It is now abundantly obvious that the Republican primary has become a two-man race. As much as several misguided college students don't like to admit it, Ron Paul is — and always has been — irrelevant. Rick Santorum is an extremist joke. The choice Republicans need to make is between two men.
The next president of the United States could very well be a Newt. Newt Gingrich, that is. Coming from a landslide victory in South Carolina, his next stop is Florida, where he's now in a virtual tie with Mitt Romney. Not only is Gingrich the best Republican candidate, he is the candidate best suited to beat President Obama.
Then you have Romney, the candidate with the ideal resume, the ideal family, the ideal hair and the ideal problem: Gingrich. A candidate with visible flaws, yes, Gingrich represents the perfect foil to both the restraint of the Romney campaign and the discipline of the Obama regime. He speaks his mind, tells the harsh truth and knows how to manipulate the levers of power in Washington.
Contrast that with Obama, whose naivete of Washington is second only to his misguided liberal policies and Romney, whose robotic disconnect is second only to the ease with which he spews scripted talking points. For those who watched the debate on Monday night, those talking points were out in full force. You could sense the panicked desperation with which Romney flung his foolish attacks at Gingrich.
So let's clear things up and talk about these attacks — or, should I say, lies?
First off, Romney accuses Gingrich of lobbying on behalf of Freddie Mac, a bank that contributed to the housing crisis. False. Gingrich had a consulting firm that offered strategic advice to several businesses on a wide variety of topics. In fact, Gingrich urged Republicans to vote against the bailout for Freddie Mac.
Romney also likes to talk about the ethics investigation that Gingrich underwent as speaker of the House. Well, after four successful years as Republican House speaker, bitter Democrats levied 84 politically motivated ethics charges. Of these, 83 were dropped. The remaining charge was the fault of a lawyer, but Gingrich took responsibility.
With regard to cap and trade, Romney attacks Gingrich for sitting on a couch with Nancy Pelosi in support of a carbon emissions reduction program. First of all, I have a hard time understanding why bipartisanship became a poisonous practice. Second of all, it was traditional Republican ideology at the time to support such a program. George H.W. Bush supported cap and trade. Doctrines change, and the position of the Republican Party on cap and trade changed. So too has Gingrich's position.
This is not to say that Gingrich is perfect. Yes, he is prone to inflammatory rhetoric. Yes, he has made his fair share of gaffes. Yes, he does have some failings in his personal life. But I'd much rather have a candidate whose dirty laundry has been aired for 30 years than a candidate who couldn't be called a conservative just 10 years ago. I'd much rather have a candidate who can withstand controversy than one who buckles under it. I'd much rather have Newt Gingrich.
With Florida's primary on Tuesday, the airwaves are dominated by these attacks. Ignore them and do your research. In fact, watch the debate tonight on CNN at 8 p.m. No matter whom you choose, it is important that you do, indeed, choose. Go vote.
However, keep in mind that in a political era of misleading sound bites and stagecraft, it is paramount that we have a candidate who doesn't need a teleprompter to make a point. It is paramount that we have a candidate who speaks his mind and not the minds of his well-paid political consultants. Speaker Gingrich is that candidate. He is here to stay and, I hope, to win.
Garrett Bruno is a political science sophomore at UF. His column appears on Thursdays.
