So says the Newtster, pretty well verifying what I've suspected for a long time-- that Gingrich either never really got it, or he’s just tired of the fight and wants the DC culture to be nice to him once in a while.
Others have tried to get this across, so it's old news, but I'll give it another go: As one who upholds the founding principles of the U.S., I could not give a rat's behind if someone running for office is a black, white, Asian, Hispanic, one-armed female homosexual midget named Butch Hussein Ahmadinejad. If that person has a track record of strenuously upholding and defending the founding principles of this country, she has my vote. I do not care about personality (except she has to be a confident fighter or nothing's going to improve). I do not care about looks, I don't care about slick marketing or any of that BS. She's got my vote. This is why Reagan won two landslides- he tried to uphold the founding principles of this country. He understood and embraced those principles and (and this is key) he was therefore capable of articulating them. He was far from perfect, but he did it better than any president in my lifetime, even with a solid Democrat majority in both Houses, and that's why he was popular. It's also why he was, and is, so hated and maligned by the Left (clue: You cannot embrace America’s founding principles and expect to get along with the Left. They will never, ever tolerate you, so if you're going to do it, expect to be attacked ruthlessly. Ruthless attacks, however, can go both ways).
If you think it is a matter of hero worship, or cult of personality, etc., you are not capable of understanding Reagan's success.
Therefore, to say that the era of Reagan is over is to say that the era of upholding America's founding principles is over-- that we are to abandon our principles in favor of "getting along" with those who would further undermine them. No, Little Grasshopper-- let them feel they must strive to "get along" with us in order to stay in the game. It's a choice.
Now we have three conservative-hating, anti-Constitution leftists remaining in the presidential race-- two calling themselves Democrats and one calling himself a Republican, so this election no longer interests me.
To anyone else who wants my vote; it's really easy-- Just show the track record stated above. For now, I will vote on state and local issues. (Yeah, I know-- I could vote for Paul, but...)