The Manchester Union Leader has been NH's most conservative newspaper and has been a key endorsement for any GOP candidate looking to win NH. While it is a sought after distinction, by no means is it an automatic lock for the endorsed candidate to win NH's primary based off this endorsement.
That brings us to the 2012 primary and the Union Leader's endorsement of Newt Gingrich. Intellectually, Gingrich has the ability to work ideas and review complex problems. He can give thoughtful reviews of key issues and history, but lacks the type of presentation that allows voters to want him as a leader. His style is abrasive and dismissive. He holds a pretty high opinion of his own thoughts and acts condescending to others. He may attract some of the "hard right" of the GOP but he doesn't get the center right or the middle which are both key to winning the White House.
In short, a vote for Newt ( How can anyone think a guy with a name like " Newt " can be President ?) is a vote to keep the feckless idiot that is President in the White House. Gingrich will alienate too many voters and give the left all the ammunition they need to prop up the " Vacationer-in-Chief". The GOP is not strong on leaders this election cycle but I am sure that Newt Gingrich is not the answer, and that is why his rise in the polls has been a delight to President Clinton and other DEMS.
NH will have to think long & hard about the choice they make but if I know my neighbors to the north, they have no more love for Newt than I. He is not the answer we need after suffering for the past three years under the lefty loon that is keeping the seat warm at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Sorry Union Leader, you whiffed on this one.
If the Union Leader thinks Newt Gingrich is the "answer", it must have been a pretty dumb question they were asked.
Union Leader endorses Gingrich
By MAGGIE HABERMAN 11/27/11 Politico.com
The Manchester Union Leader, New Hampshire's most influential paper, picks Newt Gingrich as its candidate of choice in an editorial today (no link yet, but text provided by POLITICO's Ginger Gibson) across the top of the front page.
Key points in the endorsement, made by publisher Joe McQuaid:
America is at a crucial crossroads. It is not going to be enough to merely replace Barack Obama next year.
We are in critical need of the innovative, forward-looking strategy and positive leadership that Gingrich has shown he is capable of providing...
Readers of the Union Leader and Sunday News know that we don’t back candidates based on popularity polls or big-shot backers. We look for conservatives of courage and conviction who are independent- minded, grounded in their core beliefs about this nation and its people, and best equipped for the job.
We don’t have to agree with them on every issue. We would rather back someone with whom we may sometimes disagree than one who tells us what he thinks we want to hear.
Newt Gingrich is by no means the perfect candidate.
But Republican primary voters too often make the mistake of preferring an unattainable ideal to the best candidate who is actually running.
It's the most significant and impactful endorsement in the GOP race so far, and solidifies Gingrich's standing as the alternative to Romney as the race heads into the final pre-Iowa caucuses stretch.
The endorsement, of course, has no bearing on Gingrich in Iowa, and given the competition between the two states, is not likely to be a boost there.
Close observers of the Union Leader had assumed Gingrich as the likely choice when the paper's edit-heads said yesterday there would be an endorsement within the next 24 hours. It was never going to be Jon Huntsman, who despite working the state for months has been the subject of criticism by the editorial page.
Mitt Romney, however, who is ahead in the polls in a state where he has invested years campaign, had worked hard to court Union Leader officials. Reid Epstein took a memorable picture of Romney sitting next to McQuaid at a recent Manchester event, in stark contrast to Herman Cain, who had blown off the paper's editorial board meeting after his campaign couldn't agree with the paper on the length of the interview.
Romney has assiduously courted the paper, and so it remains to be seen whether all that effort amounts to a lessening of the editorial page's boosting of Gingrich (and any negativity about Romney), especially after 2007, when the paper endorsement McCain and was sharply critical of the former neighbor state governor.
The best outcome for Romney would have been an endorsement, but the second-best would be a bit of restraint in the paper's approach to him
Like most armchair Political pundits, I have my doubts about what is driving those interested in being President (Ego, narcissism, hutzpah, etc.)....Part of the problem is the "lightweight" sitting in the Oval Office presently....He proved that people are dumb enough to elect a feckless idiot who served in the Senate for only a short time and voted "present" on 74 bills....We need to make sure the next time we elect a President, it isn't some "empty suit " like the present POTUS.
Now, as we have President Doofus on the DEMS side of the equation, the GOP has to find someone who can counter the idijit who sits in the Oval Office presently....
Here is the list and my take on each of the contenders (In Alphabetical Order):
Michele Bachmann - Tea Party Darling, has certain " Palin-like" qualities, mucked it up pretty bad when she was in NH a few weeks ago and stated that she was glad to be where it all started in Concord, the scene of the shot heard around the world.....Excuse me, Congresswoman, that was Concord, Massachusetts, next state over....Before you become President, you have to learn a little about our history. Sorry, you blew it and that will be about far as you go.
Herman Cain - Nice guy, makes a darn good pizza (As founder of Godfather's Pizza chain) but has done little to show he can be trusted with the keys to the kingdom...might get to be considered but more likely good economic advisor for the next guy who really gets elected President. Until then, stay on the sidelines.
Newt Gingrich - Newt, Newt, Newt....what can I say....you're like a case of athlete's foot...annoying and you just won't go away....Run this through your head for a minute, " President NEWT Gingrich "....that just doesn't even sound right..." President Newt " - UGH ! Like we need another guy who admitted to screwing around on his wife in the White House...sorry NEWT, too much baggage and no one but you and the little woman want to see you in the White House....NO ONE...on your way now...don't write. Please. We're begging you to just go away.
Jon Huntsman - Ambassador to China, Former Governor of Utah (Yawn)...Likely a good guy but as charismatic as a bowl of Bran Flakes....a good VP or Cabinet guy but not the Leader of the Free World...We need someone with a little more "Zing" to counter Barry from Chicago
Gary Johnson - Best known for his efforts to legalize marijuana during his two terms as governor of New Mexico...sampling a little of the product, are we sir?? Guy wants to be looser with immigration and acts like the Republican most likely to jump on Obama's bandwagon...sorry Dude, you aren't going to be the GOP guy....time to head back to the desert...
Sarah Palin - What do we do about Sarah ?? Is she the no-nonsense Mama Grizzly or is she the Stalker Girlfriend who wouldn't leave you alone in college ?? She is a political spark-plug who has stepped into it a few times but bounces back....Lotsa interesting stuff there , you betcha!
The Liberals favorite target, she is the GOP version of Nancy Pelosi....the LIBS/DEMS are eager to sink arrows into her....would it make an interesting contest, you betcha x 2...She is one person who can overcome the image that all GOPers are old white men....not sure that is reason enough to put her in charge....if you count her out, you just made a mistake....she cannot be underestimated.
Ron Paul - Ron Paul ? Really?? This guy is the other half of the Dennis Kucinich "aliens conspiracy" double-team....whackier than the March Hare and has been in Congress for 20 years proving it every day....Believes in anything but the things most Americans hold dear...A true Libertarian.....which means he has not been taken seriously by anyone for a long long time...ET is calling sir, you better go run and answer the phone....
Tim Pawlenty - Nice guy - From Minnesota. They have long winters up there and will have a decent shot based on his "main street moderate " approach. Acts very sincere and down to earth....if this is what is needed to given old Jug Ears in the White House a run for the money, I'll consider him the one that would be less likely to make Americans vote for Hopey/Changey guy for another term...needs to get some steam built up but a few primary wins could project him well into that spot....worth watching.
Mitt Romney - MITT, MITT, MITT - you remind us of the creepy guy at the Company Christmas party that everyone tries to avoid but just won't leave us alone...he comes off as desperate and not like the Leader we need.....He has FLIP- FLOPPED more than John Kerry (that's saying quite a bit)
SLICK MITT ROMNEY said he raised 10 Million dollars in a one night phone bank callathon just the other day...Must have been a compelling sales pitch, " Hi, I'm calling from the Mitt Romney Campaign office and if you don't donate some $$$, we'll just keep calling and calling and calling until you do....."
Likely those who were waterboarded at GITMO got off easier than having to listen to his drivel...Just like the speech he gave last week which was pretty much labeled "desperate" by anyone who saw it and those who see him for what he is, another narcissistic fool who believes his own image when he looks in the mirror.
Mitt, just GO AWAY....we're begging you....You aren't going to be President of the United States, no matter how much money you stack up(as he hasn’t figured out not everything or everyone can be bought) And take Ann, your wife who is just as obnoxious as Obama's wife...They are a matched set, and just as delusional as their husbands. Mitt is also famous for torturing the family dog by putting the dog in a kennel on the car roof for a 12 hour ride with the family....if he thinks so little of the family pet, guess what he thinks about you???
Rick Santorum - Rick was a Senator from Pennsylvania and was at the center of some serious debates during his political career about right to life issues...Was the third-ranking Senate Republican, one of his party’s fastest-rising stars who was a brash favorite among social conservatives and now works for Fox News....not sure he can pull the undecided’s over but so far has not done anything that makes him a no-go.....Time will tell....his possible candidacy was greeted with " YAWN" from all side in the political world.....
So there you have it in a nutshell.....IF the GOP doesn't get their act together (and soon), the DOOFUS in Charge will be guaranteed a 2nd term because this collection of political fools are presently enabling him....let's get it together, people.....we are only talking about the future of our country...
Please, we're begging you...find us a decent leader among the collection of clowns who see themselves as the next leader of the free world.
We need a few of these fools to put their egos in check and get out of the way of the few who could actually run a competitive campaign against Barry-From-Chicago.
NH Politics is something unique. The people of NH are a hardy bunch and take pride that they have the first real say in Presidential Politics.
A straw poll was held last night and it shows that the GOP has a looooonnnnggg way to go to find someone who can be a sustainable challenger to POTUS.
Not that POTUS is a strong candidate, rather it is because the field of GOP wannabees don't have any real strong candidates. The retreads like Mitt (But it's my turn)Romney and Gov. Tim (No, really - I'm the Governor from Minnesota) Pawlenty and Whack-job Ron Paul are a bunch of weak and tired choices that don't generate the excitement needed to run for the "Highest Office in the Land"
I mean, really, think about the idea of " President Huckabee " - That just doesn't SOUND good, the man's political views aside....I see people overseas laughing when his name is announced.....
The GOP needs to make a compelling case of why the candidate they push forward will be a better deal for the American public than staying with the idjit-in-charge that is there now.
All I can say is MITT ROMNEY ain't the person I want to lead the free world.....After you hear him give a speech, you feel like you need a shower as he comes off as a snake-oil salesman or worse....Take it from a guy from Massachusetts, you want to avoid having Mitt in charge of anything.
So far, the rest of the field looks pretty damn thin. That is not a good start to the next election for anyone, especially a country that needs to replace the person who is holding the office presently.
Recently, Massachusetts failed to replace Deval " Spend-it-all" Patrick during our elections.....In 2012, the voters cannot afford to repeat the mistake made by Massachusetts voters.
Romney Wins New Hampshire Republican Party Committee Straw Poll
January 22, 2011 3:51 PM
Amy Walter reports:
In the first ever "straw poll" of New Hampshire Republican party committee members sponsored by ABC News and WMUR and sanctioned by the state Republican party, ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney took 35 percent of the 276 valid ballots cast. This is just 3 percent more than Romney took in the 2008 GOP primary, when he finished in second place behind Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Coming in a distant second was Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, with 11 percent. Paul took 8 percent in the 2008 GOP primary.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is spending the early part of next week in the Granite State, came in third with 8 percent.
In fourth place was ex-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has yet to visit the first-in-the-nation-primary state, with 7 percent.
This is by no means a scientific sample, but it was a good early canvass of the sentiments of the state's most active Republican voters.
The "straw poll" was open only to the 426 registered members of the Republican committee, and 65 percent of those commitee members participated.
The take away: Romney's still the solid frontrunner here, but there's plenty of room for another Republican to break through here. Pawlenty's showing was also impressive, given how new he is to the scene. He has, however, been working New Hampshire, as have his suporters.
The Republican committee members were also asked to pick the issue that was the "most important for the Republican nominee to focus upon":
Reducing the size of the federal government: 49 percent
Reducing the size of federal debt/deficit 15 percent
Stimulating the economy to create jobs; 14 percent
Repealing health care: 7 percent
Final results of ABC News/WMUR/New Hampshire Republican Party Straw Poll.
•Mitt Romney - 97 (35.14%)
•Ron Paul - 29 (10.51%)
•Tim Pawlenty - 21 7.61%)
•Sarah Palin - 19 (6.88%)
•Michele Bachmann - 14 (5.07%)
•Jim DeMint - 14 (5.07%)
•Herman Cain - 11 (3.99%)
•Chris Christie - 9 (3.26%)
•Rick Santorum - 9 (3.26%)
•Mitch Daniels - 8 (2.90%)
•Newt Gingrich - 7 (2.54%)
•Mike Huckabee - 7 (2.54%)
•Mike Pence - 7 (2.54%)
•Rudy Giuliani - 6 (2.17%)
•Judd Gregg - 5 (1.81%)
•Gary Johnson - 5 (1.81%)
•Other - 5 (1.81%)
•Donald Trump - 3 (1.09%)
•Henry Barbour - 2 (0.72%)
•Jon Huntsman - 0 (0.00%)
•John Thune - 0 (0.00%)
January 22, 2011 Permalink Share
The Manchester Union Leader has been NH's most conservative newspaper and has been a key endorsement for any GOP candidate looking to win NH. While it is a sought after distinction, by no means is it an automatic lock for the endorsed candidate to win NH's primary based off this endorsement.
