Gingrich Impact?

Carol Platt Liebau | January 19, 2012 11:19 AM

Given the ugly clips previewing the ABC Gingrich interview, it's worth wondering whether Rick Perry will go ahead and endorse Gingrich, as he had been planning to do. (Update:

He's endorsed Gingrich. Wonder how that plays with the religious conservatives Perry had been courting most assiduously -- not that he particularly needs to care now).

Does this impact Governor Palin's advice that South Carolinians cast a vote for Gingrich (rather than, say, Santorum)?

I'm not a Gingrich fan, as regular readers know. If I were, I would wonder whether, in the unlikely event Gingrich won the nomination or the presidential election, his victory would effectively require Republicans to become enablers for (or justifiers of) objectively bad personal behavior. The process of continually justifying or minimizing Bill Clinton's behavior meant that many Democrats ended up having to defend or minimize behavior that actually appalled them personally.

Once standards for proper (right) personal behavior erode, it's awfully hard to get them back. Republicans had better be pretty darn certain Gingrich is worth reducing or eliminating their standards for a president's personal character and behavior -- and pretty darn certain that he truly IS the changed man he claims to be.