In response to polls suggesting we may be about to see a Gingrich surge, Chait voices his shock:
It has simply never occurred to me before today that there would be even the slightest chance of the Republican Party nominating Newt Gingrich – not even in the nineties, at the height of his powers, when such speculation was rampant. Parties don’t nominate people like that. You nominate a telegenic front man, not an erratic, overbearing, morally repulsive tub of goo like Gingrich.
He concludes that it's "probably time for me to stop making predictions of any kind about this race." But some desperate partisans are already making the case. And desperate is the appropriate word. Nate Silver says Gingrich's chances remain slim:
Overall, I would read three of these factors, establishment support, personal liabilities, and (especially) fund-raising, as being clearly negative for Mr. Gingrich. This contrasts against one, ideological positioning, which is potentially favorable for him. He has both strengths and weakness in the key early-voting states, meanwhile. That balance is unfavorable enough to suggest that his chances of winning the nomination are weaker than his polls alone would imply.
The Dish 