Daily Events...
Being with - not for - Newt
Mondays with Tony Lee 
December 7, 2011 

Yesterday, Tiger Woods won a golf tournament (albeit his own tourney with a condensed field, but, hey, a win is a win) for the first time in just over two years. 

Almost everyone has been rightfully disgusted with Tiger’s behavior off the golf course (and sometimes, even his pathetic behavior on the golf course). 

But nobody can doubt Tiger’s golf skills or how badly the sport needs a competitive Tiger. 

Very few people root for Tiger the person, but many are still with him in his lifelong quest to break Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 wins in a major tournament. 

This got me thinking about Newt Gingrich. 

Because of his considerable baggage — both personal and political — very few are actually for Gingrich. 

But Gingrich, in perhaps the best line of the primary cycle, has repeatedly asked people not to be for him but to be with him. 

Like Tiger, who has been aiming for Nicklaus since he was a toddler, and has honed his considerable skills that he was born with, Gingrich also seems to have a feel for politics that is far superior to his peers. 

He seems like he has been crafting his message for a lifetime, been playing the game for far longer than most, and he uses his experience to nimbly improvise on the fly. 

Further, he articulates the GOP’s opposition to Obama and everything conservatives love about America, most especially her exceptionalism, the best among all the candidates. 

I think this is why, in a critical election year in a field of candidates more akin to the PGA Tour without Tiger Woods in terms of generating buzz and enthusiasm, many Republicans are considering being with Newt Gingrich in this election cycle even if they cannot be for him as a person 

And lastly, speaking of American exceptionalism, I would be remiss if I did not thank all the voters who showed their favor in the timeless American ideal of meritocracy by having Alabama at No.2 in this weekend’s rankings in order to secure for them a spot in the BCS national title game against LSU. Roll Tide! Geaux Bama! 

—Tony Lee