Now that Pennsylvania native Newt Gingrich has scored an impressive victory in the South Carolina GOP Presidential primary, it appears that, in the short run, Gingrich has soared to almost a ten point lead in Florida. He may be able to continue this surge to Florida and beyond.
The defining point in Gingrich's latest comeback appears to be what is now being referred to as Gingrich's "John King" moment.
In last Thursday's debate in North Charleston, South Carolina, CNN's John King began the debate by asking Gingrich if he had any comments on the allegations made by Gingrich's second wife on ABC that Gingrich wanted an open marriage, while pursuing his current wife, Calista.
Gingrich firmly asserted that the allegations were untrue, but then assailed the media for beginning the debate with such a scurrilous allegation. The crowd and the voters we met on our South Carolina tour loved it. It was pure Newt and pure conservative mantra.
Conservtives and Republicans have been at war with the "Main Stream Media" (MSM) from at least the time of Richard Nixon. Nixon famously said to members of the media after losing the 1962 California governor's race, "You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore."
That was not the end of Nixon, as Nixon went on to win two Presidential elections in 1968 and 1972. His first Vice President Spiro Agnew also had a strong dislike for the media, once saying that "newspapers get rid of their garbage by printing it."
Attacking the "liberal media" is a popular and time-tested tactic for conservatives and Republicans alike. It is also red meat to the conservative voting public. Any rails against the at GOP rallies is always a big applause line.
For Gingrich, this loathing of the MSM is the perfect shield to any attacks on his past problems. The "shoot the messenger" tactic allows Gingrich to not only defend his ex-wife's allegations, but it allows him to use it as a defense against stories in the MSM. More importantly, it is an effective shield against attacks by Mitt Romney and other Republican opponents.
Without addressing the substance of allegations or complaints about Gingrich's past, Gingrich can blame it all on the MSM. Any of Romney's negative ads can also be explained away by saying that Romney (whose moderate past continues to plague him) is just doing the bidding of the liberals and the MSM.
What is particularly interesting about Gingrich's rise in Florida is the fact that Romney has already spent in excess of $7 million in advertising, whereas Gingrich has yet to spend a dollar. Romney's attacks have met the same fate of the Indians' arrows on the fort wall.
If Gingrich can ride his South Carolina momentum to Florida and through the 2012 primaries, we will look back at that "John King" moment as the defining and decisive moment of the 2012 GOP Presidential campaign.
Gingrich's shield, however, will not be as effective with the general electorate. Unlike the hard core GOPers, the general election does not have the same disdain for the MSM. Whereas Gingrich may win the battle against Romney, he will not be able to employ the same strategy for votes in the general election against Barack Obama.
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