Gingrich’s Character
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on November 16th, 2011 5:38 am by HL
Gingrich’s Character
John Dickerson: “No candidate spans the rheostat more than Gingrich, who can go from sweet to sour in seconds. As the Gingrich candidacy gains traction in the polls, the key questions are going to be about temperament, discipline, and character. Those are important with any candidate — but with Gingrich they are especially so… But now Gingrich will face the pressures of being a front-runner, which means reliving that period during the 1990s when his disapproval rating was in the high 70s. He will face a lot of questions about his temperament and discipline, most of which he’ll undoubtedly think are stupid. Whether he says so will tell us something about his temperament this time around.”
Republicans Prepare to Accept New Tax Revenues
With exactly one week remaining until the supercommittee on deficit reduction is due to present its recommendations, House Republican leaders have begun preparing their full conference for a deal that includes new tax revenues, according to The Hill.
“The GOP co-chairman of the deficit supercommittee, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), briefed the House Republican Conference on the details of multiple offers that GOP members of the panel have made to their Democratic counterparts… Some conservatives have said they are concerned with the GOP’s offer, especially considering the pledge most of them signed to oppose any net tax increase… Hensarling made no direct reference to Grover Norquist, the author of the anti-tax pledge, but he brought up pledges in general, and said that ‘his pledge is to the people of his district.'”
However, Politico notes rank-and-file Republicans are suspicious and “there seems to be a growing civil war on the right over the idea of tax revenues.”
Romney Holds Big Lead in New Hampshire
A new Bloomberg poll in New Hampshire shows Mitt Romney way ahead of his GOP presidential rivals with 40%, followed by Ron Paul at 17% and Newt Gingrich at 10%. All the other candidates are below 10%.
Said pollster Ann Selzer: “You just don’t have any volatility in these numbers. He’s liked and widely liked.”
Gingrich Paid Much More by Freddie Mac
Newt Gingrich made between $1.6 million and $1.8 million in consulting fees with mortgage company Freddie Mac, Bloomberg reports.
The amount is significantly larger than the $300,000 payment Gingrich was asked about during a Republican presidential debate last week.
