DAYLEE PICTURE: A tulip farm in Tasmania. From National Geographic.
The Tribe of Newt (David Weigel) from Slate
"A lone Democratic consultant wandered the halls of the downtown Hilton, gawking at Republicans who had come to fete Newt Gingrich. The consultant had spent his day giving Swedish conservatives a course in local politics. What to tell them about Gingrich? As an expert, he had no idea. As a Democrat, he was blissed out. ... Who were these crazy people? They were Gingrich voters, Frankensteins stitched together from the parts of other, extinct conservatives. ... Gingrich was saying that all criticism of Republicans from the media should be suspect. ... Romney, who recites America the Beautiful in his campaign speeches, didn’t convince them that he hated “the elites.” Gingrich did. He’d outdebate Obama because he didn’t accept the notion that Obama was a competent, eloquent president. They didn’t accept it, either. "
Read Weigel's whole column. If he's right, this could end up being one of the ugliest primaries in US history.
ANOTHER UP-FRONT GINGRICH NUGGET!!
Poll: Gingrich Leads Romney in Florida from Real Clear Politics
"Newt Gingrich leads Mitt Romney by eight points in Florida, according to a poll conducted the day after the former House speaker won the South Carolina primary. According to the Insider Advantage poll, Gingrich has 34 percent support, Romney has 26 percent, Texas Rep. Ron Paul has 13 percent, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum garners 11 percent."
WOW. I have read countless articles in the last 48 hours laying out how "well-positioned" Romney is to win in Florida -- and one of the keys to this was his standing in pre-S.C. primary polls where Romney led by 20+ points. POOF! And the candidates are heading into another debate tonight. Romney supporters seem to think that Mitt needs to be attacking Newt a lot more. I am quite skeptical that direct attacks will ultimately work for Romney. Why? Because, as John King of CNN can attest, Newt will make Romney eat his words and regret that he ever went there. I'm not at all clear how Romney can stall Newt's momentum through the type of "standard playbook" attacks Romney's team seem to be considering. But who knows? The GOP electorate has shown itself to be incredibly fickle in this primary season.
Is Our Economy Healing? (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Why am I letting a bit of optimism break through the clouds? Recent economic data have been a bit better, but we’ve already had several false dawns on that front. More important, there’s evidence that the two great problems at the root of our slump — the housing bust and excessive private debt — are finally easing."
Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney & GOP Forget Iraq Mistake in Push for Iran War (Peter Beinart) from the Daily Beast
"Gingrich, Romney and Santorum pushed for the Iraq War. Now the media should make them explain what they’ve learned from being wrong and why we should trust their eagerness to bomb Iran."
Despite Lawmaker Criticisms, Many Ideas from Obama’s Last Budget Made the Cut from The Hill
"A close look at last year’s budget document shows that some of Obama’s suggestions were implemented in the end. Congress jealously guards its power of the purse and because of this instinct, presidential budget proposals have a tendency to get ignored even in the best of times."
From across the political spectrum, we have a broad selection of commentary on the South Carolina primary results:
South Carolina Primary: Newt Gingrich Blows Race Wide Open from Politico
"...after being thoroughly routed Saturday by Newt Gingrich in a primary Romney seemed likely to win just days earlier, the GOP frontrunner appears weaker than ever and the race seems likely to last at least until the spring."
South Carolina Primary Winners And Losers from the Huffington Post
"The primary season now stands to remain competitive for longer than previously expected, which will give the nation, and its president, more time to view the increasingly hostile spectacle. Take a look below at the winners and losers of the South Carolina primary, and vote for who you think came out on top:"
Three Takeaways From South Carolina (Sean Trende) from Real Clear Politics
"Given the rather decisive nature of the South Carolina Republican primary -- Newt Gingrich won by about 12 points -- we can be rather brief with the takeaways here. 1) There is no good news buried in here for Mitt Romney. ... "
South Carolina Primary Results: 9 Takeaways (Maggie Haberman) from Politico
"Below are POLITICO’s nine takeaways from the results: 1) Romney may not realize he’s having a near-death experience ... with his defeat, which came after some of Romney’s most problematic general election baggage was exposed, Romney’s standing in national GOP polls and in the next primary state – Florida, which votes on Jan. 31 – figures to plummet."
The GOP’s South Carolina Nightmare (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"Newt Gingrich wanted to make Mitt Romney’s life miserable, and now he’s succeeded. ... Newt Gingrich just made life miserable for Mitt Romney – and for his party."
An Open Letter to Republican Leaders (Jennifer Rubin) from the Washington Post
"...here’s the thing: The voters in their infinite wisdom have just given a huge boost to perhaps the only GOP candidate who could shift the spotlight from President Obama to himself, alienate virtually all
independent voters, lose more than 40 states and put the House majority in jeopardy."
You KNOW you're hearing from the GOP establishment when you read the contempt that oozes from the words "the voters in their infinite wisdom..."
Mitt Faces a Perfect Mess from Politico
"Perfect resume, perfect looks, perfect family, and a perfect roster of skilled campaign operatives and blue-chip endorsements: Mitt Romney has them all. — Yet he comes out of his drubbing in South Carolina with a perfect problem."
The Chart Democrats Don’t Want GOP Voters To See from Talking Points Memo
"Exit polls showed that Republicans voting for the “best candidate to beat Obama” actually went for Gingrich. But if the chart above says anything at all, it’s that the chart below is a problem for Republicans in 2012. And that has to have Democrats smiling."
South Carolina’s Divisive Message from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"Mr. Romney’s foam-rubber ideology was not built for an electorate this rigid."
OUR PUNDIT-OF-THE-DAY!!
Response to the South Carolina Results (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast
A very interesting big-picture assessment here from Sullivan.
"This is the Republican crack-up people have been predicting for years. Gingrich is on a roll. I think he can win this - and then lose this in a way that could change America history. That is a brief impression in one moment of time. But I cannot see Romney winning this at this point. ... This is what the GOP now is, and it deserves its spokesman. But do not under-estimate the appeal to some of the idea of humiliating and removing the first black president. That's what Gingrich is really about. He is giving them what they want. And it's meat that has barely seen a skillet."
Impetuous Record Aids Newt Gingrich With Angry GOP Voters (Michael Medved) from the Daily Beast
"The ex-speaker's hot-blooded defense of his messy personal life has clicked with angry GOP voters. Why the 'dangerous' candidate is surging—and why it's bad news for Mitt Romney."
Mitt Romney Results Show Weakness With Working Class Voters from the Huffington Post
"As Newt Gingrich surged to a surprise victory in the South Carolina GOP primary, one particularly crucial voter category showed itself once again to be a major problem for erstwhile frontrunner Mitt Romney: the working class."
AMAZING! This is one of Obama's weakest demographics as well. If Romney's the nominee (still likely in my view) are these folks going to ... do what? Stay home?
S.C. Primary Results: Mitt Romney Faces Enthusiasm Problem from the Huffington Post
"If Mitt Romney does manage to limp to the nomination sometime this spring or summer, the former Massachusetts governor may face an enthusiasm problem, if South Carolina exit polls are any indication."
Next stop: A Brawl at the 2012 Florida Primary from Politico
"The unstoppable force that is Newt Gingrich and the immovable object that is Mitt Romney are headed for a collision in Florida. A primary that looked 10 days ago like a potential 2012 afterthought on Romney’s cruise to the nomination now stands as perhaps the pivotal moment of the
campaign."
Republican Convention Has '50-50' Chance Of Being Open: Former GOP Chair (Howard Fineman) from the Huffington Post
"Michael Steele, the former Republican national chairman who oversaw the writing of the party's nominating rules in 2010, told The Huffington Post Saturday night that the chances of an open -- that is, undecided -- GOP convention in Florida next August are now "50-50" after Newt Gingrich's victory in South Carolina."
Newt Gingrich, Comic Diva: His New Reign of Terror (John Batchelor) from the Daily Beast
"The professionals can see that at least for the next few months the GOP is burdened with a handful of shopworn candidates who cannot be collectively cobbled into a winner.:
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