A key component of Gingrich’s argument assumes Gingrich would crush Barack Obama in general election debates. But, as Nyhan said, that’s not necessarily true.
“Gingrich has been supposedly winning debates in front of partisan Republican audiences,” he said. “That’s not the same thing as a general election, where people won’t necessarily be cheering those red-meat lines.“
Nyhan added that no one can predict how voters would react to Gingrich at the polls because the scenario lacks precedent. “We haven’t seen the parties nominate someone like [him].”
Read the full story, published 1/24/12 by The Atlantic.
