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Republicans are worried sick about Newt Gingrich鈥檚 ascendance, while Democrats are tickled pink.

Yet no responsible Democrat should be pleased at the prospect that Gingrich could get the GOP nomination. The future of America is too important to accept even a small risk of a Gingrich presidency.

The Republican worry is understandable. 鈥淭he possibility of Newt Gingrich being our nominee against Barack Obama I think is essentially handling the election over to Obama,鈥� says former Minnesota Governor Tom Pawlenty, a leading GOP conservative. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 shared by a lot of folks in the Republican party.鈥�

Pawlenty鈥檚 views are indeed widely shared in Republican circles. 鈥淗e鈥檚 not a conservative 鈥� he鈥檚 an opportunist,鈥� says pundit Joe Scarborough, a member of the Republican Class of 1994 who came to Washington under Gingrich鈥檚 banner. Gingrich doesn鈥檛 鈥渉ave the temperament, intellectual discipline or ego control to be either a successful nominee or president,鈥漵ays New York Republican representative Peter King, who hasn鈥檛 endorsed any candidate. 鈥淏asically, Newt can鈥檛 control himself.鈥�

Gingrich is 鈥渁n embarrassment to the party,鈥� says New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie, and 鈥渨as run out of the speakership鈥� on ethics violations. Republican strategist Mike Murphy says 鈥淣ewt Cingrich could not carry a swing state in the general election if it was made of feathers.鈥�

鈥淲eird鈥� is the word I hear most from Republicans who have worked with him. Scott Klug, a former Republican House member from Wisconsin, who hasn鈥檛 endorsed anyone yet, says 鈥淣ewt has ten ideas a day 鈥� two of them are good, six are weird and two are very weird.鈥澛�

Newt鈥檚 latest idea, for example 鈥� to colonize the moon 鈥� is typically whacky.

The Republican establishment also points to polls showing Gingrich鈥檚 supporters to be enthusiastic but his detractors even more fired up. In the latest ABC News/ Washington Post poll, 29 percent view Gingrich favorably while 51 percent have an unfavorable view of him. (Obama, by contrast, draws a 53 percent favorable and 43 percent unfavorable.)

Independents, who will be key to the general election, are especially alarmed by Gingrich.

As they should be. It鈥檚 not just Newt鈥檚 weirdness. It鈥檚 also the stunning hypocrisy. His personal life makes a mockery of his moralistic bromides. He condemns Washington insiders but had a forty-year Washington career that ended with ethic violations. He fulminates against finance yet drew fat checks from Freddie Mac. He poses as a populist but has had a $500,000 revolving charge at Tiffany鈥檚.

And it鈥檚 the flagrant irresponsibility of many of his propositions 鈥� for example, that presidents are not bound by Supreme Court rulings, that the liberal Ninth Circuit court of appeals should be abolished, that capital gains should not be taxed, that the First Amendment guarantees freedom 鈥渙f鈥� religion but not 鈥渇rom鈥� religion.

It鈥檚 also Gingrich鈥檚 eagerness to channel the public鈥檚 frustrations into resentments against immigrants, blacks, the poor, Muslims, 鈥渓iberal elites,鈥� the mainstream media, and any other group that鈥檚 an easy target of white middle-class and working-class anger.

These are all the hallmarks of a demagogue.

Yet Democratic pundits, political advisers, officials and former officials are salivating over the possibility of a Gingrich candidacy. They agree with key Republicans that Newt would dramatically increase the odds of Obama鈥檚 reelection and would also improve the chances of Democrats taking control over the House and retaining control over the Senate.

I warn you. It鈥檚 not worth the risk.

Even if the odds that Gingrich as GOP presidential candidate would win the general election are 10 percent, that鈥檚 too much of a risk to the nation. No responsible American should accept a 10 percent risk of a President Gingrich.

I鈥檇 take a 49 percent odds of a Mitt Romney win 鈥� who in my view would make a terrible president 鈥� over a 10 percent possibility that Newt Gingrich would become the next president 鈥� who would be an unmitigated disaster for America and the world.