Re Bob Dole pronouncing Newt beyond the, er, pail, Yuval writes:
One could point to any number of erratic, undisciplined, and peculiar statements or actions by Newt Gingrich during his speakership. He was in many ways a disastrous manager and leader. Dole’s example [the symbolic ice-bucket] in his statement today reflects more poorly on Dole than on Gingrich, I’d say. And putting out this statement from Dole frankly doesn’t reflect well on the political judgment of the Romney campaign.
Indeed. When the rap on your campaign is that you’re the guy whose turn it is, the establishment candidate of no fixed beliefs whom the base doesn’t trust, a fellow waging an empty, passionless campaign and whom the media are already palpably longing to hail for the graceful dignity of your concession speech, what better way to kill that damning caricature than to trumpet your support from …Bob Dole.
As for Dole’s suggestion that Gingrich cost him the presidency, I take the former Speaker at his word when he says he won the Cold War and invented supply-side economics, but, with all due respect, giving him credit for the Dole ‘96 campaign is stretching even Newt’s towering world-historical significance a tad too far.
Mark,
The GOP nomination train-wreck distracts everyone from the historically incompetent occupant of the oval office.
In an effort to return the focus there, I humbly submit two caricatures of the president to you, a much funnier and more widely read author than I. They are:
The Six Trillion Dollar Man
Deficitus Ceasar
Tim
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"what better way to kill that damning caricature than to trumpet your support from …Bob Dole."
Bob Dole's not going to like that comment.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat a turnaround for National Review from "Not Newt" to most of the posts here in the last few days. Maybe the man has something after all....
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusemethinks someone had a bit of a chat with K-Lo about censoring not-Romney posts. She's a propagandist worthy of Stalinists, but gleefully would call Gingrich a Marxist. If she had her druthers, all Romeny dissent would be stifled.
Glad someone at NRO had a bit of a chat with her about it.
And for all the glowing pro-life praise people give her, she's coalesced around a candidate with a decidedly moderate record on her one-note issue.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell ... Bob Dole reminds us that when the Honorable House Impeachment Managers arrived at the Senate with the bills of impeachment against Bill Clinton - they were greeted with scorn and ridicule by the likes of Bob Dole, Ted Stevens and other Washington elites. It was one of the most disgusting and dispicable acts. That led to the media hysteria that the fact the Senate Republicans weren't eager to follow up from the house meant that the house Republicans were "extreme" and that then led to the Republicans failing to get the gains that an ordinary off-year election might have held which, then, led to the resignation of Newt.
Thank you Bob Dole for the history lesson. Bob Dole was an honorable man but the actions of the Senate Republicans in that day were not honorable.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusere: the title and first line of your post...
You're a sick, sick man...
And for the rest of your post, I'm afraid your conclusion just doesn't hold water...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBob Dole is SORT of anti-establishment in that he despises George H.W. Bush. That counts, right?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"As for Dole’s suggestion that Gingrich cost him the presidency, I take the former Speaker at his word when he says he won the Cold War and invented supply-side economics, but, with all due respect, giving him credit for the Dole ‘96 campaign is stretching even Newt’s towering world-historical significance a tad too far."
Yet another example of why I like reading your articles and your posts....
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou nailed it as usual Mark. If I faced the problem that Governor Romney faces--to refute the vile canard that I was a Republican establishment squish with no firm beliefs--the key element in my rebuttal would be an endorsement by Bob Dole. Unless Mark Warner was available.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOops. I meant to say John Warner, not Mark Warner.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI will always have a soft spot in my heart for Senator Dole. He is my late father's age and looks similar, so it must be genetic. I love the guy.
I think the ice bucket thing is weird, too, Senator Dole. And with the lies on top of lies, well, I could be a great speaker as well, dishing out information I make up on the spot like The Newt.
I vote in Florida and I am voting Romney (and hopefully Rubio as VP).
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt remains a horse race between Steyn and Goldberg for my favorite political commentators.
Some days I prefer the sharp wit of Steyn, and other the dry, sarcastic jabs of Goldberg. They seriously need their own television show.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDo you think we can survive with Republican Congress and Obama for another 4 years?
Hope so, because Romney's chance against Obama is as good as Dole's. And I mean as Dole's against Obama, because his chance against Clinton was better.
National Review put money on a wrong horse, leave alone the dirty and stupid campaign that Romney is running. Stupid in a sense that before he was not liked by the base before, now he is hated. What chance does he have against Obama?
Gingrich at least tried to run against Obama first, he at least tried to run a positive campaign, before Romney came up with all these ads in Iowa. Romney wants to be a nominee, not President, so he can say that he went further than his dad.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNewt did hurt Dole's chances in the 1996 election. Have you forgotten the "Dole-Gingrich" ads?
You NRO people are aware that last month your own magazine pronounced Newt beyond the pale last month? You people are rather inconsistent, to say the least.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMark,
Your caustic comments were entertaining for a while, but you are stuck on ludicrous (as opposed to stuck on stupid which you will never be).
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't much like Newt, but Romney is looking worse by the minute - a combination of lukewarm moderate ideology coupling a smiling pat-on-the-back persona with an underhanded meanness, if his campaign is any reflection of his personality.
As for Senator Dole, well, I guess you have to give his opinions some credence. I take him as something of an authority on how to create a Democratic landslide.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe anti-Newt pile-on would be quite alright with me since I was hoping for Michele Backmann, but given the sources are from those in the tank for Romney, media types, and David Frum Republicans, I doubt there will be much traction. Newt at his worst would be worse than Romney. Conversely, Mitt at his best would be far behind Newt at his best.
It's pretty clear who wants the GOP to play it safe with a McCain, Dole, (Romney) cold fish candidate. I don't think Ron Paul will break-out so it comes down to Newt and nose plugs or Groundhog Day with Mitt. Judging from afar, Mitt is likely a better person but it's a conservative POTUS that we are looking for.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRepublicans thought, in 1996, that ANYBODY could beat Clinton, so they did exactly as Steyn said and picked Dole the same way the Oscars hand out Lifetime Achievement awards. So we had Clinton for four more. It looks like the same attitude was driving the 2008 election and now the 2012 election.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell that settles it, McCain has endorsed Romney and now Dole dissing Newt, what more could the electorate want than the sage words of both of these RINOs.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMark, you forgot to mention that Dole was such an establishment beltway insider that he lived at the Watergate hotel. Yes, I believe Newt did hurt his candidacy because the Dems had successfully demonized him at that point, and had successfully linked those two together. That aside, I think the empty bucket (don't know why everyone keeps calling it an ice bucket) is kind of TMI , and overreaching on Romney's part in an effort to paint Newt as a loon.
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