How Newt (Literally) Insults His Supporters

Connie Schultz shares some lessons from her recent trip down south, in her column, “Faith In Alabama:”

Last weekend, Newt Gingrich strutted into an overflow crowd of people waiting for him at the Wiregrass Museum in Dothan, Ala., and greeted them with an insult.

“What a crowd,” he said. “I’m really impressed. There must be no one left at Wal-Mart this afternoon.”

Makes you wonder, doesn’t it, what Gingrich was willing to say to the majority of Alabamians who didn’t support him.

I first heard about Gingrich’s comment during a phone conversation Tuesday afternoon with Bill Perkins, editor of the Dothan Eagle. I later discovered that Fox News also had reported it on its website.

“Everybody was all set to applaud him,” Perkins told me. Instead, the applause was tentative, and there were a few howls, too.

Perkins shared a prediction: “I don’t think Newt is getting traction here.”

Hours later, the primary results confirmed Perkins’ hunch. Rick Santorum — the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania — had won.