Gingrich... Perry... 2012?

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Surely this must be a joke:

Sources close to the Gingrich campaign say preliminary "what-if" conversations are underway that could lead to a Gingrich-Perry ticket being announced prior to the  Republican National Convention at the end of August.

Gingrich insiders hope forming a predetermined ticket with Perry will unite the evangelical, Tea Party and very conservative voters that make up the core of the GOP.

As discussions got underway, a spokesman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry released a statement saying, "Gov. Perry thinks Newt Gingrich is the strongest conservative to debate and defeat President Obama and truly overhaul Washington. The speculation is humbling but premature."

Floating Perry as a runningmate [sic] two days before Alabama and Mississippi could energize conservatives or turn them off.

A senior aide to Rick Santorum called it a desperate hail mary to create buzz ahead of contests in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday.

Apparently not. But, if not a joke, it's not a serious proposal either.

Perry was a terrible candidate who did nothing to rally support behind him and Gingrich remains an egomaniacal blowhard who surged, then surged again, and then faded into distant also-ran status. There may be talk of a "white knight" candidate who could emerge at a brokered convention, but it's really just idle talk and in any event it wouldn't be Newt but rather Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Mitch Daniels, or even Bobby Jindal. Even Palin would be a likelier "white knight" than Newt. And it's likelier that Newt will be King of the Moon in 2016 than the Republican nominee for president in 2012.

I suspect Santorum's "senior aide" is right. Newt is desperate. He's a distant long-shot candidate at best now, running out of money, and he simply has to win Alabama and Mississippi to have any hope of remaining, or becoming again, a credible candidate with any hope at all. And so the pathetic Gingrich campaign is floating this ridiculous idea -- a "what-if" conversation could just mean a couple of Gingrich staffers musing about crazy ideas over a few beers -- and hoping for a boost heading into Tuesday.

Are Republican voters that stupid? Would they really switch to Newt simply because of these silly Perry rumors (spun by Newt's campaign and without any basis at all)?

Well, you never know.