk about the issue. It starts by recognizing that the vast majority of people that are in this country illegally didn’t come here to steal from the American government. They are in search of jobs and opportunity. They are doing what most people would do if their children were hungry and their family were suffering…

CROWLY: Republicans haven’t been talking about guest worker programs really so much as they’ve been talking about fences and in-state tuition being denied to the children of illegals…

RUBIO: You have to have immigration laws and they have to be enforced. That doesn’t mean that because you support the laws that you don’t recognize the humanitarian aspect of the immigration problem.

Mitch Daniels Endorses Mitt Romney (VIDEO)

T CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:07:10 +0000

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels made an appearance on Wednesday morning’s Fox and Friends to “officially” announce his decision to endorse former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination. Better late than never, I suppose. While much of the interview focused on other issues, Governor Daniels did manage to sneak in the endorsement before Kilmeade moved to a stimulating interview with Jenny Garth who was on set pitching you her new show A Little Bit Country.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. I like Governor Daniels. I’m not sure he would have been all that great as a “candidate“; but he does certainly come across like the guy best suited for the position – just so long as he never has to interview. He’s a bit of a pragmatist; and we know how many on the Right hate pragmatists. He’s a bit of a “bipartisan where we can” kinda leader; and we know how many on the Right hate bipartisan where we can leadership. That said, I can’t help but think he comes off looking like a politician most Americans Left, Right, and Center could tolerate. I suppose his problem is that no one Left, Right, or Center is head over heels in love with him either.

But the “grownup in the conversation” bit works for Governor Daniels. Because of that, this “endorsement” is important. I can’t say it’s game changing or anything of that magnitude, but it may go a long way toward uniting the Party behind Mitt Romney. An endorsement 3 months ago may have been slightly more influential, but an endorsement is an endorsement. Take it for what it’s worth.

Newt Gingrich: “I’m the Tortoise in This Race” (VIDEO)

T CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:57:56 +0000

“I’m the tortoise in this race, I’ll just keep coming forward and I’m still here.”

Tortoise, huh?

Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate his optimism and his sense of commitment to finishing what he started here, but I do believe his dream of becoming the next Republican nominee is fast becoming a bit of a fantasy. Could he have another “comeback” in his old achy bones? Maybe. Probably. Potentially. But what end would it serve?

Newt will move closer to Romney on the podium with Santorum out of the race. By that, I mean instead of finishing a distant third, he’ll finish a distant second. Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut (April 24) – where’s the opportunity to mount the comeback? Maybe Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia (May 8)? Will he even have enough cash in the account to make it until May 8? It’ll be May 22 before Arkansas and Kentucky; and May 29 before Texas. Can he really even bank on what would have been Southern strongholds some months ago if Romney sweeps everything between now and then?

Gingrich may be the tortoise in this race. I just hope someone’s nice enough to pull over and stop traffic when they see him slowly trying to cross the road on his way to more Newt-friendly primaries more than a month from now. I just don’t see it happening. Looking like roadkill!

Rick Santorum Suspends Campaign; Romney to Claim Nomination; UPDATE Santorum Concession Speech from Gettysburg

T CHRISTOPHER WILLIAMS — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:17:37 +0000

Former Senator Rick Santorum is reportedly set to officially “suspend” his campaign for the Republican nomination for President. The conservative challenger’s departure clears the way for former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney to claim the GOP nomination and turn his attention toward President Obama rather than his Republican rivals. Double-digit primary/caucus victories will make Santorum a player at the convention and in the conservative movement going forward; but more than anything else, his bowing out clears the way for the Party to unite around one candidate.

What does this mean for Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul? Who knows on the second one there. As for Newt, I’d expect a speech tomorrow “suspending” his campaign as well. I assumed Santorum would concede before Newt. Honestly, I just thought the decision would have come by the second or third contest – not after the halfway point.

More when we have it…

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UPDATE: Senator Santorum Speaks from Gettysburg.

Santorum opened with an update on the health of his daughter Bella who was released from the hospital Monday night. He then moved to talking about what motivated his decision to enter the race for President and what kept him motivated along the trail – “preserving the American Dream” for our children and future generations of children. He said the last few days have been a time for reflection.

“This was a time for prayer and thought”

He appeared in good spirits – generally speaking – even joking about the “Sweater Vest” and how it became the official attire of the campaign after attending an event with Mike Huckabee where he was “under-dressed” but apparently “gave a pretty good speech.”

A few more highlights…

“We won more counties than everyone else in this campaign combined.”

“I found a deeper love for this country.”

“While this presidential race is over for me, and we will suspend the presidential campaign today, we are not done fighting.”

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It is worth noting. He made no mention of Governor Mitt Romney. Ready the speculation.

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Fox News is reporting that Senator Santorum called Mitt Romney before the press conference to inform him he would be suspending his campaign. The Lonely Conservative also confirms that is also reporting the phone call.

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From Around the Web

RS McCain’s not looking forward to telling his son Jefferson
Erick Erickson “Sick” – It Was Inevitable. Now Bring on President Both Ways
i Own the World says “Like it or not-it’s Romney”

More @Memeorandum…

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The million dollar question…

Now, what are we going to do about Newt? He's still saying he's in until Tampa and he'll go for Santorum's supporters now.

April 10, 2012 1:39 pm via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@TinaKorbe

Tina Korbe

ABC News reacts…
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More video… H/T RS McCain

CNN: “Santorum in His Own Words”