Gingrich the Divider

Sunday, January 22, 2012
Meet the Press
David Gregory, interviewer

The morning after his win in South Carolina, Newt Gingrich caught up with David Gregory to discuss his prospects. Gingrich emerged from the South Carolina scramble, as Gregory calls it, with 40% of the vote, leaving Romney with only 28%. Gingrich says the South Carolina Primary sent two big messages to the candidates and the nation. The first is that there is real pain in the lives of the unemployed and that creating jobs is a central issue in this election. The second is that many people are angry at the national government. This is somewhat ironic because Gingrich is the most entangled with the national government out of all the GOP candidates. Expanding on this irony, Gregory asked Gingrich how he has been playing this "inside-outside game." After taking some offense to being called a lobbyist, Gingrich explained that all of his advising to Freddie Mac was in line with the legislation he backed. The conversation then turned to Gingrich's electability. According to an MSNBC poll, Gingrich has a 56% unfaverability rating. There have also been statements from those who he has worked with that he is risky and erratic. Because beating Obama is the top priority of the Republican Party, Gingrich being dislikable could severely hurt that cause. There are many who argue that Obama won the South Carolina  because it halted Romney's momentum and Gingrich is unlikely to win over independent voters. Gingrich is respected as a smart candidate, but his electability is scarce. The problem for the Republican Party, is that he can hurt Romeny's chances and divide the party at a time it is striving to come together.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/vp/46090515#46090515