SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS SPEAK

Well the South Carolina primary election has ended and another winner has emerged. That means after three different Presidential preference primaries, three different individuals have won. I am relatively sure this will not continue primarily because there are only four candidates and there are many, many more primaries left.

So why did Newt Gingrich win? Two weeks ago he seemingly was behind by double digits, according to most polls. These are my thoughts on the subject.

The big turn around came with the last CNN debate. Gingrich came out on the attack from the start. His attack was not against his competitors however. His attack was not even against the current administration. No, he attacked the elite news media. He rightfully blasted John King, the moderator, for his first question about Newt’s ex-wife and her accusations. Let’s face it, it was a ridiculous question and was handled properly by Gingrich. Neither the question nor any possible answer would have added to the information needed to make a reasonable decision about a particular candidate. No one, except for possibly CNN, cared about what a scorned ex-wife thought or said. It was just a gotcha question. Newt turned the question against the media. The audience erupted with a standing ovation and screamed their approval of his attack. The gotcha was on the media.

I think it is reasonable to assume that across the board most people are fed up with the agenda driven media and their obvious support for Obama and his party. Any semblance of fairness or integrity has long since disappeared from this group. As Gingrich opined he also was fed up with the media covering for and protecting Obama. The audience agreed and leapt to their feet with their approval of that opinion. This was not a good day for the so-called elite media. They may want to re-assess their stance.

The second event that happened in that debate was Gingrich’s statement that he would love to sit down for a three hour “Lincoln/Douglas” debate with Obama and the president could bring his teleprompters and Gingrich would bring only his intellect. Who wouldn’t pay to watch that? In such a debate, Obama would look like the impostor that he is. Gingrich would not only be the smartest man in the room, he would also be the mentally quickest. He is skilled and glib and has years of experience in dealing with detractors and critics. He probably has never felt the need for a teleprompter. I am sure that such a debate would be one of Barak Obama’s biggest nightmares.

Now we are on to Florida which is said to be the biggest test to date of any of these candidates. The reason is that Florida is a microcosm of the country as a whole. The diversity of race, ethnicity, and economic status is far closer to the entire country than any state having held their primary thus far. I will watch with great interest.

I have these simple questions. Can Gingrich beat the field in this state where Romney is supposed to have a huge lead in the polls? And if he does, can he then beat Obama in a general election? As I have said before, and I will say again, getting rid of Barak Obama is the most important matter facing the electorate. This election may well be our last chance to stop the bleeding and turn this country around.

Ron Scarbro January 25, 2012