More on Newt's helping Obama defeat Romney

A few days ago, the big news in the Republican primary was the damaging documentary about Romney's role in Bain Capital, which painted him as the ultimate "corporate vulture."   This was released by the PAC supporting Newt.  He claims to have had nothing to do with it and has not even seen the film;  but nobody believes that.

This of course outraged the GOP establishment -- Rudy Giuliani exclaimed on FoxNews:  "What the hell are you doing, Newt?" -- because it focuses the whole income inequality, predatory Wall Street meme squarely on the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, namely Mittens himself.  It didn't help that Romney was the same day forced to say something about his income tax and revealed that he paid about 15% in taxes.  Romney's most potent vulnerablity for the general election -- "plutocrat, capitalist,
1 percenter" -- was stolen and used by a Republican candidate against another.

The Obama campaign must have been popping champagne corks.   Unless they're concerned it will steal the issue and immunize it for their use later.  That worry aside, it was Newt Gingrich at his most narcissistic, unpredictable, loose-cannon, cosmic egotism.

The conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer, wrote his January 20th article about it:

"Then came the most remarkable political surprise since the 2010 midterms.  The struggling Democratic class-war narrative is suddenly given life and legitimacy by -- Republicans! Newt  Gingrich and Rick Perry make the case that private equity as practiced by Romney's Bain Capital is nothing more than vulture capitalism looting companies and sucking them dry while casually destroying the lives of workers. . . . 

"Michael Moore wonders aloud whether Gingrich has stolen his staff.  The assault on Bain/Romney instantly turns Obama's class-war campaign from partisan attack into universal complaint.

"Suddenly Romney's wealth, practices and taxes take center stage.  And why not?  If leading Republicans are denouncing rapacious capitalism that enriches the 1 percent while impoverishing everyone else, should this not be the paramount issue in a campaign occuring at a time of economic distress? . .

"[I]n a stroke, the Republicans have succeeded in turning a Democratic talking point . . . into a a central focus of the nation's political discourse. . . .  This is no mainstream media conspiracy.  This is the GOP maneuvering itself right onto Obama terrain. . . . He could not have chosen more self-destructive adversaries."

Hear, hear !!!   It couldn't have been better said by Krauthammer's liberal New York Times counterpart, columnist Paul Krugman.

Ralph