I think I understand the support for Gingrich

I've written lately that I'm mystified by the support for Newt Gingrich coming from the likes of Palin and Limbaugh. Now, the conservative rush to join the Left in piling up on Romney helps me understand what's happening here.

Conservatives are afraid that if Romney runs away with the primary now, it will leave Romney and Ron Paul, and Paul will gain power in the Republican Party. I was mistaken when I thought a large faction of conservatives finally accepted the ideas of limited government and a free market. I'm beginning to understand that conservatives are more concerned with bombing the mideast and applying their form of statism than they are with making systemic changes in government. I still believe that some of the New Republicans are serious about systemic changes, but the older conservatives who've pretended to accept libertarian economic principles were trying to co-opt the Tea Party movement to move in their direction.

These faux-limited government conservatives tolerated Ron Paul when they thought his support was limited to 7 or 8%, but now that they realize he will capture many delegates if Gingrich and Santorum are out, conservatives are pulling for Santorum and Gingrich, and they are trying to wound Romney. They want to avoid a Romney and Paul race, because when the convention rolls around, Paul will have too much power, and it scares the conservatives. Any conservative who says he or she supports limited government and Gingrich or Santorum doesn't support limited government.

It looks like a third party is the only way out.

Update on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 05:38PM by M. Farmer

I just saw this Andrew McCarthy post

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/289905/big-government-republicans-andrew-c-mccarthy

While I don't agree with McCarthy's foreign policy positions -- I agree with his limited government position and his claim that Republicans only talk about limited government and never do anything to actually limit government.