With the Iowa caucuses less than four months away, I had more or less assumed Newt Gingrich’s time had come and gone. He’d signal that he’s getting in, then he’d do the opposite. He’d encourage supporters to create a groundswell, and then he’d tell them not to bother. With nine Republicans already in the race (10, if you count Alan Keyes), Gingrich had missed his window quite a while ago.
Except he doesn’t see it that way.
In the latest sign of how unsettled the Republican presidential race is, Newt Gingrich says he’ll run if supporters come up with $30million in three weeks.
“I don’t see as a citizen how you could turn that down,” Gingrich said yesterday on “Fox News Sunday.”
The fiery and controversial former speaker of the House has been a polarizing public figure. Still, he believes he can mount a White House bid just a few months before voting starts because the GOP faithful have yet to solidify behind a candidate.
Newt has asked Randy Evans, his longtime advisor, to oversee an ambitious initiative — Evans, starting a week from today, will see if he can get $30 million in commitments (not actual donations, just promised donations) over three weeks. If he can, Newt will throw his hat into the ring.
“I want the commitments first,” Gingrich said. “If there is, in fact, enough people in the country who think we need this kind of approach and this kind of change-oriented policies, then I think I’d feel a responsibility to run.”
I’m inclined to laugh at all of this, but quite a few people seem to take it seriously.
From David Broder:
In the years since I first met him in 1974, I have learned that it’s wise to take Newt Gingrich seriously. He has many character flaws, and his language is often exaggerated and imprudent. But if there is any politician of the current generation who has earned the label “visionary,” it is probably the Georgia Republican and former speaker of the House.
To Newsweek:
Gingrich wants to be a postmodern Goldwater, a man who uses technology to bring on the next great debate. He imagines a presidential campaign where instead of spending money on TV advertising, a candidate mails DVDs laying out his ideas to every voter in Iowa and New Hampshire with a simple request: “Do you think your country’s future, your children’s future and your grandchildren’s future is worth one hour of your time?” Could such an unorthodox strategy actually work if it was unleashed as late as this winter? It seems unlikely. Which is why Gingrich can’t be discounted: unlikely prospects have always served him well.
[H]onestly, on the facts, nobody’s better suited than Newt to both hark back to high times for the GOP and break decisively with Bush … his other shortcomings notwithstanding. I for one hope Newt runs.
Can’t you just feel the Newtmentum?
If not, maybe you can feel the desperation. It’s amazing to see the GOP scramble for some kind of credible, compelling presidential candidate, who can swoop in and save the party from electoral ruin. Fred Thompson was supposed to be that guy, but he’s proven to be a surprisingly awful candidate — prompting the party faithful to look around and start wondering, “Who else is out there?”
For now, Newt is the GOP Savior of the Week. He’ll let Republicans down, undoubtedly, leading the party to look for a new hero fairly soon. There’s just one small catch: they’re runinng out of weeks.