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On second thought, maybe Gingrich’s Space Coast Lunar Pander is less the product of the candidate’s self-confidence than of his need to nail down some votes. After racing into the lead in Florida (and nationally) following his big win in South Carolina, Newt now seems to be falling behind Romney in the Sunshine State, according to new polls from CNN/ORC and Insider Advantage.
Some observers will no doubt attribute Gingrich’s slight fade in Florida to his inability to get oxygen from the feral roar of an angry audience in Monday’s NBC debate in Tampa. Perhaps there’s something to that. But a more likely factor is simply money: Romney has been burying him in many milllions of dollars in unopposed campaign and Super-PAC ads in Florida. Now that the Adelson family has looked under the sofa cushions and found another $5 million to toss into the fray, Gingrich’s Super-PAC has bought a reported $6 million in ads for the state. Between that equalizer and the potential for drama and nastiness in tonight’s debate in Jacksonville, it’s far too early to tell who will have the momentum when Floridians vote next Tuesday. It sure would help Gingrich if Rick Santorum did indeed, as has been rumored, write off the state as just too expensive for his taste.
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berttheclock on January 26, 2012 9:16 AM:
His immigration remarks may take a toll, as well.
However, more should be written about the intent of this Adelson money. Highly far right wing Isreali demands and very anti-union. Newt is already supporting that Isreali platform of Adelson's.
estamm on January 26, 2012 9:18 AM:
Yeah! A second post within a half hour of the first. Excellent! Keep that up, and we will forget Benen as quickly as Packer's fans forgot Favre.
Thanks!
Danp on January 26, 2012 9:18 AM:
In the year of Super-Pacs, Gingrich is a target-rich environment. Expect the term "Professor Moonbat" to come up at some point.
Werewolf on January 26, 2012 9:19 AM:
Definitely look for some nastiness in a debate in Jacksonville-Republican primary voters there are just as bigoted as their counterparts in South Carolina. This is a city with a high school named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, first Grand Wizard (or whatever) of the Ku Klux Klan. If you're watching the debate, keep away from hard, heavy objects lest you throw them at your TV screen.
lou on January 26, 2012 9:25 AM:
On the GOP's big spinning $$$ Wheel of Fortune, Romney has occupied 99 of the 100 slots from day one.
How this relates to our death spiral of inequality is the big question.
T2 on January 26, 2012 9:40 AM:
Right now, Rick Santorum is the best thing Romney has going for him. If I was Romney, I'd be plowing millions into Santorum's Florida campaign. Take Santorum out of the race and all his crazy TeaBag votes go to Newt. The scary thought: at this point, only Rick Santorum is standing in the way of a Gingrich victory in FL and maybe a Gingrich nomination.
biggerbox on January 26, 2012 9:45 AM:
You'd have to be stupid enough that you would vote for, say, Lex Luthor for Governor in order to believe that Newt would or could actually follow through on his lunar base idea.
Oh. Right. They did.
RepublicanPointOfView on January 26, 2012 9:54 AM:
While Newt Gingrich may parlay his racist dog whistle campaign into a followup victory in Florida, in the long run resistance is futile to the deep pockets backing the real candidate of the 1/10 of 1%ers.
As the real candidate of the funding wing of the republican party, Mitt Romney will have more untraceable money at his back than ever dreamed of before our supreme court overturned a century of precedence to make its ruling in Citizens United Not Timid (CUNT) vs FEC.
We shall use this advantage to bury The Obomination in blizzards of lying and deceptive advertising during the final weeks of the presidential battle when the slumbering ameriKKKan sheeple pay attention to what we tell them to believe.
Skip on January 26, 2012 10:09 AM:
Citizens United bites the right in the ass? awwwwwww.
And I imagine Santorum realizes the part FL played in the Bush elections and he still writes the state off? Hum, looks like Ms. Schafly, along with the other elite who decided Santorum was their pick, will soon be finding her second candidate choice defying God's Call and quitting. What interesting turns does take this comedy of fools.
Crapcha: sidels unbeliever'
Trollop on January 26, 2012 10:36 AM:
"tonight’s debate in Jacksonville"..
Please gawd, kill me!
How much money does it take to lose a Presidential campaign?
Craptcha: sederser persistence (A Palin original?)
emjayay on January 26, 2012 10:45 AM:
"Space Coast Lunar Pander" A+
What's up with the new thing this site does when you hit Preview? There is a Post button, but no Captcha. If you hit the Post button, it tells you you got the Captcha, which isn't there, wrong. It didn't use to work that way.
Anonymous on January 26, 2012 10:46 AM:
My favorite intentional misspelling of Mitt's last name is "Rmoney"
RT on January 26, 2012 11:17 AM:
When I read "the feral roar of an angry audience", my brain initially processed it as "the fecal roar". That is all.
Fess on January 26, 2012 11:37 AM:
I don't get it. CA has chosen to have the last primary, mostly to save money. They say that primaries cost them (me) big time. On the other hand, I read about the millions dumped into these early states to promote particular candidates. I would think that would be good for the local economy. I think I'm missing something here - can anyone explain?
Kuji on January 26, 2012 1:01 PM:
I saw Adelson at the Venetian in Vegas last week. He is an extremely old man who doesnt look like he has had a happy thought in years surrounded by many body guards. It makes sense why why he would support Gingrich's campaign - he just has an air of creepiness surrounding him, like a real-life Mr. Burns.
On a different note - I look forward to following your blog and your off to a great start!
SKM on January 26, 2012 1:04 PM:
This is something people should take into consideration (although I wouldn't vote for either of them) at least people know about Newt, he has enough people in high places that don't want him to get the nomination - with Romney, there are a lot of unknowns, such as him using Taxpayer Money of $100,000 to replace the computers in the governor's office. Tax returns (I don't believe the speaking fees of $374,000 was even counted as income instead of investments). Only thing we really know is that he is very confrontational with OWS/99%/prospective voters, and the physical confrontation on an AirCanada flight and supposedly told the guy GTFO...