Different Republicans had different opinions about the wisdom of John McCain's decision to put Sarah Palin on his presidential ticket (I was in favor at the time). Whether or not one agreed with his decision, it certainly signaled McCain's willingness to give up the whole "experience" issue vis a vis Barack Obama.
Similarly, a Newt Gingrich nomination would mean that the Republicans find nothing troubling about leaders of significant -- but hardly earthshaking -- accomplishment reveling in their own self-love. Giving Gingrich the nomination not only entails effectively adopting the Clinton-era argument that personal moral character is irrelevant to one's fitness for the presidency -- it also means surrendering the joy of poking fun at the President's enormous self-regard.