Newt Gingrich: Challenges ahead, but 'he's still dangerous'
Professor Gingrich was lecturing again Saturday 鈥� this time on the history of the US judiciary, referencing Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt.
It was a conference call from Iowa on 鈥渉ow to bring the federal courts back within the constraints of the US Constitution.鈥� Fascinating stuff, if a discussion of habeas corpus, Marbury v. Madison, and 14 German saboteurs ordered executed by FDR are what turns you on.
Obviously Newt Gingrich thinks the federal judiciary is an issue worth campaigning on. Railing on 鈥渁ctivist judges鈥� is part of any conservative鈥檚 standard operating procedure. And in Gingrich鈥檚 case, it鈥檚 a way of taking the political discussion somewhere other than Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
His having been paid $1.6 million by one of the now-disgraced mortgage industry giants 鈥� who cares whether he was actually 鈥渓obbying鈥� or not? 鈥� continues to be something not just Michele Bachmann is interested in. Civil fraud charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission against Fannie鈥檚 and Freddie鈥檚 former chief executives, announced just hours after Bachmann鈥檚 Thursday night debate attack, certainly didn鈥檛 help Gingrich any.
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Then there鈥檚 the Wall Street Journal鈥檚 long editorial on the subject Saturday. Bottom line:
鈥淭he real history lesson here may be what the Freddie episode reveals about Mr. Gingrich's political philosophy. To wit, he has a soft spot for big government when he can use it for his own political ends,鈥� the newspaper editorialized. 鈥淢r. Gingrich would help his candidacy if he stopped defending his Freddie payday, admitted his mistake, and promised to atone as President by shrinking Fannie and Freddie and ultimately putting them out of business.鈥�
But back to the Gingrich and the courts. It鈥檚 not just court-loving liberals who are critical of what the former House Speaker is proposing, which includes abolishing certain judgeships.
In the National Review Online Friday, noted conservatives Ed Whelan and Matthew Franck take turns knocking "Gingrich's Awful Proposal to Abolish Judgeships,鈥� as their exchange is titled.
鈥淚 have often said that judicial independence is something we could stand to have a lot less of,鈥� Franck writes. 鈥淏ut there are right ways and wrong ways to bring activist judges to heel.聽[Gingrich鈥檚 proposal] is a very badly wrong way.鈥�
Whelan (who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and served in the Justice Department under former president George W. Bush) calls it 鈥渃onstitutionally unsound and politically foolish.鈥�
鈥淭his is going to be a controversial conversation,鈥� Gingrich accurately observed in his conference call Saturday.
Much can happen between now and the Iowa caucuses Jan 3. No more debates, so it鈥檚 a ground game in the Hawkeye State 鈥� which is why Gingrich held another conference call there Saturday, this one with supporters and potential supporters he took questions from. And oh, by the way, repeatedly urged to become precinct captains.
How鈥檚 Gingrich doing now that he鈥檚 soared to front-runner status?
Some recent headlines indicate the challenges he faces: 鈥淣ewt Gingrich鈥檚 general election prospects look bleak鈥� (Washington Post) 鈥淕ingrich Momentum Slows, Polls Suggest鈥� (New York Times) 鈥�Iowa GOP governor unsure of Gingrich's discipline鈥� (Associated Press)
鈥淭he debates have held out the alluring promise of a New Newt,鈥� National Review editor Rich Lowry wrote this week. 鈥淏ut beware: The Old Newt lurks.鈥�
As Republican Mark McKinnon and Democrat George Caudill point out at Newsweek鈥檚 Daily Beast website, 鈥淧olitics is all about momentum and timing. You want your curve headed up, not down, as you go into Election Day.鈥�
It was not good news for Gingrich that the governor of a state he hopes to do well in 鈥� Nikki Haley of South Carolina, third in the nominating contest behind Iowa and New Hampshire 鈥� just endorsed Mitt Romney.
But there鈥檚 a certain healthy looseness about the Gingrich campaign, somehow lacking the desperation one feels now and then from his Republican rivals. And as his fellow debaters have learned, he can be a well-armed and highly-confident opponent.
鈥淢ost of those around聽President Barack Obama聽would still prefer to take on Gingrich rather than the better funded and organized Mitt Romney,鈥� writes Glenn Thrush at Politico.com. 鈥淏ut if Romney is a conventional enemy, Gingrich poses an asymmetrical threat: He鈥檚 simply a more dangerous, talented and unpredictable political actor than Romney.鈥�
鈥淩omney is playing not to lose and Newt thinks he has nothing to lose,鈥� Phil Singer, a former adviser to Hillary Clinton in 2008, told Politico. 鈥淗e鈥檚 facile enough to sound convincing on almost anything and has the gift of framing complex issues in their simplest terms鈥�. He鈥檚 more dangerous as a surrogate than a candidate, but he鈥檚 still dangerous.鈥�
