Over at RealClearPolitics, they’re resurrecting the issue of fading Tea Party strength and clout as Newt Gingrich’s poll numbers plummet in all-important Florida.
The trends in the Republican presidential race suggests that “the Tea Party is losing its grip on the GOP, with the establishment poised to triumph once again,” according to the RealClearPolitics report by Erin McPike.
As the shifting Tea Party favorites have all failed – Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Perry – Gingrich is the last stand. And he may not be standing much longer.
Here’s McPike’s take:
“… It’s a stunning twist of fate for the GOP, which just 18 months ago was mired in intra-party battles that gave rise to the grassroots movement, and which had been desperately seeking anyone but Mitt Romney in the presidential race to satisfy its hard-right turn. Still, if Romney wins (in Florida) on Tuesday and goes on to clinch the nomination in the coming weeks or months, it may not settle the question of whether he has quieted the Tea Party faithful heading toward the general election.
“Though Gingrich has embraced the Tea Party — and many of its leaders have hugged him back — he doesn’t fit the movement’s mold. The Romney campaign knows this and has had no qualms about
about highlighting that fact.
“From former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the GOP presidential nominee in 1996, to Sen. John McCain, the standard bearer in 2008, a growing number of Republican ‘insiders’ have blasted Gingrich for his slip-ups and judgment lapses during his reign as House speaker.
“… McCain, when asked Friday by RealClearPolitics if Romney risked a backlash by employing this strategy, answered “I think that’s always a risk, but once the Tea Partiers examine his (Gingrich’s) fiscal record, then it’s very hard to get enthusiastic about a guy that supported a bill that had $14 billion in earmarks.”
highlighting that fact.
“From former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the GOP presidential nominee in 1996, to Sen. John McCain, the standard bearer in 2008, a growing number of Republican ‘insiders’ have blasted Gingrich for his slip-ups and judgment lapses during his reign as House speaker.
“… McCain, when asked Friday by RealClearPolitics if Romney risked a backlash by employing this strategy, answered “I think that’s always a risk, but once the Tea Partiers examine his (Gingrich’s) fiscal record, then it’s very hard to get enthusiastic about a guy that supported a bill that had $14 billion in earmarks.”
“Though Gingrich has embraced the Tea Party — and many of its leaders have hugged him back — he doesn’t fit the movement’s mold. The Romney campaign knows this and has had no qualms about highlighting that fact.
You
“From former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the GOP presidential nominee in 1996, to Sen. John McCain, the standard bearer in 2008, a growing number of Republican ‘insiders’ have blasted Gingrich for his slip-ups and judgment lapses during his reign as House speaker.
“… McCain, when asked Friday by RealClearPolitics if Romney risked a backlash by employing this strategy, answered “I think that’s always a risk, but once the Tea Partiers examine his (Gingrich’s) fiscal record, then it’s very hard to get enthusiastic about a guy that supported a bill that had $14 billion in earmarks.”
As the shifting Tea Party favorites have all failed – Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Perry – Gingrich is the last stand. And he may not be standing much longer.
Here’s McPike’s take:
“… It’s a stunning twist of fate for the GOP, which just 18 months ago was mired in intraparty battles that gave rise to the grassroots movement, and which had been desperately seeking anyone but Mitt Romney in the presidential race to satisfy its hard-right turn. Still, if Romney wins (in Florida) on Tuesday and goes on to clinch the nomination in the coming weeks or months, it may not settle the question of whether he has quieted the Tea Party faithful heading toward the general election.
“Though Gingrich has embraced the Tea Party — and many of its leaders have hugged him back — he doesn’t fit the movement’s mold. The Romney campaign knows this and has had no qualms about highlighting that fact.
“From former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the GOP presidential nominee in 1996, to Sen. John McCain, the standard bearer in 2008, a growing number of Republican ‘insiders’ have blasted Gingrich for his slip-ups and judgment lapses during his reign as House speaker.
“… McCain, when asked Friday by RealClearPolitics if Romney risked a backlash by employing this strategy, answered “I think that’s always a risk, but once the Tea Partiers examine his (Gingrich’s) fiscal record, then it’s very hard to get enthusiastic about a guy that supported a bill that had $14 billion in earmarks.”
You can read the full story here.
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