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Raging Newt

by Another Trope 1/23/2012 - 2:55 pm

In the thread on Articleman’s latest blog, he responded to one of my comments with comment about Mitt:

You can't offload muscularity to your superPAC.  Mitt has a glass jaw…. Mitt lacks that gear, which works if you lack any plausible alternative who does. The problem is, Newt is back to plausible and cannot be eradicated with superPAC drones.

I was just musing that we might want to replace muscularity to rage.  And the difference between Newt and lot of other politicians is that he doesn’t have to work to get into that rage (muscularity) gear.  He is already there.  His rage isn’t an act that other politicians put on to appease the base.

By this I mean he feels the rage and so easily gets the base’s rage.  I think most other politicians have to intellectualize it – it is a good strategy to appear angry at the status quo.  In other words, they just play the rage.  They know it works and throw the base their red meat, whether on the left or the right.  But for most it is just an act.  They are basically fine with the status quo and their place in it.  Maybe in their past they had this kind of rage toward the status quo, but once accepted to the Inner Circle, it evaporates.

Among the grassroots activists, there is always the complaint that the ones they send to DC and state houses as lobbyists get sucked into the culture of the Inner Circle.  They lose the rage of the grassroots.

But Newt has never let go of his rage.  Deep down he resents everyone he believes he has denied him what he rightfully deserves.  His anger, even if not coming from the same place as the tea party folks, is genuine.  It is authentic. 

And he is standing next to Mitt Romney who is probably the national politician who has the least amount of genuine rage.  This is combined with the fact he is a horrible actor.  He cannot present a persona that is different than how he really feels.  His rage against Obama, against the status quo is clumsy and off-putting to the average Joe.

Any of the base who are sick and tired about the status quo, the establishment, the ones who have been forgotten by the elites, while the elites tear down this country, sense that from Mitt.  He is one of the elites, so why should he be angry at them.  Where could any rage be coming from.

They see Newt.  They know or feel his rage is genuine.  And many believe it is the same rage they feel.  He is the one who will give them a voice.  This is the Reaganism Newt wants to attach himself to.  And this is why in spite of the polls many are coming to  believe he can win the general election.  He is taking the Nascar Populism baton and running with it. The key is that these folks are a lot angrier than they were in 1980.  Back then it was more like frustration (with Carter, welfare, taxes, et al).  Now it’s closer to rage.

For moment it seems to be working for Raging Newt.

Newt's challenge is exposure.  He needs to be able to get in front of them to show his rage.  This is why the debates work so well for him.  Like he said he is not a great orator. But Florida is big. One can't speak in Orlando and expect it to reach those in Miami.

But he will rage on – in the debates, about the SOTU, about Romney and wall street elites – and on and on.

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What most of those, who are supportive of his stance as the Raging Newt,  aren't  acknowledging is that Newt's rage is not about the same issues.  

But he will rage on – in the debates, about the SOTU, about Romney and wall street elites – and on and on.

His rage stems only from personally feeling that the establishment GOP threw him under the bus (and continue to do so) without good cause and that he has never been given his due as a brilliant leader.  IMHO, he could care less about most of the populace's plights regarding the economy, healthcare, etc. 

For Newt, those who (in his mind) are not of his socio-economic class and/or deliver the accolades he believes he so richly deserves, the only relationship he cares about begins and ends on the campaign trail. (But, to be fair, this can also be applied to Romney and majority of other politicos.)

Can he sustain the facade of being the caring and 'I feel your pain' candidate for the masses (at least for the duration of the electoral process)?  Don't know.  Considering his base, most likely.  

by Aunt Sam 1/23/2012 - 4:21 pm

I agree and your comment is a nice extension of this thought: his anger, even if not coming from the same place as the tea party folks, is genuine.

Can he sustain the facade of being the caring and 'I feel your pain' candidate for the masses (at least for the duration of the electoral process)?  Don't know.  Considering his base, most likely.

I think part of my argument is that he can easily sustain because he is genuinely in a perpetual rage - all he has to do is filter it through conservative talking points about the media, Obama, Mitt and his elite buddies.

As one pundit I quoted in another thread - Mitt and Newt are beginning to really hate each other. I would say they are already there, especially Newt - as much as he hate being thrown under the bus.  It has become personal for him.  

Given that Newt didn't actually come from a incredibly affluent family like Romney, there is also probably some class rage under the surface.

And he probably the nerd rage, too.

From PBS Frontline [emphasis mine]

Family moves to Fort Benning, Columbus, Georgia. Newt enters Baker High School. He's a "little adult" -- smart, thick glasses, socially awkward. Not good at sports. Makes first close friend, Jim Tilton, and runs Tilton's successful campaign for student body president. Friends say Newt is already talking about his plans to become Speaker of the House. Vows to marry his geometry teacher, Jackie Battley.

by Another Trope 1/23/2012 - 4:51 pm (re: Aunt Sam)
He was ranting, raging and having hissy fits back when C-span turned their camera on in the early 1980's. He had figured out that would get him noticed. The GOP bus did not have him in sight yet. The anger persona is something he does well for the camera...being nuts helps too.
by trkingmomoe 1/24/2012 - 6:30 am (re: Aunt Sam)

While Romney can't do it, it seems to me that if any wanted to take some of the hot air out of the balloon buffoon, they could ask Newt about his rage, since it's obvious most of what he portends to be 'enraged' about is not coming from his own angst.  

He has (nor it appears, do any of the four horseman) no personal worries about  finances (Tiffany expenditures could be concern?!?), quality healthcare access, housing, etc.  

So, his pontificating is all political posturing, as any with a modicum of common sense can easily discern.

Yeah, Newt is crazy - like a fox scorpion (as in the frog and scorpion tale).  

by Aunt Sam 1/24/2012 - 1:22 pm (re: trkingmomoe)

So, his pontificating is all political posturing, as any with a modicum of common sense can easily discern.

I would argue that it is not all political posturing.  There is with all politicians, as with just about everyone else, psychological factors, emotional wounds, and dysfunctional frameworks.  Of course, these all are on a spectrum and most people, including most politicians, are capable of functioning reasonably well.

Newt on the other hand is someone whose wounds and internal demons, whatever they are, rise to surface and interfere with his political goals. 

The key point would be that much of what has hindered Newt's political career has been actions that would never had been developed in some strategy session. 

There is some facet of Newt today where he has learned to channel who he is into a political asset and that does make him crazy like a fox.

by Another Trope 1/24/2012 - 1:59 pm (re: Aunt Sam)

I would argue that the end result is the same, posturing for political survival (success). No true concern for any but himself.

by Aunt Sam 1/24/2012 - 2:20 pm (re: Another Trope)

Posturing for political success would be applicable to every politician of any political stripe. It comes with the territory.  Obama Newt FDR Reagan. The notion that he has only concern for any but himself is a psychological assessment.  I wouldn't go as far as saying he absolutely no concern for others he cares about, but he does for all intents and purposes place himself at the top of the priority list.

The question that interests me is what is beneath the surface which creates the end result.  It is all arm chair psychoanalysis.  But that is what makes it fun entertainment. 

Newt it seems is a more wounded animal than the others.  It is what makes him so unpredictable and a threat to the establishment.  He won't stay on script, as he is driven by his own internal (dysfunctional) impulses.

by Another Trope 1/24/2012 - 2:37 pm (re: Aunt Sam)

I'm sure he does care about his family, they are an extension of him.  I should have clarified by defining my remarks to equate: General Populace.

And, sadly, I find him entertaining when he's skewing his cohorts.  

by Aunt Sam 1/24/2012 - 2:47 pm (re: Another Trope)
Newt is getting some help in the Florida primary race from an unusual source. When Rick Scott shot down high speed rail from Tampa to Orlando, there was collective gasp of horror from the region known as the I-4 corridor. A region of moderate center voters that swing no matter what party they are regestered in. Rick Scott tanked in the poles right after that and to this day I have not found anyone who will admit voting for him. A service employees union is running a TV ad that morphs Mitt into Rick Scott. It is an very effective ad and really makes a point. I saw it for the first time today and it "wowed me." In Florida you have to carry the I-4 corridor in order to win even in the closed party primary. It is a winner take all state. The ad might just remind everyone not to forget what party Scott is from.
by trkingmomoe 1/24/2012 - 7:11 am

I heard one of the pundits after the SC election mention the I-4 corridor as a place where Newt might be able to do well because there has been some economic downturn in the area. 

It is interesting that the union is targeting Mitt specifically.  Maybe the just want to do their part to ensure it is a long dragged out election which can only help the Dems.

by Another Trope 1/24/2012 - 10:08 am (re: trkingmomoe)

I see how the populist element in the upsurge of support for Newt comes from him providing a convincing spectacle of rage to reflect the anger of party members. What I find more disturbing is the consensus amongst the GOP primary voters that Gingrich's willingness to punish is what makes him the best choice.

While Gingrich is an opportunist who latches on to whatever serves his immediate goals, he has always exhibited a consistent élan for naming his enemies and taking them down. A man for all seasons despite all evidence to the contrary.

His comments about the "WTC mosque" in NYC is a case in point. Comparing the project to having Nazis make monuments next to a Holocaust memorial is not just playing to a certain set of prejudices, it is a threat from a man who has followed through on threats before. He doesn't even need to raise his hand anymore.

by moat 1/24/2012 - 10:46 pm

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