For his GOP rivals, attacking leader of the pack Newt Gingrich isn’t a matter of trying to find a weakness. He has approximately one zillion of them. The trick is figuring out which weakness is going to resonate with Republican voters who already know at least a little bit about Newt’s flaws, but have decided they like him anyway.
For example, Ron Paul’s campaign is airing this anti-Newt ad in Iowa – site of the first GOP caucus on January 3.
It’s vicious and factually on-point. But will it work?
This ad accuses Gingrich of being a slimey Washington-insider who has used his government connections to get rich. Is that really news to anyone? Is someone going to watch this commercial and think, “I’m shocked! But Newt seemed so nice and innocent in those debates!” People vote their emotions and right now they FEEL good about Newt. Facts matter, but voters have tendency to shove political facts aside when they’re in conflict with political emotions.
Remember, we’re talking about a group of voters who picked George W. Bush because they pegged him as a regular guy-type they’d like to have a beer with. Never mind that he was (and is) the elitest of the elite – the son of a President, the grandson of a Senator, born into a wealthy, powerful New England political dynasty, and a recovering alcoholic who didn’t actually drink beer!
