←
→

Breaking News: Rats Leave Sinking Ship

Posted: June 9, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: 2012 presidential campaign, Republican politics, Republican presidential politics | Tags: |25 Comments

I think it’s a pretty bad sign for Newt Gingrich that his political staff just resigned “en masse” during Newt’s  two week cruise of Greece.  What kind of mishaps, mistakes and skeletons in the closet will come up as a result of the exodus?

Senior aides to Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich have resigned en masse—including spokesman Rick Tyler and campaign manager Rob Johnson, as well as other top aides in early primary states according to Associated Press sources. Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, officially declared his candidacy in May, but his campaign has been troubled by a series of missteps and gaffes. Adding to the awkwardness of the surprise news, Gingrich is currently on a two-week Mediterranean cruise.

Newt’s campaign wasn’t going all that well to begin with.

His campaign got off to a halting start when he criticised a plan popular among Republicans to slash and privatise a healthcare programme for the elderly.

Staff were also reportedly concerned after he took a recent holiday cruise.

Mr Gingrich’s campaign manager Rob Johnson and his entire senior staff, including strategists in early primary election states, quit on Thursday.

I can’t imagine this guy was going to come through anyway given his ethics lapses.  Oh, well.  There’s additional rumors that Gingrich has lost his Iowa staff also.  Officially, the bland reason of “differences in direction of campaign” was provided to the press.

Other officials said Gingrich was informed that his entire high command was quitting in a meeting earlier in the day. They cited differences over the direction of the campaign but were not more specific.

The officials declined to be identified by name, saying they were not authorized to discuss private conversations.

Gingrich told the group he intends to stay in the race, they added.

25 Comments on “Breaking News: Rats Leave Sinking Ship”

  1. paper doll says:
    June 9, 2011 at 2:45 pm

    how do you say you are running for POTUS and go on a freaking two week cruise of Greece.? No wonder they are leaving…I think though it means the moola ran out…can’t the Repug try a little harder? It’s gonna be a loooong year

    • dakinikat says:
      June 9, 2011 at 2:47 pm

      I don’t think he ever had a chance but these guys were long time aids so it looks pretty bad for ol’ Newt.

      • paper doll says:
        June 9, 2011 at 2:57 pm

        he certainly never had a chance…but he wasn’t in it to win it…simply enhance his career like folks have done for years …but there’s no cash like there use to be for fun companies… For some reason Trump was allowed a few weeks of fun…and it fooled folks into thinking they could have fun too…guess not…but has Fred Thomson announced yet? lol!

  2. paper doll says:
    June 9, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    back in the day Repugs and Dems could ” run’ to simply fluff up their real TV careers…but there was more money around. Now there isn’t and the clown car season ain’t what it use to be…there is no need for a Bradley or Nader to bring down a mod Dem…the is no need for a GOP President since one is now in office….and so the upper crust, being cheap bastards , refuse to put on even a decent show…oy

  3. bostonboomer says:
    June 9, 2011 at 2:52 pm

    Maybe his wife has cancer and he took her on the cruise to break the news that he’s dumping her for anothe woman?

    Oh, wait… that was another wife.

  4. Back Bay Style says:
    June 9, 2011 at 3:01 pm

    I can’t take him seriously as a candidate, and he should have thought long and carefully about Martha Coakley losing to Scott Brown in MA before taking off on vacation.

    Is he really serious about running?

    BTW we have terrible air quality up here today. I had to drive downtown, it took forever for my aircon to kick in, and the air was generally sooty and awful….the New Boston summer!

    Glad to be back where there are a some trees.

    • bostonboomer says:
      June 9, 2011 at 4:01 pm

      It’s not too bad where I am–NW suburbs. It only got to 88 and now it looks like more rain.

  5. Minkoff Minx says:
    June 9, 2011 at 3:40 pm

    From what I’ve seen he made a comment about his staff leaving on his FaceBook page. Saying he is “committed” to continue his campaign for president.

    As far as his long time staff getting the hell out of dodge, excuse me….BAWAAAAAAAHAAAAA!

  6. Pilgrim says:
    June 9, 2011 at 4:25 pm

    Is it true Hillary’s gonna take job as head of World Bank?

  7. bostonboomer says:
    June 9, 2011 at 4:30 pm

    According to The Fix, the campaign staff quit because of some kind of policy differences.

    “When the campaign and the candidate disagree on the path, they’ve got to part ways,” said Rick Tyler, a longtime Gingrich spokesman who was among those who left the campaign.

    Tyler as well as Rob Johnson, Gingrich’s campaign manager, Dave Carney and Katon Dawson, senior strategists to the effort, media consultant Sam Dawson, Iowa strategist Craig Schoenfeld, South Carolina operative Walter Whetsell and Georgia-based adviser Scott Rials have all stepped aside. Much of Gingrich’s early state operation was also headed for the exits, according to a one senior campaign source.

    • dakinikat says:
      June 9, 2011 at 6:06 pm

      The Problem Was the Wife

      It’s the Weekly Standard but it’s another take …

      The problem was the wife. Aides to Newt Gingrich have resigned from his presidential campaign in protest of what they felt was a takeover by Callista Gingrich, the candidate’s wife since 2000.

      The euphemism offered by departing staffers was they disagreed with Gingrich’s “strategy” for the campaign. Indeed, they did disagree. But it was a strategy – a part-time campaign, in effect – that Gingrich’s wife favored.

      Several aides, including campaign manager Rob Johnson, met with Gingrich on Thursday morning and told him of the senior staff’s unanimous decision to quit. Gingrich later put out a statement saying he was staying in the race.

      The last straw for the campaign staff was Gingrich’s decision to go on a two-week cruise in the Mediterranean, from which he returned on Tuesday. His advisers urged him not to go and take so much time from a campaign that was already in trouble. But his wife wanted him to go and she won the argument.

      • dakinikat says:
        June 9, 2011 at 6:23 pm

        Yoko broke up The Beatles again, I guess.

      • madamab says:
        June 9, 2011 at 8:45 pm

        LOL! Sure, blame the woman. What else would the Weekly Standard do? It couldn’t be dear Newt’s fault. He is a combination of Jesus and Elvis, d*mnit!

        Newt’s wife wasn’t running for President – Newt was, like an idiot. Everyone knew he had no shot except him, and a few worshipers at conservative rags like TWS.

        Buh-bye, Newtie. Don’t let the door hit ya.

  8. WomanVoter says:
    June 9, 2011 at 7:06 pm

    Your bi-line‘Rats leave sinking ship’ is too funny, because Newt was on a EXPENSIVE CRUISE SHIP!

    Gingrich presidential campaign in ruins

←
→