If it had happened in February or March, Rick Santorum’s withdrawal from the GOP Presidential race would have been great news for Newt Gingrich. I’m not suggesting he would have beat Romney, but he would have had a better shot – particularly in the southern primaries where Romney is least popular. Instead, Santorum’s announcement Monday that he’s giving up the fight has actually managed to Gingrich look (even more) foolish.
If Santorum, who actually managed to win several state contests despite being vastly outspent by Romney, is willing to acknowledge Mitt Romney’s victory, why can’t Newt? It reinforces the idea that Newt is a vain buffoon; someone whose self-regard has erased his ability to distinguish between perseverance and delusion.
It’s gotten so bad the Onion attempted to parody Newt’s detachment from reality after Santorum dropped out with a story headlined “Gingrich Urges Romney To Drop Out So He Can Focus On General Election.” In my opinion the parody fell flat. Not because it wasn’t smart and incisive, but because on the same day Newt himself Tweeted “It is now a 2 person race.” It’s hard to parody a parody.
He’s sunk so low, even his old friends are turning on him. His casino billionaire backer Sheldon Adelson has ditched him. And Fox News, which in recent years treated him as if he were a political intellectual, just told him get lost. Newt brought that on himself though. At a Delaware Tea Party meeting, Newt complained Fox was biased against him. In response, Fox News overlord Roger Ailes announced Newt’s not welcome back on the network.
