Race and Republican attacks on Obama

By: Matt Bai

Newt Gingrich did his level best to appear level in his “Meet the Press” interview Sunday, maintaining a mostly subdued, thoughtful tone except for one telling moment — when David Gregory, the host, asked him if his labeling of President Obama as the “food stamp president” might have racist connotations. “Oh, come on,” the former House speaker huffed. “That’s bizarre.” All he meant, Mr. Gingrich went on to explain, was that Mr. Obama’s policies would turn all of America into Detroit, which probably didn’t endear him to Eminem.

Read the rest of the article at The New York Times. 

Newt Gingrich - Former Speaker of the House and 2012 Presidential Candidate

• In an announcement video posted on Twitter and his website Thursday, the former Speaker declared, "I'm Newt Gingrich, and I'm announcing my candidacy for President of the United States."
• The Washington Post's Dan Balz wrote in an article in Thursday's Washington Post, "Gingrich brings to the race an unparalleled record in his party as someone who has remained in the forefront of the public policy debate over a span of decades"
• Writing for Politico on Wednesday, Jonathan Martin said, "Unlike some of his likely rivals, who are looking to downplay or even flat out skip some states on the primary calendar, Gingrich is headed down a different path, a more traditional route in which he competes aggressively all across the early-state map and among all blocs within the party."
• The Associated Press reported that advisers close to Gingrich have told him to, "strive to be seen as the adult in the room presenting the battle-tested big ideas rather than a conservative firebrand who flies off the handle."

Roundtable - Bai, Halperin, Dionne, Cooper and Noonan

• Writing in the New York Times Wednesday, Matt Bai titled his article, "Gingrich's run reflects his sense of history." FLASHBACK: You may recall Matt Bai's piece on Newt in the New York Times Magazine from March 2009. 
• Check out Mark Halperin's Political blog with Time Magazine called: The Page. He made an infographic with his take on each member of the 2012 Republican field. You can see it here. 
• In a recent column in The Washington Post, EJ Dionne gave his take on the ramifications of a post-bin laden Obama presidency. He said, “Killing one man does not settle two messy wars. Obama’s political standing will ultimately rise or fall largely on the basis of domestic issues and economic circumstances. …But because he ordered this attack, and because it was successful, no one will ever view Barack Obama in quite the same way again.”
• White House correspondent for the New York Times Helene Cooper wrote about the tension between the United States and Pakistan after the Osama bin Laden raid. Read this interesting piece from the New York Times about the night President Obama announced the killing of Osama bin Laden. The NYT team - including Helene Cooper - recounts the play-by-play of that night and what became a literal 'stop the presses' moment - a rare event. 
• Peggy Noonan wrote a column in the Wall Street Journal on Friday about: What voters are looking for in next year's presidential nominee. In it, she says, "I think Americans right now, but particularly with the current crises, will be generally inclined to give pretty much everyone a break. As long as all mischief is confined to the past. They won't accept it in the present."