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The Spectacle Blog
With Karen Handel conceding to Nathan Deal in the race for governor in Georgia, Newt Gingrich’s possible presidential campaign should not hang in the balance. There is no way, none whatsoever, that Deal would have beaten Handel if home-state icon Gingrich had not weighed in so heavily for him. He barely squeaked past Ms. Handel. But Mr. Deal has a pending federal investigation against him. If this investigation finds Deal to have seriously erred, and it costs Georgia Republicans the governorship, it is Gingrich who should get the blame. Gingrich already has insulted conservatives not just by endorsing DeDe Scozzafava over Doug Hoffman in New York last year, but actually criticizing Hoffman supporters in harsh and disparaging terms. Now he carries the ethically-challenged Deal across the finish line. This is his Deal now. One can only hope that the charges against Deal have no merit. But Democrats reportedly are licking their chops. They thought Deal was a weaker candidate in the general election than Handel. IF they prove right, Gingrich should not be allowed to live it down. When are Washington GOPers going to stop their sickening mutual back-scratching and letting the local Republican voters make decisions on their own?
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More Blog Posts by Quin Hillyer
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/08/11/gingrich-now-owns-this-deal
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The Shark| 8.11.10 @ 11:57AM
"When are Washington GOPers going to stop their sickening mutual back-scratching and letting the local Republican voters make decisions on their own."
Uh, that is kind of what happened when the voters chose Deal over Handel.
Derek Leaberry| 8.11.10 @ 12:18PM
Mrs. Handel lost because she was liberal. She gave money to the murder gang at Planned Parenthood. She was a big supporter of the queer Republican group Log Cabin Club. The blabbermouth Sarah Palin has egg and worse all over her face for endorsing Mrs. Handel. Perhaps Mrs. Palin ought to get out of politics and spend more time running her household.
Ryan| 8.11.10 @ 2:03PM
That was the perception that Deal and the other Republicans were trying to paint, anyway.
They're ALL vast overstatements that don't tell the whole story.
Handel also ran a VERY poor runoff campaign.
tonypal| 8.11.10 @ 4:24PM
Yeah, I'm sure Sarah Palin feels like she has egg on her face. She has been the most influential Republican when it comes to these primary battles. So she lost one; big deal.
Oldefarte| 8.11.10 @ 1:03PM
As I am totally ignorant of this situation, I will only say that I agree in general with Quin's point concerning Ginguich. Additionally I disfavor a possible Newt candidacy in 2012, since I think he's old school [although qualified] and would not represent our best chance of defeating EL CHOSEN ONE. Generally, I favor NEW BLOOD politicians, unless same are unelectable. The sole object is to WIN THE PRESIDENCY in 2012, and don't want the RP putting forth a refurbished candidate with too many liabilities [such as Newt]. Anyway, will wait to see how this Georgia race unfolds!!!!!!!!!!
Ryan| 8.11.10 @ 2:05PM
Not sure about Newt, though it didn't hurt Deal's chances. General consensus is starting to come out that Handel ran a poor campaign for the runoff (and a very good one in the primary).
At least no Oxendine.
I'll probably be voting libertarian. All of the big republicans in the race I found unimpressive.
Mary Ann| 8.11.10 @ 2:11PM
Maybe Newt should spend more time at home with his former mistress and current wife, Callista.
Oldefarte| 8.12.10 @ 10:52AM
Oh, you mean like Edwards, Clinton, Teddy Boy, Al Bore-Gore Sex Poodle, JFK did [with their mistresses, not current wives, that is; since you see some sleezebag politicians marry trophy/pristine women while carrying on alleycat provate lives in order to put forth the hypocrifal illusion of chastity]!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Red Phillips | 8.11.10 @ 3:37PM
As someone from Georgia who followed this race very closely, I believe Quin overstates Gingrich's influence. Palin inexplicably endorsed the moderate Handel. Huckabee and Gingrich endorsed Deal. Blah, blah, blah. It was a campaign of dueling endorsements there for a while.
In the primary Handel was the designated moderate. There were three "big name" mainstream conservatives. Deal emerged from those three as the conservative challenger to moderate Handel. Deal is far from perfect. He may have some ethics issues and he cast some bad votes in Congress - NCLB, Medicare drug coverage, etc. - but his victory was a victory of the mainstream conservative representative (for better or for worse) over the moderate representative. A victory for Handel would have been a victory for moderation and would have put the Georgia GOP on the wrong trajectory. Newt, who I can't tolerate, did the right thing here.
Derek Leaberry| 8.11.10 @ 4:40PM
I think you would agree, Mr. Phillips, that Newt Gingrich is not nor has never been a true Georgian. His sojourn brought Gingrich to Georgia for a while but he has long busted his way out of western Georgia. He's much like Rance Stoddard(Jimmy Stewart) of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", a man of Washington DC, but for one thing- unlike Stoddard who decides to retire to his native Arizona, Gingrich will never go back "home" to Carrollton, Georgia.
Red Phillips | 8.11.10 @ 5:05PM
Agreed. Newt is a carpet bagger from Pennsylvania, who just happened to get a job at West Georgia College and was at the right place at the right time as conservatives in the South switched their loyalties from the Democrats to the Republicans.
"Landslide" Newt used to represent my district before he was gerrymandered out of it and carpet bagged up to a safe Republican seat in North Atlanta. (It was the same seat numerically, but not at all geographically.)
jane| 8.11.10 @ 6:09PM
It's hard to understand how someonewho has "some ethics issues and he cast some bad votes in Congress - NCLB, Medicare drug coverage, etc." is a victory for mainstream conservativism.
Red Phillips | 8.11.10 @ 9:55PM
Because Handel is an obnoxious moderate and many of her supporters were the kind of self righteous moderates who look down their noses at all the rubes who actually take issues seriously. She is Georgia's version of Lindsey Graham.
jane| 8.12.10 @ 8:57AM
So because Handel isn't conservative enough for you it's better to have Deal who has nice juicy ethics issues for the Left to highlight in the election? And somehow his "bad votes" don't make Deal's conservative status suspect?
Red Phillips | 8.12.10 @ 12:40PM
jane, Deal's conservative status is most certainly suspect. I supported the "far right" candidate McBerry, but his campaign imploded for reason's I don't care to get into here. But Deal was the "mainstream conservative" who emerged from the pack to challenge RINO Handel in the run-off. Mainstream conservatives are mainstream precisely because their conservative status is suspect. How many Congressmen other than Ron Paul voted against NCLB and Medicare drug benefits? Not a lot. (To his credit Deal has always been good on immigration.) Deal is an inauthentic conservative. Handel is an authentic moderate. I'll take the former.
Derek Leaberry| 8.13.10 @ 11:48AM
Handel is pro-queer and pro-abortion. Voting for Deal was the easy, if somewhat queasy, choice.
mrp| 8.11.10 @ 6:16PM
Senator Saxby Chambliss had some kind words to say about Sarah Palin way, way back in December 2008.
JD| 8.11.10 @ 9:11PM
Deal is under FEDERAL INVESTIGATION. Trumped up or otherwise, everyone should stand-by for an pre-november *surprise* indictment or something.
Handel wasn't perfect, but she was untainted by feds trying to charge her with something.
Palin's endorsed candidate lost by fraction of a percent. And now Ga Republicans, inexplicably throw their lot in with Gingrich and Huckabee? Good lord people! Have you not learned a darn thing from establishment/country-club/career republicans??!!
Nice going Ga Republicans. Thanks for handing Barnes the Governors seat.
section9| 8.12.10 @ 9:48AM
Yah, great going, Georgia Republicans. You do know that both Palin and Romney had opposition research teams that investigated Deal and Handel before they endorsed, don't you?
Mr. "Real Conservative" turned out to be both oily AND radioactive. So radioactive that Mittens and Sarah actually agreed to endorse the same candidate: Handel, the "squishy moderate" baby killer.
Congratulations, peeps. When the fabulously corrupt Eric Holder sends down the indictment in, oh, the 2nd week in October against Nathan Deal, I don't want to hear any of you moaning about what a loser Palin was for endorsing Handel.
Roy Barnes is going to beat Nathan Deal like a rented mule. One corruptocrat beating another.
narciso| 8.12.10 @ 2:34PM
I'm skeptical of federal investigations, specially after
the witchhunt they put the late Senator Stevens through, to the point of manufacturing evidence and misrepresenting the character of their star witness, but why take a chance with someone under investigation.
Both Palin, who really is much more moderate in governance then she has been painted as, and Romney picked Handel for a reason