Why all of Newt Gingrich's campaign advisers resigned

AP Photo/John Amis

This post originally appeared on Slate.

Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign, always a long shot, may be over. The top leadership in the campaign, at both the national and state levels, quit en masse Thursday.

Sources close to the campaign say that it has been a disorganized mess for weeks, with Gingrich offering no direction and not taking the advice of his aides. With no sense that the candidate wanted to do the hard work necessary to win, one source said it was foolish to work long hours, sacrifice time with family, and beg friends for campaign cash if the candidate himself wasn't committed.

Sources say that Gingrich intends to stay in the campaign, what's left of it. Indeed, on his Facebook page, Gingrich posted: "I am committed to running the substantive, solutions-oriented campaign I set out to run earlier this spring. The campaign begins anew Sunday in Los Angeles."

In Iowa this week the talk was of Gingrich's decision to take a vacation while his competitors were working hard campaigning and trying to raise money. When Will Rogers, a longtime Gingrich booster in the state, resigned, local GOP veterans speculated that the campaign might be coming apart.

Campaign manager Rob Johnson, spokesman Rick Tyler, and other top officials spoke with Gingrich over the last several days about setting a clear direction for the future-- and that's when everything broke down. "There was a difference of opinion on what needed to be done going forward," says Craig Schoenfeld, Gingrich's Iowa strategist, who also resigned.

Johnson ran Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaign last year, and Dave Carney, one of Gingrich's top strategists, used to work for Perry as well. Carney says his move was "totally unrelated to Rick Perry," but their departure will only serve to increase speculation about the governor's entry into the presidential race.

Jan Crawford: Newt Out, Perry In?

As for Gingrich, Schoenfeld said that he "needs to be surrounded by those folks who share his vision for the campaign. Those folks--whoever they may be--should be a part [of his campaign] going forward."

Gingrich's former aides, meanwhile, may now get a chance to take a vacation of their own. And if Gingrich's campaign stays on its current course, he may find his vacation calendar opening up sooner rather than later.

31 Photos

Newt Gingrich on the campaign trail

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[imnho]

Newt is literally history. He was a man who sowed anger and choas. he also worked to make the country's political debate as mean spirted as possible. The mean spirt that he imparted to the country was very damaging

[stupidrules3]

He lost all credibility when he retracted the most accurate statement he ever made. When I saw him criticize the Ryan plan on tv, I knew that we would soon know how much spine he has. Of course, after some phone calls from the GOP power brokers, he retracted that statement and showed us all that he is in the pocket of the people behind the scenes. Just exactly who are these people and how many of the people in office right now take their marching orders from them? I would like to see every incumbent from both parties defeated in their next run for office. We must free ourselves from the political machine that has lost touch with the reality that they are there for us not the other way around.

[tibu987]

Gingrich's ego is bigger than his brain.
Gingrich personifies everything that is wrong in Washington.
Give it up Newt, you are old news.
And so it goes.

[sykesterryb]

His "let them eat cake" attitude has finally trickled down to those staffers trying to help him in his lame attempt at a run for the Presidency. I'm glad even they aren't buying it anymore.

[karek40]

Newt is part of the political machine (republicans and democrats) that has bankrupted this country. Every house member, senate member and the president needs to be replaced with some new thieves. It might take them a while to become as proficient at stealing and lying as the old guard. Free trade was instituted by Bush senior, signed by Clinton and promulgated by G. W. Bush and Obama. There is not a nickels worth of difference in them, if you doubt this just look and the 4 repeat 4 wars we are now participating in.

[pasha128]

Your pessimism is clearly expressed which by your own premise maks your solution a futile effort as noted in the following -- "... needs to be replaced with some new thieves."

[TheKnowerseeker]

Nothing short of a Second American Revolution will free us from the plutocrats. First the plutocrats freed themselves from the aristocracy with the first American Revolution and came to sit upon their thrones; now Joe American must free himself from the plutocrats. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Economic_Interpretation_of_the_Constitution_of_the_United_States

[julesarcher1]

We know they quit and were not fired because of his promise: No Newt Axes.

[unclebernies]

Maybe because he is a nasty old cranky rich white guy that thinks the world revolves around him. Just saying.

[mikeonthebay]

If my wife ran up half a million a tiffany's, i would divorce her too.

[blindersoff]

Your information is wrong. He's still married to the Tiffany's wife. She's the current 3rd wife that suggested this greek isles cruise while he's supposed to be working. The 2nd wife he divorce lived very thrifty and had to beg her church for money after "Mr. Family Values Newt" would not support her. He proposed to this current wife while still married to the 2nd wife.

[usadvisor101]

I know this is hard to fathom, but given what kind of whack jobs we have seen around, he actually would be better than some airhead like palin or trump........I mean think about it. atleast you can understand what he says....

[bilrobi1]

You might be right,but if you are is indeed a sad statement.

[jimbom121]

It's OK Newt, I thinl Fox News still has some openings. Although they tend to favor current candidates.