Rooting for Newt

To no one's surprise, after being trounced in Florida, Newt lost again to Willard in Nevada yesterday. But Newt is no quitter.

“Our goal is to get to Super Tuesday where we are in much more favorable territory,” Gingrich said on NBC's Meet the Press.

I'm rooting for him to win for a number of reasons, not the least of which is I think he's the easiest candidate to beat in November. However, once in a while Newt actually says something I like. I mean, who would expect a Republican to go all anti-spending cuts on the bobblehead shows today?

“First of all, David, I don’t think you’ll ever find me talking about an age of austerity. I don’t think that’s the right solution,” Gingrich said. “I am a pro-growth Republican. I’m a pro-growth conservative." ...

Not sure there is such a thing as a anti-austerity conservative. The entire GOP agenda has been about spending cuts for years. It could be that attitude is why the Tea Party's CEO is badmouthing Newt.

“I don’t think Newt will be able to replicate that magic moment in South Carolina,” said Dick Armey, chairman of the conservative grassroots group FreedomWorks, on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Indeed, Armey isn't happier with Romney, but he has a plan. "Armey said his group would work to elect conservatives to Congress instead of focusing on the presidential race." Liberals and progressives take note. I've been saying for a while we're focusing too much on the presidency. If the last two years have shown us anything, it's the power of Congress and statehouses to force the GOP agenda into reality, even without public support.

Of course, Armey is still going to urge his Tea Party patriots to vote GOP for the presidency regardless:

"We would rather have a Republican president that's not fully the guy we adore wanting our affections than a Democrat president who despises us and covets the affections of our mortal enemies on public policy," he said.

Meanwhile, the other big reason I'm rooting for Newt is colonizing the moon. He's not backing down on that proposal and says it can be done without "massive government spending." I don't care how they pay for it. I want to be a pioneer in the final frontier and live on the moon. I mean who wouldn't want to wake up and see the Earth rise?

[Big thanks to Michael J. W. Stickings for kindly linking in at Crooks and Liars. If you're not reading him at his own blog The Reaction -- well -- you should be.]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]