In the Republican debate last night in Florida one thing became painfully clear: Some candidates can withstand political sniping, and some simply can’t. Thus, some are ready to lead while others aren't.
Newt Gingrich in a moment of exasperation and weakness announced that he looked into Mitt Romney’s investments because he was “tired” of attacks from the Romney campaign concerning Newt’s involvement with Freddie and Fannie. But if Newt is tired of attacks from Mitt, he’s not ready to be the Republican candidate for president.
In a recent post on this site the fallacy of the US being more divided than ever was dispelled. However, when division is mentioned it often refers to political sniping. Serious candidates weather the storm of political sniping and choose their attacks well. Gingrich fails on both points.
Gingrich’s attacks on Romney’s wealth demonstrates Newts inabilities as a candidate. The attacks from Gingrich have actually succeeded in winning sympathy for Romney. This is pretty a poor test of how a President Gingrich handle difficult times, or defend his own initiatives. Furthermore, Gingrich hasn't learned. He repeated the same lame attacks when defending his own investments.
In the near past, as recent as 2009, we saw how a candidate who couldn’t handle sniping would govern. Senator Obama was often caught flat-footed in attacks about his long-standing attendance at a radical church, or on a campaign of vapid rhetoric. Now when President Obama is attacked he and his supporters are resigned to claims of racism, or lamentations of how divided we have become as a nation.
The models for handling sniping can be seen in Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, who both used wit and masterful statesmanship when attacks came. As much as Gingrich invokes Reagan, Gingrich clearly lacks the ability to weather the storms the way Reagan did during campaigns and a tumultuous presidency. Likewise, even after working for years with Bill Clinton, Gingrich handles scandal like a simpering victim. Clinton used scandal to redefine his Presidency.
When assessing a candidate, how that candidate handles sniping is a pretty good measure of how they will lead. This is a point worth noting.
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