You have got to be kidding me. This trashing of Newt by Erika Johnsen, who apparently just started blogging at HotAir, is so over the top:
Newt Gingrich’s decision to wait a week to officially drop out of the presidential race was kind of a non sequitur (but then, it fits with Newt’s normally quizzical attitude of “you need to get on my level” pomposity, so… wash)….Here’s what you can do to help the Republican party, Newt: don’t. You overstayed your welcome in the presidential race by a long shot, frequently looked absurd, and constantly undercut the GOP’s credibility. I lamented about this when it happened, but the day that the “true conservative” Newt Gingrich committed the one unforgivable political sin — throwing free enterprise under the bus — was among the most disillusioning I’ve yet experienced (but… I’m still young. I’m sure I can look forward to plenty more of that in the future, womp womp.) While I’ll admit that he had several shining, brilliant moments of insight when even I cheered, the conservative cause should be all too glad to see the back of him….With ‘conservatives’ like Newt Gingrich, who needs liberals? If he does continue to act as a conservative voice in an attempt to ‘help’ the Republican cause, let’s hope he uses his wonkishness for good and keeps the damaging blather on lockdown.
We can disagree about Bain, and I do and did disagree with the criticism of Newt on this account, but to treat one of the giants of the conservative movement this way at this moment when he has pledged to help the Romney campaign is disgraceful.
It’s exactly what I was referring to the other day:
Those who nurtured their decades-old grudges and sought to belittle Newt actually belittled themselves. That so many of them to this day cannot resist getting in their parting shots is a sad commentary on their commentaries. The Republican and conservative media Lilliputians managed to tie Newt down, but that did not make them giants.
Fortunately, I don’t think Mitt Romney will be as petty and snide. He will recognize that in order to defeat Obama — which Karl Rove notes will be a tough task — we need to pull together and he will welcome Newt’s support. I just wish Romney’s supporters showed that same maturity.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY
