Mitt Romney is Rich and Newt Gingrich Has History – Who Cares?

UPDATE: It seems I’m not alone in my feelings about the GOP primary process. Two opinion pieces at the Wall Street Journal echo, albeit more ferociously, many of the same things I cite below plus more. Read The GOP Goes MAD by Daniel Henninger and The GOP Deserves To Lose by Bret Stephens.

With tonight’s CNN debate being the last face-to-face showdown before the Florida primary on January 31, it’s time for GOP voters to set aside ideologies and decide what is truly important to them. It can be argued from now until the GOP convention in August which is more egregious, Mitt Romney’s wealth or Newt Gingrich’s history? After President Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night every member of the GOP should make a victory in November their primary goal, not silly infighting.

The President painted some broad brush strokes on Tuesday night, many of which resonated strongly with voters, but virtually all are a continuation of bigger government and more irresponsible deficit spending. As he is quite capable Obama obfuscated the costs of many of his grandiose ideas well, but when the veil of rhetoric is lifted it is very clear that the President has not changed his true colors. With a certain $6 trillion increase by November in the national debt since he took office in 2009 and the policies he espoused on Tuesday night, Obama seems hell bent on staying the course to assured economic destruction.

Generic polling is a media darling as it allows for good copy and sensationalist punditry but is worthless until there is one inevitable nominee from each party. So throw out the electability question of Romney versus Gingrich based on such polling, and throw out Sen. Santorum and Rep. Paul since neither will be the Republican nominee. That leaves Romney and Gingrich, and the longer the GOP goes without a clear and decisive nominee the better it is for Obama and the Democrats.

Personally I have no dog in this fight and do not endorse any specific candidate. Furthermore I believe that either man gives this country a better opportunity to reestablish its economic foundation, begin a legitimate reduction in the size of the federal government, eliminate the burdensome regulation that stifles business growth and provide a better opportunity for all Americans than a second-term President Obama.

So Mitt Romney is wealthy. Fine. Newt Gingrich has history. Okay. The bottom line is when push comes to shove, in a heads-up match against Obama, liberals will attack the Republican nominee using whichever tactic is available. The last several debates, and much of the recent primary rhetoric, has been dominated by issues that make for good television and media coverage but not the issues that have to matter if the Republicans want a reasonable chance to take the White House back.

Regardless of which man becomes the nominee it is clear the general election will be contentious, fiercely contested and very close. The longer GOP voters allow trivial issues to splinter the party the more Obama and his Democratic strategists enjoy themselves. The more rhetoric from Republicans about a brokered convention with a newcomer taking the nomination in a surprise win the happier Jim Messina and his staff become. The more time spent assailing Mitt Romney for having been a successful businessman who used every legal means to pay the minimum in taxes and the more emphasis put on Newt Gingrich’s personal life the giddier David Axelrod and his team get. Now is the time to put a stop to all of these things.

The GOP primary has certainly been entertaining to date but America needs a change in leadership and direction much more than it needs entertainment right now. It’s time for every serious thinking Republican to put aside pettiness and trifling disputes and start thinking about selecting the candidate that, based on the real issues like job creation, tax code simplification, spending cuts, entitlement overhaul and a strong national defense, has the highest probability of insuring Barack Obama is a one-term President. Anything less is a disservice to the party and disastrous for the United States.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife