Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is about to announce his candidacy for the Presidency, but he presents many flaws and shortcomings that make the success of his candidacy highly unlikely. They include the following:
1. Gingrich is seen after all these years as a Washington insider, not exactly appealing to many rank and file in the Republican Party.
2. His years in Congress, including his four years as Speaker, were highly controversial and added to the gridlock and turmoil that has become endemic now in America, making him far from the ideal person to try to unite the country.
3. His approach to issues and people is to “slash and burn”, to have the attitude of “take no prisoners”!
4. His private life with three marriages and two controversial divorces does not fit the image of “family values”.
5. Gingrich is highly intelligent and a dynamic speaker, but therefore has trouble relating to “average” Americans and their daily lives, after being a college professor and a person on the public payroll for so many years, who is best at stirring public debate without having any reasonable, mainstream solutions.
6. Gingrich has made reckless statements about President Obama and has seemed to accept the “Birther’ myth, making him lose credibility with independents.
7. We have only seen one Congressman go to the White House directly, James Garfield in 1880, and he was soon removed from office by assassination.
8. Gingrich has been out of public office, out of the public spotlight as a decision maker, for 14 years by 2012, an extremely long time to be on the sidelines, just making money as a media personality, but having no responsibility for public policy for so long a time.
Anyone taking odds on a President Gingrich should be aware that his chances of being the GOP nominee, and winning the Presidency, are extremely close to zero!