Will Gingrich Recover from His Defeat to Romney in Florida?

COMMENTARY | After Newt Gingrich’s crushing defeat in the Florida primary, the cavern his floundering presidential campaign finds itself in may never regain solid footing, according to a National Journal article. The article reports seven states have their primaries in February, and all seven should add to Romney’s delegate count and seal Gingrich’s doom. Because the electorate tends to view losing a string of primaries as a sign a candidate can’t win; they often respond with a “why vote for a loser” attitude.

At the present time, then, Gingrich seems in a bad position, because Romney has the momentum and the money. Nevertheless, Gingrich may have a bigger “M” that of motivation.

Gingrich has two motivational factors on his side; first, the primary season is long. Including the four completed primaries and the seven upcoming in February, there are still 39 primaries to consummate after February. Accordingly, it’s still a wide open race, because, after those initial 11 primaries, none of the candidates will have near the 1245 delegates needed to win the presidential nomination.

Furthermore, on the plus side of Gingrich’s ledger is the lack of consensus of the electorate for Romney. This is significant because Romney is not yet fully vetted, whereas, the rawness of Gingrich’s past is an open book, and most of the electorate has made their decision about how it affects their vote. In addition, the Republican establishment is soft on Romney, which may backfire and make Romney vulnerable and less trusted.

Because of the lack of Romney’s complete vetting, and Gingrich’s past moral failures, the electorate seems indecisive and waits for a positive, or negative, factor to determine who the candidates are and who deserves their vote. Also, included in the equation is Rick Santorum. If and when he chooses to drop out, is Gingrich entrenched enough with the Tea Party conservatives to warrant their streaming to his side?

Secondly, motivating Gingrich is his tenacity and pragmatic work style. When cornered he resembles a python, who moves from side-to-side looking for the right moment to strike when his foe least expects it. He’s been stung; he’s taken a punch to the solar plexus and is gasping for air. When he responds will he alienate the way he did when he was Speaker of the House, or will he respond with controlled power as his new relationship with God would dictate.

The electorate appears to await someone with power and self-control. How Gingrich responds may determine who the next President of the United States is.

National Journal: Out of the Valley: www.nationaljournal.com


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