| Gingrich goes rogue; Santorum offers sacrifice |
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Frank Cotolo
April 1, 2012 |
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Former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich swears he is staying in the race for the
Republican nomination but his hopes of getting to the convention in Tampa with any clout are, at
best, impossible.
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And the staunchly anti-Romney foe, Rick Santorum, has said publicly that he will consider being
Romney's running mate if it comes to that.
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"I'm going to Tampa to become the nominee," Gingrich insists. "I'm Newt Gingrich and Newt Gingrich
is the genuine conservative who will get the nomination once everyone is sure that Mitt Romney
cannot win the general election."
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President Bush 41, his son Jeb and other noted Republicans have come out in support of Romney over
the past few weeks.
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"Endorsements are like nostrils," Gingrich said, "Everyone uses them to smell. All Romney
endorsements, like Romney delegates, will be coming to the Gingrich camp once they come to their
senses. It is that simple."
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Keeping his campaign going, however, is not so simple. Gingrich fired a third of his staff and is
already in debt. He is now charging prospective supporters $50 to take a picture with him. One of
his aides said that along the way, Gingrich would also have life-sized cardboard figures of himself
available for $150, as well as other items with the Gingrich emblem, including toenail clippers
and boxing gloves ornaments for rearview mirrors on cars.
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"The people who have supported Newt Gingrich up to now," Gingrich said, expect Newt Gingrich to
have a presence in Tampa. Romney may even support Newt Gingrich when all is said and done. After
all, Newt Gingrich is the true conservative and Newt Gingrich should be President Newt Gingrich."
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He continued to pontificate.
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"When George F. Teebone challenged the Republican frontrunner back in naught five or six, he was
much like Newt Gingrich in that all of the delegates he took with him to the convention supported
him from the beginning and stayed with him even as he went down in flames. Going down in flames
is not an option for Newt Gingrich."
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Rick Santorum, meanwhile, said in a TV interview that he would do anything to contribute to beating
President Obama, even if that meant being Romney's running mate.
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"This is the most important election in the history of this country," said Santorum. "Barren
streets, dark and hungry nights in cities across the nation will be in no contrast to the empty
fields that used to grow wheat and corn in the farmlands. Thunder will sound across the wilds of
this nation and babies will scream while people decide whether or not to take their own lives. And
that is just the day after the start of another Obama presidency. Sadness and despair from that
moment on will cast shadows across hope, destroying houses of worship and, well, you get the idea."
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Meanwhile, Romney, leading the race with almost 600 delegates, poised to win more in the east next
week, commented about Santorum's pledge.
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"He's dreaming if he thinks I will ask him to run with me," Romney said. "He makes it sound like a
sacrifice. Once I reboot my campaign to go against Obama, it won't take the party two hours to
forget the second Rick that tried to beat me."
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Frank Cotolo can be found
hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles.
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