After Mitt Romney took a five state sweep yesterday, winning the GOP primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, Newt Gingrich said he "think carefully about how we can be the most helpful to the country."
CNN reports breaking news that according to their sources Gingrich will suspend his campaign officially next week.
"When he says he is transitioning, what he means is that he is trying to determine as a citizen how he will pro-actively help Mitt Romney become president and the Republican Party win back the Senate and help (House Speaker) John Boehner keep his majority in the House," said one of the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
It appears that Gingrich's focus will be much broader than the presidential campaign, as the former speaker, who made his name and career in the House, plans to be actively involved in helping the GOP take back control of both sides of Capitol Hill.
Gingrich has consistently maintained that any of Republican presidential candidates would be a better president than Barack Obama. His latest statement to that effect was just last month.
In March 2012, Gingrich responded to a comment Rick Santorum made, suggesting that voting for Romney was like voting for Obama, with Gingrich saying he hoped Santorum would take back that comment and Gingrich went on to state, "I may have some very substantial disagreements with Governor Romney. There is no doubt in my mind that if the choice was Gov. Romney or Barack Obama, we would have no choice," Gingrich continued "The danger of Obama is so great that I would hope that every candidate running – Ron Paul, Gov. Romney and Sen. Santorum – that we would all agree that whoever becomes the Republican nominee, we have one common goal and that is to defeat Barack Obama."
Therefore it should come as no surprise to Gingrich supporters that Gingrich would actively work to help the eventual Republican nominee in the upcoming general election season.
Many conservatives have been openly critical of Romney's weaknesses, myself included, but there is no doubt the party will unite and clearly outline and play to his strengths and the fundamental differences between Romney and Obama in the general campaign season.
Areas such as;
• Nominating conservative judges
• Romney's business acumen and how that will be a considerable advantage for a country with a stalling economy
• Romney's support for the Keystone Pipeline, which will bring jobs and more oil access from America's friends, such as Canada rather than being as dependent America's enemies in the Middle East
• His position on taxes where he has stated time and again "Taxes kill jobs"
• Romney's consistent position on standing with our allies, such as Israel.
• The contrast with Obama's onerous "onslaught" of regulations, drilling and energy policies.
• Romney's commitment to establishing a fully operational and effective missile defense system in Eastern Europe to create a protective umbrella against Iranian nuclear weapons, contrasting Obama's deal with Russia to "give him space" until after the election so he has more "flexibility".
Foreign policy, gas prices, unemployment, the economy, drilling, taxes, Russia, Israel, Iran, regulations, and energy independence, are all areas where conservatives can see a sharp contrast between Romney and Obama.
During the GOP primary season, supporters of other Republican candidates have had plenty of time to list Romney's weaknesses, I have done so myself, but now it is time to start acknowledging Romney's strengths against Obama's weaknesses.