Newt flirts with ThompsonGingrich is Newt Inc. -- one part provocateur, one part entrepreneur

by Jonathan Martin, Politics '08: Publicly, Gingrich has been sending signals making clear that a presidential candidacy for him is becoming less likely. Privately, he and some of his closest advisers have been meeting with -- and, in at least one prominent case, going to work for -- the lobbyist-actor and former Tennessee senator. "I've always said it was unlikely I would run," Gingrich said . . . if Thompson "runs and does well, then I think that makes it easier for me not to run." The same day that Gingrich made his comments, his former communications director, Rich Galen, disclosed that he had signed on as an adviser to Thompson's campaign in waiting. . . . Galen termed the coincidence "an unfortunate confluence of events," denying that there was any link. But that was not the only evidence of a possible Thompson-Gingrich alliance in 2008. Gingrich and his wife, Calista, had dinner with Thompson and his wife, Jeri, at the former senator's home in McLean, Va., on July 16 . . .

Still, if he is trying to avoid getting in the race and looking for somebody to get behind, it's not clear why Gingrich continues to keep the possibility of a presidential bid open. One explanation: Keeping speculation churning during the remaining months before the primaries begin is good for business. Since his unceremonious departure from the House in 1998, Gingrich has become Newt Inc. -- one part provocateur, one part entrepreneur, who stirs debate in his party and in journalistic circles, gets Sunday talk show invites and draws audiences on the lecture circuit. A presidential flirtation helps Gingrich further raise his profile, push his ideas and sell his books. . . . Were he to get in, though, Gingrich would face considerable hurdles . . . conduct as speaker, both public and private. . . . he'd likely find himself bogged down in answering questions about the 1990s. "Newt Gingrich would be an immensely polarizing candidate among Republican primary voters," said Emory Univ. professor Merle Black, and in "the extremely unlikely event of a Gingrich nomination, Democrats would relish his candidacy as the second coming of Barry Goldwater." . . . But even if Gingrich doesn't get in and instead throws his support to Thompson (or doesn't endorse at all), his knack for delivering a good quote is likely to keep him in the news . . . [Read More]

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