Newt Gingrich is the Not Romney clown-du-jour (John-paul Zajackowski/Dreamstime.com)



Newt Gingrich is the Not Romney clown-du-jour (John-paul Zajackowski/Dreamstime.com)



Fellow Conservatives I urge all of to take a hard look at the real Newt Gingrich. Take 10 minutes of your time to read this email and pass it around as we can't afford another faux president. The Newt Gingrich Files: Does he know where he stands? MUST KNOW QUOTES • Gingrich: “There Are Parts Of The DREAM Act That Are Actually Quite Useful.” (“Newt And Callista Gingrich On Al Punto With Jorge Ramos,” Newt.org, 10/13/10) • In A 2007 Interview With PBS, Gingrich Came Out In Favor Of A Cap And Trade System, Saying “It’s Something I Would Strongly Support.” (PBS’ “Frontline,” 4/24/07) [...]

Alexander Burns posts an apparently anonymous email being circulated among conservatives bashing Newt Gingrich as too liberal for the G.O.P.:

The email goes on in that vein, hitting Gingrich again on immigration and energy issues, and closing with a shot at his past support of an individual mandate.

• Fortune: “Gingrich Favors National [Healthcare] Legislation Similar To The Law That Romney Pushed Through In Massachusetts.” “[Gingrich] favors national [healthcare] legislation similar to the law that Romney pushed through in Massachusetts, forcing individuals to buy health insurance just as they are required to purchase auto insurance—though providing some government assistance to those who can't afford it.” (Nina Easton, “The New Newt Thing,” Fortune Magazine, 2/5/07)

Given the precise and consistent formatting of these bullet points, this doesn't look like the work of amateurs. If I had to bet, I'd guess it was Michele Bachmann, who has grown more vocal in her criticism of Romney and Gingrich, but it really could be any of the campaigns, or even one of the Super PACs. Whoever it was, they obviously don't like the idea of Newt Gingrich atop the GOP field. The real question now is whether Republicans have finally found their Not Romney or whether the search goes on.