College politicos take ‘questionable’ candidate to task

Newt Gingrich debates his rivals during CNN’s debate in Charleston two days before the primary. AP photoBy Jonathan McFadden
mcfaddenj@mytjnow.com

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich just may oppose President Barack Obama in this year’s presidential race —if history has its say— and Tyler Calloway, believe it or not, isn’t too torn up about it.

“The United States doesn’t need a questionable President, with questionable ethics and backwards logic; we need someone willing to set necessary precedents,” said Calloway, referring to Gingrich’s perspective on welfare, healthcare and his tactic of dubbing Obama as the “Food Stamp President.”

On Jan. 21, Gingrich blazed a trail of victory in South Carolina when he finished first in the Palmetto State’s first-in-the-South GOP primary.

This coveted win gives Gingrich more of a competitive edge over his contenders: Mitt Romney, who won the New Hampshire primary; Rick Santorum, who won the Iowa caucus; and Ron Paul, who continues to give it the old college try.

It’s a situation Calloway, president of the College Democrats, could do without but understands completely.

“Newt Gingrich is an ideal candidate, if any, to go ‘toe-to-toe’ with President Obama… simply due to the differences in debate style/etiquette and along with his questionable political and personal lifestyle,” said Calloway, a junior business administration major. “Mitt Romney would have been a more substantial threat to a second term for Barack Obama.”

Though not in Gingrich’s cheering corner, Calloway said she does agree with his position on taxes, the federal government’s involvement and drug enforcement.

“But then on the opposite side of the spectrum his position on the work ethic of lower class or certain aspects of healthcare I feel could be detrimental to the economic health of the United States, if ever acted on,” she said.

Nevertheless, “Newt Gingrich is still most Democrats’ preference to run against President Obama and that is strictly due to his “off-the-wall” logic, imperfections and his inability to construct a feasible representation of what it is he thinks America needs,” she said.

For College Republicans President Timothy Kroboth, Gingrich’s decisive win was monumental and a reversal of fortune.

Before Romney even looked like a front-runner, “Newt Gingrich’s campaign seemed dead before it had hardly begun,” Kroboth said.

Gingrich’s campaign manager, and more than six senior aides, resigned in June 2011, Kroboth said. In December, Gingrich saw a brief surge and Winthrop Poll findings showed that he was likely South Carolina primary voters’ number one pick.

Then, Romney surged to the head of the class, leaving Gingrich to finish fourth in both the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary. Yet, when he came further south, things began to change.

“Obviously, South Carolina fits Gingrich’s political profile much more closely than Iowa and New Hampshire,” Kroboth said.

In spite of the win, Kroboth suggests that Gingrich may struggle in Florida, the state where the next Republican primary will be held.

Florida polls show that Gingrich is leading Romney in the Sunshine State, while national polls show that Gingrich and Romney are virtually tied.

Still, Kroboth said doubts remain whether Republicans are willing to “nominate a candidate with a significantly less mainstream ideology and weaker appeal to independent voters than Romney,” Kroboth said.

Of the four candidates waging war in Florida, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum remains the most staunchly conservative.

“As historically significant a role as South Carolina has played in the Republican presidential race, nothing erases the fact that Newt Gingrich’s fourth-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire expose him as a candidate who struggles greatly in moderate-to-liberal states,” Kroboth said. “Gingrich leads in Florida now, but shortly after the polls close in the Sunshine State, Gingrich faces uphill battles in less conservative states such as Maine, Nevada, Minnesota, Colorado, and Missouri.”

Since 1980, South Carolina’s first-in-the-South primary has correctly chosen the Republican candidate who would go on to run in the general election.

The state, which contains a gumbo of conservative voting types, can be seen as a proving or sifting ground for candidates. If they can make it out of South Carolina alive —and number one— their chances in other states look good.

For Gingrich though, the momentum may not hold, Kroboth said.

“In the big picture, Mitt Romney remains the favorite despite a stinging defeat in South Carolina,” he said.

And liberty and justice for all

While Gingrich and Romney saw high numbers on Saturday, Rick Santorum came in third and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, a Libertarian, made up the tail end. 

For Trey Stokes, modern languages major, it’s a situation that may not bode well for the candidate promoting the legalization of marijuana and prostitution.

When the results of the primary rolled around, Stokes admitted that he was disappointed that Gingrich came out on top.

It was “kind of a letdown,” Stokes said, considering the support Paul garnered from young voters, especially those on college campuses.

An avid Ron Paul supporter, Stokes said Paul’s ratings in the results —13 percent— weren’t horrible but “kind of disappointing considering his placing third in the Iowa caucus and placing second in the New Hampshire primary.”

Paul, who’s campaigned on personal liberties and smaller government, has advocated for a complete withdrawal of American troops from the Middle East and other foreign nations.