In a story about Mitt Romney using today’s campaign events to lower expectations in the South Carolina primary, Reuters editorialized:
Gingrich missed a chance on Friday to follow up on his strong debate performance when he canceled an appearance at a Republican Party conference in Charleston because of a small crowd.
Although only a minor blip in a long campaign, the cancellation again raised questions about whether Gingrich is disciplined enough to win the nomination and then go on to beat Obama in November.
“He gave his word that he was coming here and at the last second, something better came along,” said Ann Sullivan, a Republican from North Carolina attending the conference.
I was there this morning. Gingrich was the first speaker on the slate for the Southern Republican Leadership Conference at TD Arena this morning, followed by our own J. Christian Adams and then Ron Paul. The SRLC has been eclipsed by the primary all week, and it is struggling badly to hold audiences for any speaker. Media cameras were on hand, but little audience, when it was time for Gingrich to speak, through no fault of his own. His choice: Go ahead and speak, and hand the media footage of him addressing a large and mostly empty arena on a crucial campaign day; or cancel and annoy the ten people who happened to be there. He and his campaign made the rational call, and canceled. That footage would have become a cudgel for the media, to beat up on Gingrich for being unable attract an audience the day after he crushed John King in the debate, and the day before South Carolina’s crucial primary.
And as it turns out, Reuters used it to beat him up anyway.
Once again, Bryan, you give PJM readers sense and sensibility. Sounds like a wise campaign decision to me.
Far be it for Reuters to have the faintest understanding of how real presidential campaigns really work. So much easier to go with the narrative they’ve picked up from here and there that Newt is inconsistent and undependable. Clueless is what Reuters is. They should stick to covering Parliament and leave covering our primaries to PJM.
Reuter? Who’s that?
I think that’s Roto-Rooter in the U.K.
His choice: Go ahead and speak, and hand the media footage of him addressing a large and mostly empty arena on a crucial campaign day; or cancel and annoy the ten people who happened to be there. He and his campaign made the rational call, and canceled.
So Gingrich can’t draw a crowd in South Carolina the day before the vote? But Gingrich is on the verge of a landslide tomorrow…right?
Sloppy thinking. The event was not just Gingrich. It was not his own event run by his team. It was a GOP event, which was stated in the article here.
Furthermore, it is only those who actually bother to show up to vote who matter. It is the percentage of those you get that matters. If only 100 vote, and you get a plurality, while the rest of the field splits the rest, it is a landslide, despite the few voters.
Do try to understand how things actually work in the world.
The Democrats are displaying which candidate they fear most to confront the Obama Regime.
Works like a charm.
What?
Reuters?
Biased?
No!!! Say it isn’t so!!!
/sarcastic bastard mode OFF
What exactly are Roiders?
I love watching the leftist media meltdowns that are becoming more and more frequent as they see their utopia and boy wonder crumble before their eyes. The more hysterical they get the more obvious that we’re crushing them.
That Newt cancelled ABC’s sunday show, whatever it’s called, is fantastic. I’m sure he also told ABC that they will not have access to the Newt White House.
Al Reuter’s being biased? Allah forbid!
Proving once again, that there is no winning the Mainstream Media over. They have already made up their mind that there is no one better than their “messiah” already in the White House – and anyone that challenges him or is a potential threat to dethroning him will be the subject of smears, lies, and any Improvised unEthical Derogatory “news story” they can throw at them. Gingrich played his poker hand perfect. I think we are just beginning to just see Gingrich take his gloves off on the media and given his intellect, we are going to see a lot more “deer in the headlights” looks out of a lot more so called “reporters” that confront him.