POLITICO.COM : Why Newt's surge is for real. - Social conservatives, an essential ingredient of the GOP base, don’t trust Romney - With little money and no organization Newt Gingrich surges with great force

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Newt Gingrich defies Gravity :

"“Newt told me five weeks ago, right when [Herman] Cain tripped on the first woman thing, ‘I’m going to get a surge here — watch,’” said a well-known Republican consultant. “And dang if he wasn’t right. He is still one smart son of a bitch.”"

POLITICO.COM
Why Newt's surge is for real
By MIKE ALLEN
December 7, 2011

Why Newt's surge is for real


Some excerpts :

“Republicans want someone who can snarl at the president,” said a Democrat close to the White House. “Newt’s snarl is more genuine than Mitt’s.”

Some Obama aides are exultant about running against a candidate with so much baggage and bad history. They generally view Romney as a stronger, more dangerous opponent, even if the former House speaker is likely to shine in debates. The feeling — or hope — among the campaign’s upper echelon is that the Romney-Gingrich fight just might last until June, as long as Obama-Clinton in 2008, with deeply unpredictable results.

But there’s also a wary recognition that Gingrich may be catching a wave that is both powerful and unpredictable.

They worry that Gingrich would be an erratic opponent, and therefore harder to handle than the relatively predictable Romney. Running against him may prove more difficult than it looks at first blush.

“It would be a nastier, more intense campaign,” said the Democrat close to the White House. “Newt has a history of getting people to rise to his bait. The president would have to stay mellow, steady Eddie.”

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“2012 is not a time for timidity,” said an Iowa Republican official not affiliated with a campaign. “Conservatives want that bold, striking individual because President Obama scares them. I want somebody who’s going to take it to him.They’re so tired of being told one thing during campaigns and then seeing the Republican ruling class — the establishment — do something else.”

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“If I were Romney, I’d be screaming from the hilltops, ‘Don’t let Barack Obama determine your nominee,’” Republican consultant Frank Luntz said.

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A GOP consultant with long experience in president campaigns said that even if Romney performs well in early states, Gingrich’s strength and stubbornness could result in months-long hand-to-hand combat.

“Newt could end up getting 600 or 700 delegates and decide, ‘I’m going all the way to the convention,’” the consultant said. “‘I owe it to them to go to the convention, because I’m a historic figure.’”

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