If you are looking for open signs of panic among the Republican Establishment, look no further than Jennifer Rubin, who last night penned an open letter to many of the foremost elected officials in the party begging them to intervene to stop Gingrich. Here’s a sample of her plea:
…The voters in their infinite wisdom have just given a huge boost to perhaps the only GOP candidate who could shift the spotlight from President Obama to himself, alienate virtually all independent voters, lose more than 40 states and put the House majority in jeopardy.
We’d be looking at four more years of Obama’s economic policies, four more years of strained relations with allies, several new Supreme Court justices and an unprecedented power shift to the executive branch.
It seems, gentlemen, it’s time to get off your . . . er . . . time to get off the bench and into the game.
What’s interesting is that Ms. Rubin and Newt’s biggest benefactor, Sheldon Adelson, are two of the staunchest advocates for Israel imaginable, and, yet, they totally disagree about the merits of Gingrich as a candidate.
The way casino magnate Sheldon Adelson remembers it, he and his wife, Miriam, met then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1995 in the majestic Capitol Rotunda as they made their way through the building while lobbying for a bill to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Nearly two decades later, Gingrich, on the campaign trail, has promised that his first executive order as president would be the embassy move, long a priority of ardent Israel supporters such as the Adelsons.
It would also be a sweet jackpot for the Adelsons, who are the biggest patrons of Gingrich’s political career.
Perhaps no other major presidential candidate in recent times has had his fortunes based so squarely on the contributions of a single donor, as Gingrich has on Adelson, who has spent millions in support of Gingrich and his causes over the past five years.
I guess it’s obvious that Ms. Rubin does not fear how a President Gingrich would treat Israel. Her concern is that Gingrich will get slaughtered in the general election because he’s “an egomaniac whose personal advancement takes precedence over any principle.” She says he will burn the party to the ground.
Is she a more savvy political observer than Mr. Adelson?
