The higher Newt Gingrich flies, the more flak he gets. Some of it comes with the turf of being the GOP front-runner, but in Gingrich’s case, it’s also true that his past is gaining on him.
His history of self-aggrandizement, influence peddling and the hypocrisy of carrying on an affair while leading the charge against President Clinton for the same thing constitute the heart of the case about why he can’t be the nominee.
The case makes sense, yet there is a catch: Republican voters aren’t buying the narrative in the same way many pundits and pols are. Gingrich is on a tear, running up double-digit leads over Mitt Romney in key primary states and gaining on him in New Hampshire, which is a must-win for Romney.
I have an idea about all this, and Clinton’s popularity after Monica offers the best evidence in support.
It’s not just that voters, if they like a pol’s positions and style, are willing to tune out a laundry list of personal indiscretions. It’s that some clearly like a Bad Boy.
All other things being equal, Bad Boys are seen as more interesting, fun and sexy. They’re more human than a scandal-free candidate who lacks buzz. It’s the paradoxical appeal of danger.
Newt, the former speaker of the House, certainly qualifies as a Bad Boy, while the worst thing Romney has ever done is flip-flop.
That’s why I doubt that Romney’s newest ad showcasing himself as the ideal husband and father will stop Newt’s surge.
“I’m a man of steadiness and constancy,” the former Massachusetts governor says in the TV spot that includes pictures of his wife and five sons. “I’ve been married to the same woman for 42 years. I’ve been in the same church my entire life. I worked at one company, Bain, for 25 years.”
Perfect — and boring!
Romney’s other track, of using surrogates to level blistering attacks on Gingrich, probably won’t help much either because the baggage is widely known. Romney ally and former Sen. Jim Talent of Missouri, who served with Gingrich in the House, said Newt is “not a reliable and trustworthy leader.”
Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu accused Gingrich of betraying core conservative principles by attacking GOP plans to reform Medicare.
All true, and already baked into the cake. A Quinnipiac poll showed that only 9 percent say Newt “has a strong moral character,” and that came before the surge.
A member of the Romney team told me it will keep unloading on Gingrich, mostly through leaking stories to the press, so it will seem to have more legitimacy. The deluge will happen before Christmas, because the Iowa caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 3.
Eventually it could have an impact. The accumulation of negativity in a campaign usually lowers support for the target, and with this essentially a two-man race, Romney should benefit.
But here’s another idea, one that fights fire with fire: The Romney campaign should spread dirt on its own man.
Aides could start a whispering campaign that he has a hot temper or is addicted to junk food. They could say he dresses like a slob on weekends — and refuses to comb his hair!
If they’re really desperate, they could spread a rumor that he has wandering eyes for pretty young things and likes to flirt. But then the aides better stand back, or voters will stampede them as they flock to meet the hot new Bad Boy.
What to make of tax hiker Cuomo
Bob Dylan’s famous line that “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows” tells New Yorkers all they need to know about Gov. Cuomo’s embrace of a tax hike he campaigned against. In a flash, Cuomo jumped off the smaller-government bandwagon and joined the “income equality” movement for higher taxes and spending.
The tax hits New Yorkers earning over $2 million a year and gives the average family a cut of only $4 a week. But the real meaning will depend on how much Cuomo changes his approach in the next three years. Already the sudden shift is creating doubts about his commitment to fixing Albany.
“The jury is out on him” a player close to Mayor Bloomberg said. He called the tax change “an odd turn of events” and added, “Now we don’t know what to make of the guy.”
Cuomo’s decision to balance the budget mostly through the $2 billion tax hike instead of spending cuts could mean he has given up on creating a climate that will lead to private-job growth.
City taxpayers will lose the most if Cuomo decides his political career is best served by a permanent left turn on fiscal issues. Bloomberg wants Cuomo to establish a new pension tier for government workers that would save the city about $30 billion over 30 years, with $90 billion more saved around the state.
Last summer, the governor did propose a later retirement age for new employees, higher worker contributions and the end of overtime that pads payouts. But unions say they will oppose pension changes.
Now, with the tax hike lowering the pressure for cuts, City Hall isn’t sure whether Cuomo will even fight for his own plan. Nobody knows which Cuomo will emerge in January.
“The good reputation he was developing is his to lose,” said one fiscal conservative. “A lot of people are on the alert over this.”
As well they should be.
Tinkering with O’s lineup card
The latest fantasy among some Democrats for saving President Obama adds a twist to the idea of having Hillary Rodham Clinton and Joe Biden switch jobs. The hurdle to that plan is that Sen. John Kerry, the party’s 2004 presidential nominee, is said to want to replace Clinton as secretary of state.
So Plan B reportedly involves an emissary urging Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who at 78 has had two bouts of cancer, to retire now. Biden would be nominated to replace her and set the game of musical chairs in motion. Once he’s confirmed, Clinton becomes vice president, instantly giving the Obama re-election ticket a boost, and Kerry goes to State.
It sounds crazy, but desperate times . . .
Greece-ing the $kids
Greece is a basket case, but a new report by European officials shows why more money is not the answer. The Financial Times says the study concludes the government “lacks the practical tools, culture and ability to initiate, monitor and implement coherent policies.”
It says 20 percent of departments “do not have any employees apart from the head of the department” and drops this bomb: “The administration does not have the habit of keeping records.”
Ah, picky, picky, picky.
Still pedal-pushing another boondoggle
Lies, damn lies and statistics.
The city is justifying spending tens of millions of dollars on bike lanes by saying 19,000 people pedal to work every day. Right, and 3.7 million workers don’t.