Newt as Veep? Newt’s Opinion on Race Today; Florida
The following excerpts of the transcripts from the Hugh Hewitt show were taken from here. Hugh Hewitt interviewed Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House.
Several people in this blog have asked about who Governor Romney should choose for Vice President, should he be the Republican nominee. I have said many times that very few first term Presidents in the last 75 years did not include either the Prez or VP from a southern state (maybe one). Â Â Gingrich is definitely very bright and though he has baggage, his conservative credentials are outstanding. Here is his answer as to whether he would consider the Veep job:
HH: Mr. Speaker, a lot of people would love to see you in the number two slot on the ticket. Are you open to that?
NG: Well, Ronald Reagan once said that he was hoping that Gerald Ford would not ask him in 1976, because a citizen would have a very hard time turning it down as part of their duty. And I always thought that was a wise admonition. And so I can’t quite imagine a nominee foolish enough to offer it, but I would have to consider it seriously if somebody did.
And what is Gingrich’s opinion about Governor Romney, Mayor Giuliani, and John McCain? Their chances?
NG: John McCain is John McCain. He’s a very stubborn, very self-righteous, very indignant guy who really believes what he believes, and frankly, if you don’t like him, that’s your problem. And yet he’s also courageous and hard working and has great integrity, and is a true patriot. And so, he’s…and it really helped him in New Hampshire, because that was exactly the kind of cantankerous personality that kind of fits the New Hampshire tradition.
HH: But you know, Mr. Speaker, in your book, Real Change, one of the things that really resonated with me on Page 89, you call for cheerful persistence for change. And you cite FDR. And you know, that’s so crucial to governing, and I don’t think Senator McCain has any cheerful persistence for change in him, does he?
NG: I didn’t…listen, you asked me what I would advise each of those three guys, and I told you what I’d advise them. Look, I’m not defending any of the three. Each of them has great strengths, each of them has great weaknesses. That’s why no one has broken loose yet. And Florida become really important in part because either McCain or Giuliani has to win Florida to keep the nomination open. If Romney wins Florida, I think he’s on the way to becoming the nominee.
So, Florida. What do you think about Florida? Is Governor Romney going to win Florida? Those are big delegates down there! Remember this: No Republican has been elected President without winning Florida.
I say win!
~ Vic
January 26th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Much as I like Newt he cannot be the one. Nobody who has already been involved with Washington politics. Mitt needs another healthy and smart fresh face to be his veep. People who are picking Mitt want something refreshing. I like Newt, but he is old news. Bring in somebody younger than Romney, who he can groom to be his replacement in 2016. He needs a young and beloved republican governor who is seen as an optimist and an achiever, just like Mitt.
My two cents anyhow.
January 26th, 2008 at 5:11 am
Wrong. Newt has lost his conservative crendentials. Big time. Rush Limbaugh has been pointing out lately how Newt has gone far left to a “big government, big government solutions” paradigm. Newt essentially claims that Reaganism is dead (although Reaganism is conservatism and how can that die? You cannot repeal the laws of gravity either). Another Washington beloved has lost his way: Lindsay Graham and Alan Keyes, and now Newt himself–have all succumbed to “beltwayitis.”
January 26th, 2008 at 5:33 am
The press is unloading on Romney again. I wish Jeb Bush would endorse him.
January 26th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Out of the states that have gone for Huckabee, McCain, and Romney what have been the differences in the support base between these states?
Huckabee advanced his cause in Iowa because of people within his religion.
McCain benefited from Independents and dems in NH
What was the breakdown in SC, Nevada and Wyoming?
Are there similair trends in Florida that relate to any of the previous states that have voted?
Romney seems to have momentum going into Florida unlike NH, Iowa and SC. He is peaking at the right time.
How does the early voting factor into Florida? Does this erase or diminsh Romney’s gains generated from momentum from Mitt’s commercials, stump speechs, support from talk radio (the ones who support him) and his debate performance?
If the heat is turned up from the primary media sources this would indicate perhaps that there is a ground swell of support for Mitt that they are trying to counter. It is obvious many NY Repulicans are in the tank for McCain since Rudy has faded. I think this has to do with personal relationships with McCain and other factors written about in Goldsteins article.
My hunch is that is will be close. I hope I am wrong and Mitt wins by a significant margin, yet a win provides momentum that even the MSM will find difficult to discount. Mitt will have won out west, in the center and in the south east. If this proves to be the case, the MSM onslaught of free media to McCain will not been as effective and Mitt’s strategic placement of advertising (which he can afford) and his barnstorming should win him the nomination.
January 26th, 2008 at 6:08 am
Also Michigan. Its main concern was economics. Florida real estate market is tanking and has been for some time in certain areas. It will most likely continue to fade in 08 as well. This provides a huge advantage for Mitt. Besides the ballon mortages alot of people will lose a signifcant amount of value in thier homes. If this is a lion share of thier personal wealth it could provide a motivating factor for people to vote. Whether this will directly translate into people registering to vote in the primary is perhaps a different story.
McCain also has the vet and older crowd on his side. How will this factor in?
January 26th, 2008 at 9:38 am
What worries me is the absentee balloting. Rudy spent alot of time early on getting people to vote that way…locking them in early. Smart guy. Also McCain got the military vote on absentee too. So even with MR doing very well in recent polls, the affect of the absentee ballots will make this very close and unpredictable.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:35 am
I live in Florida, and let me tell you now the Romney will win here on Tuesday. If you want to win people over start talking about their checking accounts. Like most of America the economy is now the #1 issue, and Romney has won Floridians over with his economic experience. I’ve told people that when the topic of the economy comes up in the White House, it is time that our President be the smartest person in the room. That person is Mitt Romney.
Don’t forget that this is a closed primary. Many of the service men in the panhandle are registered Dems. or I’s. They will not be a factor. An endorsement from Jeb Bush would be big. Most of Jeb’s top staff is working for Romney right now. I don’t know how we would go about getting the word out to Jeb. If anyone has a way to get in contact with him, we should flood him with calls or e-mails.
I am very confident about Tuesday here in Florida. We still need to finish strong, to keep the “Mo” going into Super Tuesday. We should all try to raise money now to give Gov. Romney plenty of ammunition. Remember, Gov. Romney not only has to beat the other candidates, he has to beat all the media as well.
January 26th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
I still like Governor Haley Barbour for Veep. :-0
January 26th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
JoeInMA & John:
Good points. I wish we could get Jeb to endorse! My biggest concern is not the absentee ballots but apathy. Many people may thing GMR has it in the bag and just stay away Tuesday. They may just not vote because they think GMR will win. That is my biggest worry.
January 26th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Newt lost a lot of credibility when he started advising the Huckabee campaign. I would prefer him as Secretary of State.
January 26th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Newt advises the Huckster?? How did I miss that!? Or is he just lisated as an advispr by Huck? We know how that works.
January 26th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
My personal opinion is that Newt is positioning himself as a running mate to Mayor Bloomberg. His book is all about bring change that both parties want to see… It is the perfect lead in to an independent run. Listen the next time he is on TV and you might catch what I am picking up.
January 26th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
No Newt, no way. He’s definitely old Washington and is losing his conservative credentials with me. Rush really nailed him recently about how far he is straying left - sad.
He’s on his 3rd wife, too. Imagine how much fun the Dems would have with that in the general election.
And yes, sadly, he is (informally) advising the Huckster’s campaign. That sealed the deal for me - forget him.
John Bolton for Sec of State, btw.
January 26th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Stop talking about VP Vic, because this race is not over. Romney winning in FL gives him a fighting chance on Feb 5th. Feb 5th primaries consist of many proportional delegate states and open primary states. Romney needed the win in FL to boost his national polling numbers (here is where those numbers now matter) for that national primary. Currently McCain is ahead nationally. Romney needs to close that gap nationally to remain in contention beyond Feb 5th. To his credit he has done great in picking himself up and adjusting on the fly when his Momentum strategy failed. Now his focus must be to stave off Huckabee in Red states, especially those Red states with close primaries and winner take alls. And to do as well as he can in the big states like CA, IL, and NY where the delegates are awarded proportionally. So no talk of VP until this shake down after Feb 5th. McCain has money and Romney has money. McCain currently leads nationally and will finish a close second in FL. And of course the unexpected event can always change the dynamics in McCain’s wheelhouse of foriegn policy/national security, just as the global market turbulence in the last week turn things Romney’s way.
January 26th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Okay, here are my VP predictions. First I think it will be a woman, especially if Hillary gets the democratic nomination. My guess is either Meg Whitman or Condoleezza Rice. Meg just announced she is retiring from eBay. Curious, I think so. What do you think?
January 26th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
I personally think it would be wise to have a respected, Southern member of Congress as Mitt’s VP candidate. A choice such as Sen. Jim DeMint from South Carolina would help shore up Mitt’s conservative credentials, stave of “Northeastern Republican” concerns, and give Mitt a respected ambassador to the Hill. It’s great to be a Washington outsider — I’ve always preferred governor-candidates to Congressman-candidates — but you want to make sure that you have respected individuals who can help you get things done in Washington. Hillary and McCain have talked a lot about “being ready to lead on Day One” and, to a small degree, they have a point. Knowing Mitt, he’s going to want to get a lot done in the first 100 days — not spend the whole time learning the ropes and building relationships from scratch. Just a thought.
January 26th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Steve, “being ready on day one” is what the transition time is for. GMR will be far more “ready” on day one than Clinton and McCain combined would ever be.
Steven: I respectfully disagree. This site is not just all about serious matters. I happen to think that VP discussions are more or less worthless right now, as well. Aside from being completely presumptuous (which I hate to be!), it is way premature. But you know what Steven, people who visit this site enjoy that particular speculation. It is fun. It is lite. It is pleasure. And guess what? Discussing VP-possibles makes us think of GMR as President. And in the end, isn’t that why we all come to this site? Sure, we have very important work to do and very serious concerns in the campaign and at this site. But we can have some fun too.
January 26th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
That’s all well and good Vic, but don’t take your eye of the ball! The race is going to become a national one and after FL, the field winnows down even further with Giuliani potentially dropping out of the race. Remember that with a winnowed field and a national campaign, endorsements will start streaming in. SO I propose Vic that instead of talking VPs talk about endorsements. If Giuliani drops out he is likely to endorse McCain. Indeed ahead of the Feb 5th there will be bigger name endorsements coming out and it will be interesting to see which candidates secures what endorsements. In fact i wouldn’t be surprise if Thompson comes back around and endorses someone (likely McCain) ahead of Feb 5th. Who do you want besides Gingrich to endorse Romney ahead of Feb 5th? Since I asked I will say that a Rick Santorum endorsement would raise my eyebrows if Romney secures that. Another name to consider would be Jeb Bush, who is likely to endorse someone after FL is said and done.
January 26th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I think Fred Thompson would make a good VP, or maybe even Mike Huckabee. Even though I’m still angry about Iowa, he would be good to have on board to capture the southern evangelical vote. I don’t think Jeb Bush would be good at all because people want Bushes out of the White House. My big question is if Romney becomes the nominee, how is he going to rally the southern evangelicals. They are so luke-warm to him that they may not go to the polls. Fred or Mike would get them onboard. And what about McCain? Would he be a good VP, or is he too volatile and too much his own man?
January 26th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Steven, thanks. I have never said I would want Gingrich. The two names I have mentioned in this blog several times are Jim DeMintt and Colin Powell. Personally, I would not want Duckabee or McCain. Both have a lot of baggage in my mind.
Actually, I think Gov. Romney will surprise us all if he is nominated. It would not surprise me if he chose a running mate none of us has considered. What about Senator Jim Talent of Missouri? He is a very active evangelical and a nationally known pro-life advocate and strong, ardent supporter of Gov. Romney.
January 26th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
The current governor of South Carolina term limited himself out of the house and then became governor here. He will finish his term after fighting the legislature for fiscal responsibility and then retire to be with his wife and sons and do real estate.
Look him up. Conservative is good. Principled conservative is even better.
I’ve been so impressed with Newt from the first time I saw him take on the Democrat Party when he was the whip. He is a terrific idea man and a terrific intellect but he tends to make bad choices after doing so many things right. He would be great for ideas but keep him out of the spotlight.