What if gingrich drops out

Gingrich: Romney built huge machine From Newt Gingrich's mouth to your ears No surprises in GOP primaries In throwing his support to Romney, Gingrich seemed to put aside differences he and other conservatives have with the presumptive nominee and look instead to the general election.

After limping along for weeks, Gingrich's campaign ended last week after a disappointing last stand in Delaware, one of five states that went for Romney that day. Campaign sources said a day later that Gingrich would end his campaign this week. Ron Brownstein, editorial director of National Journal and a CNN contributor, said the campaign's impact on Gingrich's legacy will be mixed. The fact that he was able to emerge as a serious contender, more than a decade after he last was a major player in Republican politics, was a testament to his skill at framing issues and shaping debate," Brownstein said.

And while Gingrich reaffirmed his identity as a politician who believes in big ideas, that image is more lasting than any of the specific ideas he proposed. Little of Gingrich's agenda will be part of the Republican campaign going forward, Brownstein said. After this campaign, as before it, Gingrich will always symbolize some of both. Gingrich formally announced his bid for the nomination last May, only to see it almost crash the next month when a half-dozen staffers, including the senior leadership, left the campaign.

Among the gripes from the departed staffers was that it was difficult to schedule campaign events or spend the time needed to raise money to fuel the campaign. In addition, there were complaints that Gingrich's wife, Callista, had veto power over all scheduling requests. Yes, he has too many ideas instead of being Reaganesque and concentrating on the few big ones that matter. Yes, he can't seem to run a good organization," the former House speaker's fan admits.

He is the only one to call Obama a Saul Alinsky radical. Obama will hammer him as a "rich white guy". Organization alone won't win the Presidency Just ask Hillary. His passionate defenses of abortion rights are seared into my memory. Gingrich - His attacks on Romney over Bain were very disconcerting. When he gets down or defensive he seems childish in his attacks. March 15, By Peter Grier Staff writer petergrier. You've read of free articles. Subscribe to continue.

Mark Sappenfield. Our work isn't possible without your support. Digital subscription includes: Unlimited access to CSMonitor. The Monitor Daily email. No advertising. Cancel anytime. Related stories Rick Santorum: Top 7 culture war moments Mitt Romney gaffes: 11 times the button-down candidate should have buttoned up Mitt Romney spared 'romp' in Alabama, Mississippi by split conservative vote Monitor Breakfast Southern stumbles aside, Mitt Romney bests Santorum in new national poll.

Copy link Link copied. Mark Sappenfield Editor. Subscribe to insightful journalism. Renew subscription Return to the free version of the site. We logged you out. Log in again Return to the free version of the site. Though Gingrich is far more fluent than Cain on the details of policy, the two share a stylistic appeal: an air of authenticity, as well as a certain joie de vivre.

Gingrich always seems like he's having fun and believes what he's saying. And Gingrich's personal baggage -- garden-variety adultery and lack of marital commitment -- looks downright tame next to what Cain's been accused of. And with his credentials as the architect of the Republican revolution and the GOP's scholar-in-residence, Gingrich has a plausible electability pitch. Steve Deace, a Des Moines-based syndicated radio host, said whether or not Cain decides to soldier on, his time is up.

If you're not sure if that's the woman I should marry -- it's not.