Gingrich Set to be First to Declare?
Steven L. Taylor
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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
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3 comments
ABC News reports that Newt is going to be the first to make the plunge: Newt Gingrich Set to Throw His Hat in the Ring to be 2012 Republican Nominee for President.
This is not a surprise, given the way he has been behaving for a while (although there were also reasons to doubt that he would actually throw his hat in the ring—for example).
I must confess: I think he will not end of being the nominee.
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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In that case the accounting term “FIFO” will be an apt description of Newt’s candidacy.
The good news about Newt’s current run is that people seem to finally be catching on to the main truth about Gingrich. Despite his ability to present himself well, he really isn’t this ultrasmart professorial wonk that people seemed to want to believe he was. He knows how to speak in a way that comes off well on TV, but he doesn’t actually have anything particularly smart to say.
People are beginning to agree with a position I’ve held for many years: Gingrich is a legend in his own mind. He’s not especially intelligent — not even compared to other Republicans. And compared to regular people he’s kind of a dumbass.
Add to that the fact that he’s one of these guys who has a rare talent for making people want to kick him in the nuts, and you have a near-perfect spokesman for the GOP.
More Newt, More Sarah!