(Video) Newt-Santorum one-on-one debate from earlier this week

Link to Part 1.



Link to Part 2.



Link to Part 3.



Link to Part 4.

(Video) Newt opens up the Greenville, South Carolina, HQ

Link to video.

Taking down the myth that women will not vote for Newt

A meme is developing -- echoed by Erick Erickson, Tony Perkins, and some others on the Right -- that Newt will not be able to get women votes.

Is it true? The polling is nearly unanimous: no, it's not.

In an Ohio poll released November 8, Newt received the support of 22% of the women surveyed. 17% of men said they would vote for him. His favorability ratings: 60-24 among women and 64-25% with men.

In a Wisconsin poll released late October -- where he would likely have better numbers right now -- Newt's seen favorably by 53% women; 32 viewed him unfavorably. Men were 48/43.

In a Nevada poll -- also from late October, the breakdown was:

Men: 72/24.
Women: 60/27.

All of which is to say that in some polls Newt does a little better among men, does better among women in some, and generally does about the same.

But when has facts stopped the media and pundits from saying something?

"This Caucus Vote for Substance -- vote for Newt Gingrich"

So writes Natalie Ginty, a senior Biochemistry major at the University of Iowa and Chairwoman of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans.

We have seen the consequences of electing politicians who lack experience and leadership. To return America back to prosperity, we need a leader with experience implementing bold solutions. We need a leader who has shown that they know how to get America working again. That leader is Newt Gingrich.

Unlike the current administration, Newt is not blind to the difficulties facing our nation in this perilous time. The 21st Centruty Contract with America shows a deep understanding of the scale and scope of the problems facing America today. Under Gingrich’s leadership as Speaker, Congress passed the first balanced budget in a generation. In four years, Gingrich oversaw the creation of a stable economic environment that created 11 million jobs, while reforming welfare programs, restoring funding to strengthen our defense capabilities, expanding NIH research programs, and repaying over $400 billion in federal debt.

Putting Americans back to work needs to be the administration’s highest priority. While our current administration disagrees, a Gingrich administration will ensure that America’s focus on job creation never waivers. Instead of baseless rhetoric and empty promises, Newt has practical and innovative ideas to solve some of our toughest problems. Nothing will help our deficit or protect our future more soundly than transitioning Americans from a government-dependent economy, to an independently productive economy.

Gingrich will soon introduce his highly anticipated platform on developing brain science at the University of Iowa. His plan is the boldest plan of any Presidential candidate, focusing on common diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, Autism, and others has the potential to save our federal government trillions of dollars in Medicare funding in the future. This innovative proposal will provide a great export to the rest of the world, and will create the type of jobs that Americans need more than ever.

Do your country a favor – don’t be fooled by a 20 second sound bite. We must be the ones to change the conversation and demand substance. I beg of you to use your responsibility as an Iowan voter wisely and diligently do your research. Look over all the candidates’ websites and watch all the debates. Make up your own mind on who you want to support, but in making this decision, consider who has the experience, record and ideas to lead our nation back from the brink. America needs a brilliant leader through these trying times.

Time Magazine may have said it best about their 1995 Man of the Year, “Leaders make things possible. Exceptional leaders make them inevitable. Newt Gingrich belongs in the category of the exceptional.” I will be proudly caucusing for Newt Gingrich on January 3rd and I ask that you join me in ensuring that America’s best days still lie ahead.

The New York Times: "The Gingrich Surge Has Come"

Nate Silver, a tough critic of Newt's chances just recently, wrote a column yesterday about Newt's increasing poll numbers. It was titled "The Gingrich Surge Has Come."

He graphed the poll numbers -- both of national and state polls -- of the last six weeks for the different candidates.

Here is Mitt Romney's graph:

(For those who are subscribed to the blog, you will have to click on the link to go to the actual website to see the graphs.)

Cain's:

Perry:

Silver writes:

If Mr. Romney and Mr. Cain are on a somewhat downward trajectory, you’d expect to see another candidate gaining ground. And that candidate is, indeed, Newt Gingrich. He’s polling in the mid- to high teens in most recent surveys, with occasional forays into the 20s. Also, for whatever reason, his state-by-state polls have generally been better than his national polls, so if anything the national surveys may somewhat understate his momentum. This method now shows him at about 18 or 19 percent of the vote, meaning that he’s roughly tied with Mitt Romney.

Frank Luntz' focus group: Newt won the CNBC debate

As we head into another debate on Saturday, I thought this post would be interesting:

Newt Gingrich won the latest Republican debate because of his consistency and ability to credibly answer questions, according to the vast majority of members of a focus group assembled by Republican pollster Frank Luntz. This was the second debate in a row where a Luntz group backed Gingrich — the first last month in Las Vegas.

Newt 2012 has raised 1 million dollars since Sunday

CNN reports:

As Newt Gingrich's GOP presidential candidacy gains momentum, his campaign says it has raised $1 million since Sunday.

The campaign brought in $250,000 in the past 24 hours, setting its one-day fundraising record, spokesman R.C. Hammond said Friday.

...

Following Wednesday night's CBNC debate focusing on the economy, the Gingrich camp said it saw donations of $160,000 in the first 24 hours.

Newt opens up the New Hampshire Headquarters

The Newt 2012 New Hampshire headquarters were opened Friday.

The campaign sent out these pictures:

Link to picture.

Link to picture.

And Michael Shayan, who was attending the event, tweeted this one:

(For those who are reading the morning e-mail and are not on Twitter, you may have to click on the link to the story to see the pictures.)

Veteran's Day

For those who have not read it, Newt wrote a terrific piece about Veteran's Day. It's very touching. An excerpt:

If history teaches us anything, it is the necessity of perpetual vigilance. We must maintain our military strength to defend ourselves against those who would threaten us. And we must guard against complacency and any belief that today is somehow different, that leaders of other nations will always be “reasonable,” or that we can somehow afford to let down our guard.

Here were two pictures that the campaign sent out today from Newt's trip to New Hampshire:

Newt and Callista with a member of the JROTC:

And Newt with several veterans:

(Video) Newt's interview with Hannity

Link to interview.

WOW! Five great polls -- three national, one Iowa, one South Carolina

With all the great news Friday, it might have been the best day of the campaign so far.

A CBS national poll:

Cain: 18%
Gingrich: 15%
Romney: 15%

The poll finds Gingrich leading among those who consider themselves in the tea party movement: Newt got the support of 21%, Cain is at 19%, and Romney at 11%.

In the case of an international crisis, 31% say Newt would handle it the best. 19% say the same of Romney and 8% say it of Cain.

A McClatchy/Marist poll, also nationwide:

Romney: 23%
Gingrich: 19%
Cain: 17%

That McClatchy poll finds that Newt's supporters are the most committed to their candidate -- 43% are strongly with Newt, 31% are the same with Cain, and 30% are firmly in Romney's camp.

Newt leads among tea party members, 28-22% over Cain.

It also finds that for voters who value experience as their number one factor in voting, Newt gets the most support. And for those who value electability over everything else, Newt comes in second, behind Mitt Romney, but far ahead of everyone else.

YouGov/Economist:

Romney: 24%
Cain: 21%
Gingrich: 16%

A South Carolina poll:

Cain: 25.6%
Gingrich: 18.9%
Romney: 16.1%

Newt is campaigning in South Carolina tomorrow, including unveiling the campaign headquarters in Greenville.
An Iowa poll:

Cain: 23.3%
Romney: 18.7%
Gingrich: 14.5%

I'll have more on it tomorrow, but from now through when Iowa votes on January 3rd -- which is about 53 days --Newt will be in the Hawkeye State 30 of them.

Cain's Iowa polls "markedly lower"

From the AP:

Private polling shared with The Associated Press shows Cain’s support has declined in Iowa since last month. Internal polls of likely Republican caucusgoers showed Cain’s support consistent with The Des Moines Register’s poll in late October, which showed Cain narrowly leading in Iowa with 23 percent. The private polls showed Cain’s Iowa still in double digits, but markedly lower.

At least $200,000 was raised by Newt 2012 on Thursday

Early on Thursday afternoon, Newt's campaign announced it had just received a contribution from the 2012th person of the day.

Later, it was announced that the fundraising total reached 200,000 dollars, and there was plenty of time in the day left for more money to come in.

Wall Street Journal op-ed: "Why Gingrich Could Win"

Dorothy Rabinowitz writes:

"Substance" is too cold a word, perhaps, for the intense feeling that candidate Gingrich delivers so coolly in debates. Too cold too, no doubt, to describe the reactions of his listeners, visible on the faces of the crowds attending these forums—in their expressions, caught on C-SPAN's cameras, in the speed with which their desultory politeness disappears once a Gingrich talk begins. Their disengagement—the tendency to look around the room, chat with their neighbors—vanishes. The room is on high alert.

The former speaker of the House is a dab hand at drawing listeners in, for good reason—he showers them with details, facts and history in a degree no candidate in recent memory has even approached. Audiences have a way of rewarding such trust.

No one listening that night to candidate Gingrich's reflections on the menace of radical judges from Lincoln's time on down could have ignored the power of his fiery assessment—including the Dred Scott decision, others by courts today that threaten our national security, and much in between.

His greatest asset lies in his capacity to speak to Americans as he has done, with such potency, during the Republican debates. No candidate in the field comes close to his talent for connection. There's no underestimating the importance of such a power in the presidential election ahead, or any other one.

His rise in the polls suggests that more and more Republicans are absorbing that fact, along with the possibility that Mr. Gingrich's qualifications all 'round could well make him the most formidable contender for the contest with Barack Obama.

Steven Hayward: "The Case for Newt"

Steven Hayward wrote a terrific piece Wednesday titled "The Case for Newt." Some excerpts:

But lately Newt seems to have hit his stride. Did you happen to catch him on the “Center Seat” segment of Fox News’s “Special Report” last night? It was Newt at his best, and reminding us that then he is on his game there is no one better.

But beyond handicapping the primary campaign dynamics, Newt is doing something interesting and maybe profound: he is trying to run for president according to an older model that stresses substance over sound bytes and gimmicky, targeted campaign strategy. (Hence the emphasis on Lincoln-Douglas style debates that de-emphasize the place of the media questioners, among other things.) It is a bid to see whether presidential politics can still be conducted along the line of the old republic that would be more familiar to the Founders, to the style of public argument more akin to what Hamilton had in mind in talking about “refining and enlarging the public view” through “reflection and choice” in Federalist #1.

Whenever I think he is off his rocker, I remind myself that Newt was practically alone in thinking, from the first moment he arrived in Congress in 1979, that Republicans could take a majority in the House if it was sufficiently aggressive. Even as late as the eve of the 1994 election the conventional wisdom among political scientists and most journalists was that Democrats had a permanent majority in the House that the GOP could never break.

The full post is here.

Two pictures from Newt 2012 debate watch parties

Link to picture of the Atlanta watch party.

Link to a picture of a New Hampshire watch party.

(Video) Newt on Special Report Center Seat

Link to Part 1.



Link to Part 2.

A Super PAC in support of Newt starts up

TimeforNewt.com is the name of their website. Solutions 2012 is the actual name of the PAC.

They put out a video:

Newt's campaign raised, as of the end of the debate, about $143,000

My guess is that number went higher after the debate, but regardless it was a great fundraising day.

Just a great day overall for Newt 2012.

What did they tweet about Newt tonight?

Jedediah Bila, conservative columnist:

@newtgingrich takes on Bernanke right from the start. Well done.

Bila again:

Have never heard @NewtGingrich struggle to answer a question. Not once.

Noel Sheppard of Newsbusters.org:

.@NewtGingrich slams it out of the park with his first answer. Very solid start.

Guy Benson, Townhall.com Political Editor and radio host:

Newt rips media and #OWS as ignorant on history. Audience goes wild.

Dana Loesch, talk radio host and co-founder of St. Louis Tea Party:

Gingrich is owning the 99% - 1% question. "Was Gates when he started in the 99 or 1%" #CNBCdebate

Ralph Reed:

Newt surge is now official.

Jim Acosta, CNN Political Correspondent:

Conservative twitter-verse loving Gingrich, again.

Matthew Jakubowski:

Very impressed by @newtgingrich at the #cnbcdebate-- I love his #commonsense and experience balancing budgets and work as Speaker

Craig Robinson of TheIowaRepublican.com

Round One goes to Newt Gingrich #CNBCDebate #tcot #iacaucus

Tory Dunnan of CNN:

@Newt2012HQ Newt seems to be a crowd pleaser tonight. #cnbcdebate #gop

Tim Albrecht, communications director for Iowa Governor Terry Branstad:

Gingrich is right. Dodd-Frank severely hurting our Iowa small-town banks. #CNBCDebate

Phil Kerpen, Vice President of Americans for Prosperity:

Newt crushed the health care lightning round after correctly mocking it. Kudos.

Dennis Ross, U.S. Congressman (FL-12):

@Newt2012HQ is 100% right about Social Security.

Oakland University Republicans (the debate was live from their campus):

We are really liking @newtgingrich tonight! #CNBCdebate #debateOU @Newt2012HQ

Tim Alberta of National Journal:

Gingrich was certainly prepared for that answer on ballooning student loan debt. Very well received.

Rockingham County (New Hampshire) Republicans:

#newt2012HQ Head and Shoulders above the field tonight.

Ed Morrissey, writer for hotair.com, columnist, and talk radio host:

So far, heading into the home stretch, I think Newt is winning this debate by a good margin. Romney good, Paul doing very well #cnbcupdate

Dana Loesch:

Gingrich won that one, folks. #CNBCdebate

Jeff Emanuel, contributor to RedState.com:

I declare Newt tonight's winner. The end.

Florida poll: Cain, 30; Romney, 24; Newt, 19.

So says a Rasmussen poll out today.

No other candidates received double digit support.

New national poll: Cain, 24; Romney, 20; Newt, 19.

Here's the crosstabs to the poll.

"[T]raders think Gingrich has a 40 percent chance of finishing in the top two" in Iowa

IowaIndependent.com

GOP presidential candidate and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s stock is up on the Iowa Electronic Markets, a real money futures market operated by the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business.

Gingrich has seen a spike in the price of his stock, which started out near $0 but is now nearing $.40. That means traders think Gingrich has a 40 percent chance of finishing in the top two in the Iowa Caucuses.

The Georgia politician has performed well at recent events in the Hawkeye State, garnering the most applause at the Republican Party of Iowa’s Reagan Dinner on Nov. 5 and an Oct. 22 forum held by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition.

The 21st Century Contract "probably the most thorough campaign document ever"

Peter Ferrara, a Reagan White House official, writes about the Texas Tea Party debate between Newt and Cain today.

And after calling the 21st Century Contract with America "probably the most thorough campaign document ever," Ferrara writes:

Gingrich proposes freedom for younger workers to choose to save and invest at least part of what they would otherwise pay in payroll or income taxes into personal savings, investment and insurance accounts. Over an entire working career, at just standard, long term, market investment returns, workers of all family combinations and income levels would accumulate several hundred thousand dollars in these accounts after inflation, approaching a million dollars or even more in some cases depending on how big the option is over their careers.

Those accumulated funds would pay all workers of all income levels much higher benefits than Social Security even promises let alone what it could pay. Retirees would each be free to choose to leave any portion of these funds to their children at death.

Further:

Gingrich's explicit long-term vision is to expand these accounts over time so they ultimately finance all of the benefits now financed by the payroll tax, eventually allowing that tax to be phased out entirely. That would be the greatest reduction in taxes in world history. The debate audience expressed strong enthusiasm for such personal accounts.

On block granting welfare programs back to the states:

Gingrich also drew attention to an historic turning point in welfare policy that was achieved while he was Speaker, with the enormously successful 1996 reforms of the old Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. Those reforms implemented the ultimate welfare policies favored by President Reagan and his long time welfare guru Robert Carleson.

...

Gingrich proposed, with assent from Cain, to extend the same reforms to all remaining federal means-tested welfare programs. This would amount to sending welfare back to the states, achieving the complete welfare reform dream of Reagan and Carleson in restoring the original federalism and state control over welfare. It also follows the spirit of the Tea Party in restoring power to the states and gaining control over government spending, deficits and debt. The audience at the debate expressed strong support for this as well.

...

With all the programs of the current welfare empire estimated together to cost $10 trillion over the next 10 years, the resulting savings to the taxpayers from these reforms would be several trillion just in those first 10 years alone, as the 1996 reforms indicate.

On health care, Ferrara writes:

Gingrich proposes that the problem of the uninsured can and should be solved through a health care safety net focused on the truly needy, assuring that no one will suffer lack of essential health care, for just a small fraction of the cost of Obamacare. He explains that this can and should be accomplished with no individual mandate and no employer mandate.

That would begin by block granting Medicaid to the states as above, which Gingrich and Cain both strongly supported.

On health savings accounts: "Gingrich pioneered HSA legislation while Speaker, and explicitly favors extending them throughout the health care system."

On Paul Ryan's plan:

Gingrich also explicitly favored the Ryan plan for Medicare, if it is offered as a free choice for seniors, rather than a mandatory imposed change. With such freedom alone, seniors will be fleeing old Medicare, butchered by Obamacare cuts to payments to doctors and hospitals, and the further cuts and rationing imposed by the Independent Payment Advisory Board. The Gingrich plan also involves eventually a personal account for the Medicare payroll tax, which would finance a private sector annuity in retirement providing further funds to buy private insurance, besides Ryan's premium support.

You can read the rest of the article, which is great good, here.

Newt's interview with Greta from 11/4/11

Link to video.

Newt has gained 21 points among indepedents against President Obama in 3 weeks

The Weekly Standard writes about it.

Newt's address to 19th Annual Ronal Reagan Victory Celebration Dinner

Link to video.



(Newt sent in a video message because Herman Cain was originally scheduled to address the crowd but had to cancel at the last moment.)

Newt's the second choice of 38% of Cain supporters in Ohio

And as I wrote yesterday, Cain's favorability rating is down 11 points in the last 3 weeks.

Only 42% of Cain's supporters are firmly committed to him -- which makes the fact about Newt being their second choice by far big news. He's the top second choice of all candidates, with 19% of the respondents listing Newt as their second pick.

PPP writes: "Gingrich has had a massive improvement in his image over the last six months. When we polled Ohio in May his favorability was +8 at 42/34. Now it's improved by 30 points to +38 at 62/24."

25% remain uncommitted, and based on Newt's favorability and being the second choice of so many, he's in prime position to pick up those undecideds.

Among women, Newt's favorability is 60-24; among men, 64-25%.

22% of the women surveyed picked Newt; 17% of men did the same. I keep asking this question: will the media keep saying women won't vote for Newt?

Among age groups:

18-29: 58-23%
30-45: 56-30%
46-65: 65-23%
65-older: 65-22%

Newt leads in Mississippi, 28 to 25 over Cain

The poll is from Public Policy Polling.

Newt's favorability rating is 63/22.

Newt's numbers still have room to grow as well. 17% list Cain as their second choice, but 15% say Newt is.

PPP writes: "And if Cain does eventually implode, Newt Gingrich is well positioned to become the new Republican front runner." 28% of Cain's supporters in Mississippi list Newt as their second choice.

Newt has great numbers among both men and women.

Among different age groups:

18-29: 55/34%
30-45: 62-15%
46-65: 61-27%
65-older: 69-17%

Moderates: 39-36%
"Somewhat conservative": 60-26%
"Very conservative": 72-15%

(Audio) Newt and Cain from Neal Boortz's show Monday

Link to part 1.



Link to part 2.

Newt's South Carolina team is announced

(Update: CNN reports that Newt's South Carolina operation is the biggest of any campaign to date.)

Greenville, SC - Joining two long term advisors who recently moved to South Carolina to direct Newt 2012's First in the South primary bid -- Adam Waldeck as State Director and Vince Haley as Policy Director - the campaign has expanded its paid staff to include several veteran activists and tea party leaders.

Adam has worked as the campaign's Coalitions Director and has deep ties into the tea party movement and conservative groups. Haley has been Director of Policy for American Solutions and a Research Director for Gingrich at the American Enterprise Institute.

Assisting in the statewide effort are Ruth Sherlock and Leslie Gaines of Sherlock and Gaines Consulting Group of Greenville. Gaines and Sherlock bring many years of experience in planning, organizing and scheduling in the political arena. Sherlock worked across the country for the Republican National Committee but is best known for helping elect the first Vietnamese American to the U.S. House in 2008. Gaines is well respected in South Carolina for her fundraising success for several presidential and winning statewide candidates and numerous non-profit organizations.

The statewide team will include Regional Directors: Joshua Putnam, the youngest state representative currently serving in South Carolina’s legislature who will lead the Upstate; DeLinda Ridings, a well known political operative will represent the Midlands; noted Myrtle Beach tea party leader Gerri McDaniel has also joined the team to help organize grassroots efforts in the Pee Dee region. Chris Horne, another Tea Party veteran, preacher and internet marketing expert will lead the effort in Charleston. Also hailing from the Charleston area is Joanne Jones, Vice Chairman of the Charleston Tea Party, who will organize coalitions for the campaign.

The Newt 2012 statewide headquarters will be located at 700 Woodruff Road, Suite 6 in Greenville. The official opening will be on Saturday, November 12, 2011.

From Ali Weinberg of NBC News:

Among the nine members of the Newt Gingrich South Carolina team (who were officially named on Monday) is a former member of Team Huntsman.

Grassroots organizer DeLinda Ridings was, until last week, the Huntsman campaign's Midlands field director.

...

Ridings is also the secretary of the South Carolina Republican Party.

The Gingrich campaign also signed on state Rep. Josh Putnam as his Upstate field director. At 22, Putnam is the youngest lawmaker in the South Carolina statehouse, having won a special election here in August 2011.

Newt's campaign to hold four debate watch parties in New Hampshire Wednesday

From John DiStaso:

Newt Gingrich's campaign is hosting four debate-watching parties across New Hampshire for the Wednesday night debate among GOP presidential candidates in Michigan.

...

The campaign says Gingrich supporters are expected to gather at Jillian's Billards in Manchester, Country Cookin' in Epsom, The Upper Crust in Tilton and The Draft in Concord.

New national poll: Newt at 12%, in third place

Cain and Romney are both at 21%, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll. Perry is at 11%.

PPP survey: Cain's favorability with Ohio Republicans down 11 points last 3 weeks

(Update: Cain's supporters second choice: Newt 38%, Romney 19%, Perry 12%.)

They released the tidbit on Twitter today.

Two other teases before the full Ohio poll:

In Ohio no one other than Cain, Gingrich, and Romney is polling over 5%. No momentum for Perry yet after Cain troubles. (link)

Perry favorability with Ohio Republicans is 35/43...he really has a likability issue with the party base (link)

Two new Iowa polls show Newt at 18 and 16 percent

(Thanks to Mike Pirner for pointing out the second poll.)

A poll from We Ask America, conducted November 6:

Herman Cain 22%
Newt Gingrich 18%
Mitt Romney 15%
Michele Bachmann 11%
Ron Paul 11%
Rick Perry 4%
Rick Santorum 3%
Jon Huntsman 2%

JMC Enterprises, conducted November 2:

Herman Cain 20%
Mitt Romney 20%
Newt Gingrich 16%
Michele Bachmann 6%
Ron Paul 6%
Rick Perry 4%
Rick Santorum 4%
Jon Huntsman 2%

"Warming up to Newt Gingrich"

So writes a member of RedState.com today.

After writing that he was initially incensed at Newt's comments about Paul Ryan's plan back in May, he writes:

The key insight from the Gingrich contract is that we have to propose solutions that don’t just fix the problems, but are so much better than the status quo that people will willingly opt-in to a system that is also fiscally sound. An opt-in model is our chance to demonstrate that the free market can do things better and cheaper.

Now, of course, this is the point Newt kept making when the controversy kept coming up. Also, it needs to be said, Newt did not call Ryan's plan "right-wing social engineering." He was talking in general about not wanting to force massive unpopular change on the American people, not the Ryan plan specifically.

Newt wrote a newsletter praising the plan, as well as in numerous interview, for goodness' sake!

He further writes on the topic:

If conservative solutions to our nations problems are not just fiscally responsible, but better, Americans will willingly choose the conservative option when given the choice. After seeing the Cain-Gingrich debate on entitlements, I’m starting to believe that entitlements can actually be reformed without some of our most vulnerable citizens getting the shaft or being coerced into a more fiscally sound system. Giving Americans a choice also makes it much more difficult for liberals to demagogue much-needed reforms (although we know that it still won’t stop them from trying). Many of the important reforms to entitlements and taxes in the new Contract with America allow people to opt-out. And unlike Obama’s hollow promises that people could keep what they have now with Obamacare, these opt-out provisions aren’t undermined by other policy provisions to drive one of those options out of business. This kind of option model might also be a really good idea for practical reasons rather than just politics. It forces the politicians to come up with ideas that are good enough for people to willingly opt-in.

Notice what happened: the media misreports what Newt said back in May, and only now -- after Newt gets to talk without the media filter -- do people start to understand Newt's point. This is another reason why Newt needs to keep doing such events as the debate from last Saturday. He gets to explain his policies without the ignorant (and misleading) media getting in the way.

The post concludes:

We need a conservative president that can put pressure on the legislature by making the case directly to the people. We need a president with the right solutions and enough political acumen to make it happen. We need someone who can fight for conservative principles in the face of a hostile media and uninformed public. I’m starting to think that Newt Gingrich might be the one candidate that is up to the task.

Complete video of the Newt-Cain debate

Link to video.

(Video) Newt with media after debate with Herman Cain

Link to video.

(Video) Newt on CNN with Erin Burnett

Link to video.

"[I]f Gingrich had wanted to run circles around Cain, he could have."

Cain had a rather embarrassing moment when he had to defer to Newt on a question because he didn't understand what the question meant. And then even when it came to his turn, he still didn't seem to understand the question.

Byron York wrote of Saturday Night's debate:

In fact, the Gingrich-Cain debate pitted the candidate with the most detailed policy knowledge against the candidate with the least detailed knowledge. It was a good thing for Cain that it was a friendly encounter; if Gingrich had wanted to run circles around Cain, he could have.

York continues:

Gingrich's words, plus a look at his standing in the Republican presidential race, suggest three reasons why the Cain debate might turn out to be a benefit for the Gingrich campaign. First, Gingrich understands that many Republican voters are disgusted by the arguing that has taken place at GOP debates. They want to see it stop. To the degree that Gingrich is seen as participating in civil discussions, it's a plus for him.

Second, Gingrich, now in third place in the Republican race nationally, benefits from being seen on friendly terms with the frontrunner Cain. At the end of the debate, Cain made a joke about the possibility of Gingrich being on a Cain ticket. For Gingrich, it doesn't matter how unlikely such a scenario is. Cain enjoys the goodwill of a lot of Republican voters, and it can't hurt Gingrich if some of that goodwill is now reflected on him after a friendly and mutually-admiring debate in Texas.

Third, and most important, Gingrich could gain support in the future by moving closer to Cain now. At the moment, Cain has the very dedicated support of many conservative Republicans. But after the rise and fall of Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, many Republican insiders do not expect Cain to go the distance for the Republican nomination. If Cain were to fade, it's not a bad thing for Gingrich if Cain's supporters think of Gingrich fondly. Should they find themselves looking for a new candidate to support, they might well turn to the former Speaker, who for many was their second choice all along. At that moment, Gingrich could become the main challenger to frontrunner Mitt Romney.

York concludes by writing:

Gingrich helped himself by meeting Cain at The Woodlands Saturday night. It's no wonder he's thinking about doing it again.

From the New York Times:

Over all, Mr. Gingrich seemed to earn more hearty and spontaneous applause for his answers than did Mr. Cain, who took a pass on one question to let Mr. Gingrich “go first,” as he said. He also used some of his time to take a second shot at answering a question that he acknowledged he did not address well on the first try.