Opinion: Not to be trumped, Gingrich goes to meet ‘Don’ Donald
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Cue the soundtrack from ‘The Godfather’: Newt Gingrich is meeting Monday with Donald Trump.
Gingrich joins Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann in making the pilgrimage to ‘Don’ Donald’s New York compound. (Oh, and Herman Cain too, but he sleeps with the fishes now.)
It should be quite a meeting: A blowhard self-promoter sitting down to chat with a blowhard know-it-all candidate. And you thought it was windy in Southern California last week.
First guy to take a breath probably loses the floor -- forever.
But, as Gingrich has said, he’s all about ‘serious leadership doing serious things.’
Which is why, I guess, he’s sitting down with a guy who says he may still make a third-party run for the presidency -- as soon as his ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ show on NBC wraps up its season.
You know things have gotten silly when the person making the most sense about Republicans’ odd fixation with Trump is Ron Paul.
As The Times’ James Oliphant reported Monday:
The two have developed a sort of feud that apparently began when Trump told a crowd of conservative activists back in February that Paul couldn’t win the nomination. “I don’t understand the marching to his office,” Paul said on CNN Sunday. ‘I mean, I didn’t know that he had an ability to lay on hands, you know, and anoint people….” Trump fired back Monday, calling Paul a ‘joke’ candidate.
(Uh oh. I fear ‘Paulie’ may have to answer for Sonny’s death.)
Gingrich is no joke, though. He’s apparently the front-runner in Iowa. And he’s got fresh cash, enough to fund a new ad.
And how does Gingrich portray his candidacy? Well, an early version of the ad features music from the movie ‘Rudy,’ about a plucky, undersized, underdog football player at Notre Dame.
A campaign spokesman, though, said the soundtrack may be replaced:
‘For future placeholder music the campaign is auditioning soundtracks from the movies ‘Rocky,’ ‘Miracle’ and ‘Hoosiers,’’ spokesman R.C. Hammond said in an email. ‘Not to be left out, we are also considering scores from the movies ‘Braveheart’ and ‘Seabiscuit.’ ‘
But not, apparently, ‘The Godfather.’
Although stay tuned; we’ll have to see if The Donald made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
RELATED:
Newt Gingrich claims Iowa lead in Des Moines Register poll
Tom Coburn takes dim view of Newt Gingrich as president
McManus: Tough guys on illegal immigration
--Paul Whitefield
