I apologize for my absence. I’ve been ill. Not quite “sick as a dog” as I haven’t defecated on the carpet, yet. But sick enough to hate my laptop for a few days.
In my absence, Newt’s poll numbers have begun to tank. He’s barely holding on to a lead in national polls, and he’s sinking fast. Crucially, he’s now behind Rep. Ron Paul in Iowa.
Newt’s campaign has a structural weakness his opponents are now exploiting. Because his campaign floundering for most of the summer and fall, he has neither the staff nor the ad money to match the politicking of his opponents in Iowa. His biggest problem: Newt can’t afford to respond to TV ads with his own TV ads. He’s getting attacked, but can’t answer back. All he can do is talk to the press and hope they amplify his message. Yesterday, he lashed out at Mitt Romney for waging a “smear campaign” against him.
Yes, the same guy who got himself in the news last year with a non-sensical, premediated, race-baiting smear attack of the President is now nagging that his opponents are saying mean things about him. And the meanest thing about the attacks, they happen to be true.
