Why Palin Can Win GOP Nomination

After late-'90s stumble, Gingrich poised for a similar comeback

(NEWSER) - A decade ago, it looked like Newt Gingrich was a political goner; now, he looks poised to run for president in 2012. The question is “whether or not it is practical, which I increasingly think it is,” he said. Gingrich is certainly playing the part of the candidate—campaigning for others across the country, raising millions for his party, "transitioning" his four businesses so they don't become political obstacles. And if he can pull it off, it'll be the "greatest political resurrection since Richard Nixon," writes Karen Tumulty in the Washington Post . More»

Current Republican field riddled with weak spots

(NEWSER) - Republicans talk a good game about challenging President Obama in 2012, but the GOP would look scarier if it had even one legitimate challenger , says Dick Polman. "Obama's job-approval numbers are tepid these days—but he looks robust when matched against actual Republican challengers," warns the Philadelphia Inquirer columnist. "Not to mention the inevitable wounds and scars that any Republican will suffer during a primary season that promises to be downright Darwinian." More»

Leave Alaska, grab a good staff, and be yourself

(NEWSER) - Don’t write off Sarah Palin as the 2012 Republican nominee: Roger Simon says she’s got what it takes to get there, with a little fine-tuning. He offers her seven steps in Politico:

• Leave Alaska behind. Don’t run for governor in 2010; instead, hang out in the Lower 48.
• Gather a staff smarter than you are. People might laugh, but they laughed at Bush and Schwarzenegger—and they both won.

Vests get their own Twitter feed, Facebook page, music video

(NEWSER) - As Rick Santorum surges in the Iowa polls, his collection of sweater vests is also winning popularity. Santorum has taken to wearing the sleeveless V-necks while campaigning in Iowa; the sartorial choice apparently first garnered attention at a Des Moines forum a few weeks ago during which most other candidates wore suits. "It sort of took on a life of its own" after that, he explains. "So I started wearing more and more. My staff bought me a bunch more." They even, the New York Times notes, had vests embroidered with his campaign logo. More»

The Donald says he'd bankroll his own campaign

(NEWSER) - Donald Trump raised “just a little” doubt as to President Obama’s citizenship in an ABC interview, saying it was “very strange” that Obama “grew up and nobody knew him,” Mediaite reports. “Nobody knows who he his until later in his life,” Trump said. The Donald also gave his views on a range of other topics, noting, for example, that he would spend $600 million of his own cash on his campaign. More»