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By Jeff Mason
Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has roared into the lead of the Republican nominating race, brushing off concerns about his work for a troubled housing company, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.
Twenty-four percent of registered Republican voters would support the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives if the contest were held now, an increase of 8 percentage points from roughly a week ago, according to the poll, which was conducted on Nov. 18-19.
Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who has stayed near the top of most polls, garnered support from 22 percent of Republicans, slumping 6 percentage points from the last survey conducted on Nov. 10-11 and ending up essentially tied with Gingrich.
Despite allegations of questionable business ties, Gingrich is the latest favorite of conservative Republicans eager for an alternative to Romney, whom they see as too moderate.
Support for Herman Cain, a previous frontrunner, is crumbling after sexual harassment allegations. The former pizza executive dropped 8 percentage points in the poll from last week and fell back into third place. Support for him has halved since late October.
In a sign of further relief for Gingrich, 46 percent of Republicans said the revelations that he had received up to $1.8 million in consulting fees from mortgage giant Freddie Mac had no impact on their view of the candidate.
Thirty-one percent said the issue left them with a less favorable opinion of Gingrich, who has criticized Freddie Mac sharply in the past.
"We have absolutely seen Gingrich surge," said Ipsos pollster Julia Clark, noting that the former House leader from the 1990s was a more established political figure than some of his Republican counterparts who have slipped in the polls.
"Because he is established, this makes him much more well protected" from damage resulting from the Freddie connection, she said.
A Fox News poll released on Wednesday also showed Gingrich ahead. That survey, however, was conducted before the Freddie Mac connection and other news stories about his business ties had fully played out.
Support for Cain and Texas Governor Rick Perry fell in the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Cain came in with 12 percent support and Perry, who has performed poorly in a series of televised debates, was in fourth place with 10 percent.
Although Romney lost sizable support since last week's poll, 42 percent of Republicans still believe he will eventually win the nomination and go on to face President Barack Obama in next year's election, compared to 19 percent who think Gingrich will prevail in the Republican race.
Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University history professor who follows politics, said Gingrich's high ratings were likely to drop.
"Gingrich comes to this chaotic campaign with tons of baggage. In this media environment it is likely that his numbers will fall soon," Zelizer said.
"Romney has played it well, slow and steady. He is a known commodity and thus far none of his issues and background has caused a huge drop."
Gingrich and Romney were basically tied among second-choice candidates. Asked who they would vote for if their first choice candidate dropped out, 19 percent of Republicans chose Gingrich compared to 18 percent who went with Romney.
Gingrich, whose campaign was nearly written off earlier this year after a defection of staff, has expressed surprise at his quick ascent.
He denies having lobbied for Freddie Mac. Thirty-seven percent of Americans believe he did lobby on behalf of the mortgage giant, while 20 percent believe he did not, the poll showed.
The poll also asked respondents to ascribe attributes to the leading candidates. Thirty-three percent of Republicans viewed Romney and Gingrich as honest and 18 percent described them both as hypocritical. Fifty-five percent said Gingrich was smart; 54 percent said the same of Romney.
The online survey of 1,432 Americans aged 18 and over included 423 Republican registered voters. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls but the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 5.3 percent.
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The Republicans don't like Romney, realize that Perry is just a little bit too slow for the rest of America, Cain is painfully uninformed and would rely on his "advisors" for all his decisions, Bachman is way too extreme and negative even to get the female vote, so....................who's left.........Newt (default) Gingrich? Will the Tea Party support a Washington insider, lobbyist with questionable ethics, and multiple marriage problems? Man, you are asking them to eat a lot of crow. I have noticed however; a strange silence on the part of the Tea Party of late. Maybe they sense the hopelessness of their position. Not only do they not have a viable candidate for 2012, the Dems are already grooming their 2016 candidate.........Warren. If she knocks off Brown in Massachusetts, and Walker gets recalled in Wisconsin, you will see some major changes in Republican politics. Back to the middle boys!
@frag-2227198 Newt is going to ride high for about another month. It's his turn on the GOP merry-go-round. When the ride is over we will be left with Mitt "exciting as oatmeal" Romney and Dr. Ron Paul. At this point it is all about the math. Ron Paul's supporters are voting for him no matter what. If the GOP wants to retake the White House the only logical way is to endorse Ron Paul for president. If anybody but Paul gets the nomination say hello to 4 more years of Obama.
Ok "community", you may now collapse my comment because I mentioned His name...
Ron Paul 2012
It seems more and more likely the repug elite will pull a candidate out of the hat at the convention. Deciding that none of the current clowns are viable let alone rational. Maybe Jebby Bush, won't that be hoot!
Newt freely admits consultant work for Freddy and providing advice they refused to follow. Results not good for Freddy.
Newt is more responsible for Clinton's balanced budget and welfare reform than Clinton is.
Newt will be elected because he is not afraid of the media or Obama but mainly because he will make Americans feel good about being an American, something Obama is incapable of because he does not like America.
oldfatguy: Newt freely admits consultant work for Freddy and Fannie Mac, the two organizations he up until this revvelation said were the most to blame for the financial meltdown, not wall street. That little two step will not go unnoticed by those who were not born yesterday and remember Newt's role in shutting down the government because President Clinton had the audacity to refuse to kiss Newt's ring (even telling him to sit in the BACK of Air Force One).
Newt is not only NOT responsible for the balanced budget deal, he was thrown out of office by his FELLOW Republicans in disgrace on ethics charges.
Newt will not be elected because he demonizes the media at the same time his ego would never allow him to EVER walk by a microphone. He makes no one feel good about America (except perhaps fellow old white fat guys...the kind who actually seem to believe that anyone of any intelligence at all will buy into the notion that the President of the United States, elected in a landslide and about to be re-elected, "does not like America."
AP...
Take away Contract with America and there is no balanced budget with Clinton. Like it or not Newt is the author of Contract With America.
If Freddie and Frannie would have listened to Newt and or dare I say it Bush, the housing bubble would never have gotten so big. Lending money to people with no credit is just plain dumb no matter what day you were born. Wall street only found a way to put off the inevitable with mortgage backed securities.
Obama will be defeated by the greatest margin in history. He hates Americans with jobs, that is why he rejected the ATT/T-Mobile merger, Keystone Pipeline, and now the oil drilling in Ohio 300,000 jobs that pay well.
If Bin Laden wasn't dead he'd probably be the GOP frontrunner--plenty of religious fervor and a criminal.
Nixon all over again.
Congratulations to the Republican party. You have seen fit to embrace one of the most amazingly corrupt politicians since Huey Long. I guess on the plus side, you've set aside the two digit IQ candidates, Bachmann, Perry, and Cain. I was starting to think stupidity was a requirement. Now if only they would look at two truly decent candidates, Paul and Huntsman.
It's OK. Newt's a very smart guy. No morals at all but... I'm sure he will get the absolute most he can for selling out our government and country, or what's left of it after Bush and the neocons raped it and Obama proved unable to deal with the debacle.
Rick: Thank you for saying Ron Paul is a good man. He is the best choice for our country. Now if the MSM would give him a fair shake...
Rick ... That'll happen when Fox News decides to give Obama a "fair shake" and quit fabricating & force-feeding their biased BS to the public.
Obama is a not so smart guy with no morals. Take your pick.
The grim reality is that the majority of politicians are corrupt, from both sides......power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.... with that is mind we have to vote for the least corrupted but beware any republican will beat Obama into the ground with their feet.
Blama: Is anyone at all outside your echo chamber buying this silliness that the Harvard Law Review guy who has shown repeatedly in 3 years he is the ONLY adult in Washington a good deal of the time, NOT a smart guy?? That dittohead talking point really hasn't worked very well for you (along with the "Kenyan" thing)--really time to come up with something of some kind of substance if you can. (Of course, if my best hope was this Republican field of mental and moral midgets, I might be grasping at similar straws.)
wonder i f fox news is doing the polls, they seem to have ties with most of these republicans, and give them free air time.....i think as independent it would be easier just to say there is not one who stands out in either party.....they all depend on that war chest money and continue to support the rederic of washington...screw the people my esteem comes first.....and for now i will do what ever for a vote....and after election back to Washington politics........shame...
Newt in 2012
Newt in 2012
Newt in 2012
Newt in 2012
Newt in 2012
Newt in 2012
America can not continue, and we will fall, with 4 more years of Obama. Vote him out this is urgent.
Oh yeah...Newt did SOOOO well in getting thrown out on ethics charges the last time around, halting government and leading to the collapse in leadership of his own party, we ought to put him back in (because of what...his great PERSONAL moral strengths??? LOL).
Gingrich for President,Madoff for Vice-President.They have the same philosophy of life.
Obama and Solyndra. Madoff couldn't have written it better.
BlamO: then you'd have to also take down all the R's who were pushing Solyndra BEFORE Obama....yes, of course you would.
Well, on thing for sure, if the Republicans manage to select Gingrich as their nominee, everyone will know exactly what kind of individual they'll have as President if he is elected. Here's a man with nooooo integrity at all ... it definitely is ALL ABOUT THE MONEY for GingRICH. I'm sure the super rich will plow their $$$$ behind him, and he'll be FOR SALE just like many of the other Republicans in office. This is a man that indorses & promotes Supply-Side, Trickle-Down, VooDoo economics.
I suspect, when his trashy life gets totally rolled out over the next couple of weeks, the Newt will take his destined place along side the other "flavors of the month" Republican candidates.
Its appearing more and more likely Romney will get elected and the USA will acquire a liberal President regardless of what the Repub "fat cats" wish. Personally, I don't think Newt, or any of these bozos, are "Smarter Than A Fifth Grader".
The 2012 elections are going to be filled with Negative TV ADS ... it'll be as good as the Super Bowl commercials ... personally, I can't wait!
The ONLY thing Newt has, that the other candidates don't have, is political experience ... and that's not necessarily a good thing to have with Newt's lack of character & honesty.
ALL of them (except the bumbling CAIN), have political experience...(Perry, Mitt and Huntsman were Governors, Bachman, Santorum and Paul in Congress)...it just SEEMS like they have no experience because they're so awful at it. Newt at least fails BIG (and made a lot of money doing it).
The Italians support a economically experienced and saavy prime minister who in turns appoints experienced, expert, non-partisan people to his cabinet. What a novel idea! The Dems are stuck with the economically impotent, devisive, and inexperienced BO as no serious Dem will mount a nominee challenge regardless of concern for the US recovery. There are only 2 people that have the influence, experience, and expert knowledge to revitalize and unite the US and they are Romney and Gingrich. As the OWS protests expand to college campuses and BO, labor unions, and the radical left continue to support the lawless, irresponsible movement, independents will abandon the current administration in droves. The LeftyLibDems will have a major problem with BO on an increasing numbers of fronts...it's just not jobs and recovery anymore...as BO will be forced to bow to the radical left agendas to shore up his dismal numbers and heretofore pathetic performance.
Well considering Obama is a moderate and brought the country back from the brink of financial ruin after the worst Presidential term of recent memory (Bush's disastrous 8 year run), you're analysis is more than a bit off the reality charts. That "inexperienced" President you hate will by the election, have a full term in office as President, a term in which the US has begun a recovery after that debacle of George Bush's making. NO one would be more divisive in this country than any of the Republicans now promising to maintain the Republican war on science, war on women, war on social security, war on medicare, war on the middle class and reason itself. No one in this field of mental and moral midgets is going to win over a majroity of independents, and maybe not even a majority of their own party (and channeling Dick Nixon about all those damn kids having the nerve to practice democracy sure as heck isn't going to win them over). D's leaving Obama??? Have you even bothered to LOOK at the fundraising? (Obama is breaking all records, inluding his own, in the individual small donor category.) The party of no...no ideas, no jobs...no leadership is in for yet another rousing defeat. This noise you hear is to figure out which one of these laughable inept career politicians is going to have the privilidge of going down in history as the Republican loser.
AP..
How dare you call Republicans out for a war on social security.
Obama is the only president in history to deny COLA increases three years because there is no inflation. Obama is the only president in history to declare as he did in August that he could not guarantee delivery of SS checks if there is no debt deal, placing no other government expenditure at risk. Just social security.
Obama is facing the strongest defeat ever because he has a severe lack of leadership ability.
"NEWTERCARE", search "Newt Gingrich on health care reform". And he is the front runner, you gotta love it.
Newt just another flame out flava flav of the week. Romney just can't get traction with cornservatudes looking for "the purity candudate". Sorry pubby's there ain't none, y'all are done!
Don't be too amused too soon....wait and watch Obama will be looking for a new job next November I wonder if the Community organizer job he has previously is still vacant?
Hey all you teatards, birthers, flat earthers, religious fanatics, mindless dittoheads, evolution deniers, Fox noise cultist and all around 15th century Republicans, get used to President Obama because he's not leaving office until January 2017. And if your Republicans filed a similar collection of worthless candidates such as Slick Rick Perry, Pizza Man Cain, Flip-flop Romney, washed up has been never was Newt and insane whacko Bachmann for 2016 like you have for 2012, a Democrat will win that time around too.
Charlie, You do realize that Ron Paul would destroy Obama in an election right? There is just something about liberty and freedom that people like.
Give ita rest: oh yeah, because what American wouldn't want Paul's "vision" of America, with legalized prostitution, legalized heroin, isolationism, women prohibited from their Constitutional rights to privacy, and his new sartorial push (deep pockets for everyone with which to carry their gold dabloons!!) There's a reason this old wacko is as irrelevant this Presidential try as his others...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfH46DTAkxo
sorry charlie
Independent - Time will tell. But it shouldn't be to hard to whup the last repukelican candudate standing.
@AP: People that actually PAY taxes love his plan. Cutting a TRILLION dollars is just the start. I wish you would read up on his plan and his positions. He is not an "isolationist" as you claim, rather he is a "non-interventionist". There is a big difference. Maybe you should do a little bit of research before puking up left wing sound bites.
Republicans are at least for some fiscal responsibility, THAT MEANS GET OFF YOUR #$% AND GET A JOB YOU LAZY LIBS!!! I'm not paying for your way anymore. NoBama!!! I'd vote for any of the GOP canidates right now... can't be any worse than what Obamas done to this country. Sorry Obama, you don't get an A for effort.
Sabrina: that's really funny!! R's are for fiscal responsibility??? You mean in theory??? or you mean as long as you're not a corporation or in the top 1%. Guess you were asleep during the 8 years where your hero launched two wars , pretended they didn't cost anything, and continued to spend like a drunken sailor, racking up the largest deficits ever and taking this country to the brink of financial collapse. Yes, must have been sleeping through that one. OF COURSE some of us were awake because we have jobs, so it's perhaps understandable you wouldn't know who works in this country and completely fitting you'd vote for any GOP candidate if that's YOUR standard of "responsibility" (a theory only)...Here on planet earth, real Americans are not anxious to let the let them eat cake party have another run at driving off the nearest cliff to test that old "tricke down" stuff anymore. There are a heck of a lot more of us who don't want to keep supporting you and yours.
Sabrina, you are right if you listen to what Republicans say rather than watching what they do.
My judgement on GOP candidates is still none of the above. I stillsay that if the blue collar voters can gettheir ballots castand counted, Obama should win. Don`t blame me , I didn`t pick your candidate.
Ah! Can't you smell the failures of this country. Republicanpukes trying to take away SS and Medicare so they can give their wealthy Blackmailers more money...To hell with the poor and needy. Let them freeze in the winter and stave the old and babies, just like all you Teabaggers want...You make me sick with your Me Me Me altitude. Bunch of idiots. It just a matter of time before the masses raise up against you sick F-in morons. Greedy Ba*tards and you all call yourself Christains. What a laugh your no better than the muslims you all hate ...
Ha ha ha! I LOVE this! But don't be too upset with them, they haven't won anything yet! Their rants, at this point, are nothing but the empty hollowness inside their own heads. I am convinced, that when the 2012 election rolls around, the Party of the gas-bags will be shamefully, woefully and utterly defeated! The Money god and the god of Greed will be also cast down into the pit!
Maze, WOW, sorry bro but following Christ has nothing to do with being a Republican, Democratic, or any other political party.
How sad? The rePUBS have no one left so they chose to back a liar and a loser rather than accept any semblance of the truth..."rePUBS Can't Handle The Truth!" (spoken in my best Jack Nicholson voice).
These people need to get real and stop kicking the can. Its time to end social security,medicare,food stamps. We got to just let these people starve. End a women right to choose. Stop gays in the military from getting married. Force religion to be taught in the public schools. This is a christian nation so lets act like it. Support the GOP we got to take the country back. GOP 2012 USA USA USA america.
GREAT! That's the solution, turn the country into a theocracy. I've seen some sick posts, but this competes for the top prize. I have friends that escaped living in a theocracy. If you don't believe in freedom, what are still doing in America?
Frag, as a Tea Party member I'd have to agree with you that the conservative candidates have been underwhelming. Bachmann is not too extreme but she's got to develop better communication skills. Perry, I think, has sobriety problems and Herman has too much baggage for a guy trying to start a campaign.
Gingrich is not even a conservative. Like Romney he's sympathetic to Obamacare and global warming. If we don't do anything else, we've got to lift the moratorium on drilling and it's difficult to trust guys that suffer from the delusion that a hundred years of "warming" in geological time actually means something.
I'd even vote for Romney over Gingrich. Neither of them would have any trouble with Obama in a debate. The problem would be their liberalism once they took office.
WHY SHOULDN'T NEWT BRUSH OFF FREDDIE , Business is business , nothing wrong there ,
Newt also Happens to be the only Candidate that understands the real problem ,and what needs to be done ,and has the leadership ability to get it done ,
SO what is the real problem , Americans ALL Americans have been sheep following to their own slaughter ,
The video ( u-tube ) THE AGENDA - GRINDING AMERICA DOWN , do your own research ,
The name calling finger pointing ,blame gaming ,ain't going to solve the problem AND AND that is exactly what they want us to be doing ,
P.S. the Newt - Obama debates will make history as the Greatest in world history , THE SUPER BOWL OF DEBATES ,these debates are going to down as the greatest debates of all time
My post needs correction: finance reform should have read "election campaign finance reform." But this site is so disfuntional this morning the edit function got away from me
It was a phony deal to begin with. Republican (Norquist Party) leadership made this deal in order to circumvent the crazy tea party wing of their own party, knowing all along that 1) There was never any substance to the committee work anyway, because a trillion and a half dollars over 10 years is practically meaningless; and 2) the Norquist party already signed The Pledge to ruin the country. You really can't call something a failure when it was the outcome was exactly as it was designed, i.e. subterfuge by the Norquist Party to get around the debt ceiling debacle.
I wouldn't blame Norquist. He is an idealogue who is using the most effective strategy possible to achieve the goals of his clients in a system that allows him to do it, which is to legally bribe or, if necessary, extort the desired vote out of the majority of Congress. Do blame the Congressmen who sign their name to a Pledge other than their oath of office, inasmuch as this shows a weakness of character that should disqualify them for public office. That act of signing The Pledge should be considered as much a criminal act of treason as it is an act of moral cowardice. At least Norquist is honest about it. He didn't swear an oath to the Constitution.
Norquist said in another interview that the Pledge is only part of the plan. The other part is to maintaian Norquist Party control of the Congress through Gerrymandering. Again, I commend his honesty. He's rather likable that way.
Obviously, these stategies are effective. In a Democracy, however, these strategies should not be available. All redistricting functions should be carried out by independent commissions rather than the party in power. And I'll thank the repulsive Jan Brewer to keep her hands off. Democrats, though they have a much more favorable platform to the natural citizens of this country, have their hands dirty as well.
We need:
To break up the oil companies and large banks and strengthen anti-trust laws, and then enforce them;
To pass legislation taking all redistricting functions out of the hands of the party in power
To pass pervasive and extensive election campaign finance reform
To make all laws against insider trading apply to Congressmen
To strip Corporation of citizenship (some have already given it up so as to become citizens of foreign countries, anyway, demonstration that corporations have no loyalty as citizens)
To take away all Constitutional rights of corporations and dissolve all corporations if they do not serve the interests of natural citizens
To make ethical rules applicable to Justices of the Supreme Court and to legislate severe penalties for those Justices that are found to be corrupt and/or partial
That's just for starters, but these changes will strengthen our country and recover American values