February 4, 2012 - 10:11 pm
After finishing second to Mitt Romney in the Nevada caucuses, Newt Gingrich delivered a very unusual press conference. The conference’s advertised purpose was to lay out a new strategy that would keep him in the race, and to go into a more positive direction. But Gingrich instead took the opportunity to open the press conference with a declaration that he remains a candidate for the GOP nomination, and followed that with a series of blistering attacks on Mitt Romney.
h/t to Frank Martin
Just to set the scene here:
1. This press conference is taking place about 100 yards from where Gingrich supporters were waiting in a larger room to see the man they worked for and hoped to win come out on stage and say great things to those folks who worked on the campaign. He is alone in this room with just his ‘bete noir’, the press, in attendance. He arrived late, which is his style.
2. The Gingrich campaign announced this press conference early Saturday morning. It is highly unusual for a campaign to announce at the beginning of the day a press conference later that day, that will take place an hour after the other campaign is scheduled to give an expected victory speech. This usually signals that the candidate is about to drop out. As they say; “Bad optics”. The inter-webs were alight all day with speculation that Gingrich was dropping out and this was the speech where he would drop. Pay close attention to whom Gingrich blames for this misunderstanding.
3. By the way, the conference was announced as a way to tell everyone about a “new strategy” that the Gingrich campaign was going to follow after Nevada.
4. Gingrich moved his deputy general council Patrick Millsaps into the role of Chief of Staff on Friday. It is unknown at this time if this was his first or last act in that role.
Not to mention that he wants people to continue to throw money into a campaign that is going to fail – good money after bad. He says he wants to give value for the money people have already paid. Clearly that has not happened and he wants to have more contributions so he can waste that money too
In a state where 10% of the electorate is Mormon and 25% of the 2012 Republican primary voters were Mormon and 90% of the Mormon voters voted for Romney, Gingrich decided to call attention to himself. I do wish he were better at it.
And if, as he so desperately hopes, Newt becomes the nominee, when he loses in November–and he surely will–will he be whining that 90% of black voters supported Obama?
The problem isn’t Mormons voting for Romney, or Romney’s attacks, or debate audiences not being allowed to cheer, or Santorum splitting the conservative vote. The problem is Newt. Smartest guy in the world (and on the moon!) is just too narcissistic to see it.
There was nothing new here, just Newt doubling down on all of his standard talking points. It was laughable that he denied Romney had gotten “in his head.” If this press conference proved anything, it’s that Gingrich has allowed Romney to get to him.
It also showed that when he behaves like this, he looks alarmingly unpresidential.
…and alarmingly presidential is one who seems to be a psychopath who cares not for us.
You mean like the current occupant of the Oval Office?
Yup!
i dont get it
what is so “bizarre” about this press conference?
seems predictable and in character with how gingrich has been throughout the primary process as he seeks to counter the deep pockets of romney by lowballing (a presser here; appearing on the sunday shows there; etc.) and rope-a-doping – this has been his strategy all along no?
Newt Gingrich: because ADD sufferers deserve representation too.