by Smitty
Love her or no (and I do), the little FaceBook page that rocked Obama continues to harry his Ruling Class ilk:
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.
Romney went on about the Olympics in the Jacksonville debate. Does he view the Presidency as the ultimate sporting competition, his own personal gold medal? Is this something he feels he needs to do to prove something to somebody?
With Barack, one doesn’t feel there are any motives at work other than love of power and disdain for American exceptionalism.
With Bush, Newt, Santorum, or even, yes, Paul, one feels some genuine American spirit at work. With Romney, it’s not quite clear. He doesn’t seem diabolical like Barack, but, then, what? Sarah brings that unease forward deftly, but not insultingly. Read the whole thing.
In any case, all of the back-and-forth is truly a feature, not a bug. If conservatives put forth a candidate that inspires, everyone gets behind him. If Romney prevails, everyone still gets behind him, except a tiny fringe of total goofballs, and Romney understands where the will of the people is. If Mitt is indeed a well-oiled weather vane, then what matters is ensuring the wind blows all conservative, all the time.
via Gateway Pundit
Also, via American Glob, Sarah Palin applauds the election-year rectal sunshine that #OccupyResoluteDesk offered during the SOTU on Stossel. A great exchange. Sarah Palin offers some qualified support to Ron Paul.
Stacy McCain hates him some what-ifs. But what if Ron Paul were to bring in Sarah as a VP candidate? She also takes a swipe at Peggy Noonan for calling Newt an ‘attack muffin’. Sadly missing from the exchange: Rick Santorum. I’m not sure how the NotMittRomney statue of Legos is constructed, but I hope Santorum has a place in there.
Between Newt’s national greatness vision, Santorum’s social conservative character, and Paul’s fiscal sanity, you have the ingredients that Reagan was able to bring together. One hopes those three can get together, have coffee, and forge some sort of positive alliance, for the good of the country.
Or not. I’m just a voice in the chorus, and have a strong record of predicting the future through advocating what won’t occur.
On a related note, via Lucianne, the Politico seems to think Sarah is a ‘secret’ weapon. That’s about as secret as #OccupyResoluteDesk’s socialism, isn’t it?
Update: Daily Pundit is on record as being totally anti-Mitt:
Although I likely won’t end up doing that, because that tiny fringe of total goofballs is probably going to be large enough to see Mittens Romneycare lose to the worst President in modern times, in the midst of the worst economy since the Great Depression. Impossible though that may seem to you, although the Gentry GOP who are busily cramming this particular crap sandwich down your throat would rather see four more years of Obama than a win by Newt.
And before anybody starts blubbering that I’m betraying the Republican Party, keep in mind that I’m not a Republican. I’m a registered Libertarian. I’m one of those independents the GOP Ruling Class keeps on raving that they have to nominate Mitt in order to attract. Except I’m the sort of independent who isn’t attracted by the likes of Mitt Romney, I’m repulsed.
In response, I care that people vote, but not for whom they vote. Political parties are a necessary evil, but not terribly interesting in and of themselves. Increasing GOP control over Congress is more important, anyway.
Update II: linked at The Conservatory:
There are lots of reasons not to like Newt. Whether those reasons add up to preferring Romney as ‘the only candidate with a chance to defeat Obama’ is a matter for your judgments. But the bases on which some Romney supporters have attacked Gingrich are so patently false that they’re as insulting as the country-club Republicans’ refusal to acknowledge that the TEA Party folks deserve a place at the table. Newt’s an “attack muffin”? Well, that’s a funny line, but Romney’s Hamburger Helper by proxy, and we’re tired of being hamburger handjobbed.
