Newt Gingrich - Disciplined Enough To Be President?

Former Speaker of the House, Republican candidate for the Presidency, Newt Gingrich is brilliant and fun to listen to.  There is no doubt that Gingrich is a historian and expert on American History and Government, but is Gingrich, the incredible Thinker, disciplined enough to be President.  This Blogger believes that Focus, Passion and Discipline are necessary to personal success.  

Gingrich is focused; however, as a deep Thinker, he can easily be distracted by philosophical discussions that do not necessarily result in Conservative, limited government solutions.   That is a problem.  Gingrich demonstrates passion, particularly when discussing American history and the workings of our government.   But, Newt Gingrich does have a big problem with Discipline.   Aside from his personal life, which included adultery and three marriages, Gingrich has often failed to exhibit Discipline in his professional life, while serving as Speaker of the House and even in managing his campaign for the Presidency.

As a former student and teacher of American History and Government, I would have enjoyed New Gingrich as my university professor because he has a command of historical facts that is admirable.  And, Gingrich can integrate information to tell the whole story better than anyone this Blogger has ever ever seen.   As someone who has loved the American story since I was a child,  I love listening to Newt Gingrich because he is such a good teacher.    But, there is a but.   It is one thing to be a great university professor and Thinker, but it is quite another to be the President of the United States.   Obama was a university professor and Thinker; but has been a miserable failure as President. 
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Ronald Reagan had a degree in Economics from Eureka College, a small  college in rural Illinois.   The lame stream media always painted Reagan as simple, even stupid, which they often do with Conservatives; yet in Reagan's simplicity was his brilliance.   Ronald Reagan could never be described as a Thinker, always dealing in shades of gray; but instead was infamously a man who only saw the world in black and white, good and evil.   Reagan was a Conservative, who believed in limited government, lower taxes, less regulations and a strong national defense.   That was it.  Though Ronald Reagan dealt with complex issues during this Presidency and must be credited with implementing the strategy that brought down the Soviet Union and the ended the Cold War, it was these simple principles that always governed Reagan's persona and actions.   This is what made Reagan the "great communicator".

Newt Gingrich, the Thinker, may be too smart, or complex to be President.  In fact, Gingrich's intellect may be wasted on the Presidency.    If Gingrich does get the Republican nomination, how will he play to Joe Six Pack, Blue Collar Reagan Democrats and Independents whose votes will be needed to beat Socialist President Obama.  Newt Gingrich may lack the discipline to stick to three or four main ideas that are easy to explain and easy to understand. 

Gingrich often seeks to impress us with his brilliance and for those of us that are political junkies, we are impressed; but we do not comprise the majority of the voters, with short attention spans, whose impressions are formed quickly in five minute increments.  Newt Gingrich can't say his name in five minutes.

This is the reason this Blogger still favors Governor Rick Perry of Texas for the Republican nomination for the Presidency.   Perry is Reagan simple, which is not to say he is dumb.  Perry has put forth some basic plans on Taxes, the Economy, Energy, Foreign Policy and Securing our Border that are spot on, very straight forward and easy to understand.  Rick Perry is not deep; but he has been the longest serving, successful Governor of Texas for 10 years.   The most important thing Rick Perry did for Texas is not screw it up.   While the rest of the country and blue states in particular, lost jobs in the last ten years, Texas grew dramatically under Perry's stewardship.

Rick Perry has a  personal rags to power story, without scandals, that is compelling.   Rick Perry is a little too Texas; but at the same time, he is the kind of guy a Reagan Democrat, or Independent could have a beer with at the local neighborhood bar.   Does anyone think Newt Gingrich could put on his jeans and even go into that bar for a drink.   This Blogger just doesn't see it.   While I love listening to Newt Gingrich as a former student and teacher of history, many voters that Gingrich will need to win did not excel in history.   Those voters need a straight forward message they can relate to on their terms; not a classroom lecture. 

Look, as Republicans we must support which ever Republican, excluding Ron Paul, that gets the nomination because our goal must be to make Obama a one term President.   But, we have to get it right to win.  Unless something happens to change the mix, this Blogger does not believe that Governor Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee; particularly since the primaries this time around are not winner take all.  

We will not have a repeat of the John McCain debacle where McCain gained the nomination without ever really getting a majority of votes in the Republican primaries.   If Romney does not get the nomination on a first ballot, it will probably be denied to him at the convention as Conservatives band together to elect a true Conservative.   This Blogger believes that most candidates will fall by the way side after South Carolina and that Romney, if he survives the first few primaries, Gingrich and Perry will take this fight all the way to the Convention in Tampa.   Only then will we have our nominee.   And, as they say at the Opera, not the beer hall, it is not over until the fat lady sings.