I have to hand it to Newt - he's one shrewd SOB

For starters, he's shaking down the rethugs for $30M to get him to officially enter the race. Then, on Rush's show today (Rush wasn't hosting), he comes out and says some good things about Hillary's health care plan - he doesn't agree with all of it, but he says there are lots of things in it that he agrees with. Then he states that sometimes the Democrats have good ideas, that they (rethugs) should go with them.

Here's why I think Newt is very shrewd, and could be dangerous. His conservative credentials are very well known, he's pretty much the "darling boy" of the rethugs and conservatives. At the same time, he's publicly distancing himself from Bush, criticizing him at almost every turn. He's attacking the "corruption" of the GOP. He's cozying up to the "moderates" in this country by complimenting the Democratic candidates.

What are the chances that he could enter the '08 race and pull off the upset in the GOP primaries? How dangerous of an opponent would he be in '08?

Saw him on cspan this morning and he talked about all the job opportunities, investments, etc., that going green could bring!

I'm just surprised that some of them didn't jump onboard much earlier.

- who bought and paid for the party?

- who has the greatest mass within the economy?

- who can pull the highest profit margins?

- who commands the power to dictate political situations?

- who can force their agenda to the top by sheer weight, or by subterfuge?

The answers in the particular period of crisis since the 1970s are usually the same: industries that engage in war, arms, security, drugs (legal and illegal), health, IT, and energy (oil). And the intel complex. And the media. Collectively they interlock economically & in personnel, and they crowd out all other considerations.

Environment is still a start up and it needs a lot of development at no profit, in other words an industrial policy. America doesn't do that, or rather, has substituted war for industrial policy.

Green = Liberal/Progressive!!!!! Even money doesn't trump fear!

If he goes up against Hillary he wins...against Edwards/Obama he loses...

that fraud and win. The other 2 would be left pissin in the wind

HRC vs Grinch? Grinch by a country mile...He would motivate the GOP base + the anti-HRC crowd to the extent that HRC would be lucky to win her "home" state of NY...

what is different about Hillary's plan than when he openly opposed it years ago?

I think it's the fact that her plan now is more about universal INSURANCE, rather than universal HEALTH CARE. Insurance companies will love the premiums which flow from the tax coffers into their coffers.

We need single payer.

candidate in the general, great as in watching him lose every state.

He's NOT Giuliani.

He's NOT Fred Thompson.

He's NOT Mitt.

He's NOT Sam Brownback.

He's NOT Ron Paul.


Newt is the "none of the above" choice for republicans.

a similar plan. He also expressed his admiration for Hillary back then as her"plan" did not exclude the insurance companies.He has also been a long time proponent for electronic records!

Newt's intelligence is overrated. I honestly think the democratic nominee will be Hillary - whether one likes that doesn't matter for my scenario. Hillary is at least as smart as her husband is - not just politically but as a policy wonk too. Newt tries to be both, but Bill outmaneuvered him most of the time when they were both in office. Hillary will do the same.

TlalocW

although in his case, maybe by half and half again.

"The notion that Gingrich is brimming with ideas--on everything from animal husbandry to the health care system--is, of course, nothing new. An old joke in Republican circles, dating back to the early '80s, when Gingrich was just a backbencher, was that his office had file cabinets stuffed to the point of overflow with newt's ideas and one uncluttered desk drawer labeled newt's good ideas."

has been to be selected for the VP spot on the republican ticket. He has worked closely with Dick Cheney, including going with Dick & Scooter to CIA HQ to pressure analysts, and being the co-chair of the first meeting regarding Joe Wilson, which was held in Cheney's office. For over a year, I have mentioned that he is the neoconservative candidate for VP.

Furthermore, we should be taking a page from his book and twisting it around so it starts working for US.

Specifically the way to reframe things. That little black book he flooded his "GOPAC" organization of flying monkeys - with the pages of language, words, and phrases to be used, like some political Mad-lib game - was EXTREMELY effective. He had lists of negatives to apply to ALL THINGS Democratic, liberal, and progressive. And he had similar lists of positives to apply to ALL THINGS republi-CON, CONservative, and regressive.

And it worked. The labeling shtick has stuck.

So WHY THE HELL CAN'T WE TURN HIS TABLES ON HIM AND MAKE THEM WORK FOR US, FOR A CHANGE???????????

He's more shrewd than the idiots running now. It would take an experienced politico to handle his crap. From his GOPAC crap, to his strategy of turning Dems against each other, to his complete lack of honesty in going after Democrats, from Jim Wright to Bill Clinton, he is a formidable strategist who shouldn't be underestimated.

I remember him back in the 90s talking about turning the Democrats against each other. He seemed to think that Clinton was elected because Perot split votes from the Republicans (even though polling data refutes this). His idea was to run a lefty to undermine Gore in 2000. I don't know how much he had to do with Nader, if anything, but he was talking about it.

He's dangerous, ruthless, and shrewd. On the other hand, his personal life makes Giuliani look like a saint, so maybe he'd have trouble getting the nomination.

So far, ron Paul is the only Repub to have decided not to resurrect Reagan, and he's getting grassroots support because of it.

Shrewd? No. Realistic? Yes.

Gingrich's campaign aspirations are DOA because of it. Then again, in the Republican Party, I'm sure that would be seen as a bonus.

Julie

Thompson has not impressed that Conservative Base.

Newt has been wokring the country having town hall meetings
making "Big SPeeches at Think Tanks" so it is the money honey.

There is money out there, I understand.

Unless Guilliani or Romeny begin to set the GOP on fire
Newt will get into the race my prediction.

and if he's able to pull that off, he may end up having a good chance in the general. Lots of republicans are put off with the way things have been going... but if he comes in with a 'i don't like it either' message, which seemingly none of the current crop are saying... then he could do a lot to energize those disaffected repukes.

He's probably hanging out with the boys in the Dominican Republic again.

And when Pimple Butt hangs out with the boys, he really hangs out with the boys.

I don't know what the guy's name is that produces the show - Snerdly or something. But he started saying something about having Newt on the show to promote his new political workshops. The guy said something to the extent "I'm not Rush; when I'm on the air, I do things my way. If you want, go down 42-stairs and have a smoke break. By the time you get back, the show should just about be over"

The thought of Rush's sidekick bursting a vein in his head brought a smile to my face - one of the very few times anything I've heard on a rethug show has done that.