The righteous indignation works for Newt.

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. South Carolina is, with the exception of perhaps Oklahoma

The most rabidly conservative state in the union. It is practically composed of Angry White People who eat this kind of indignation for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and for beer munchies late night at the convenience store.

In this sense, Newt played it perfectly - since he knew exactly what kind of mental derangement occupied the majority of the GOP voters. If he could switch gears, one might even expect him to be dangerous. Fortunately, this is Newt's only speed. He's a one-trick pony, playing the Angry White Guy card, and only that card. He doesn't know any other songs.

Anyone taking an objective look at South Carolina should have predicted a Gingrich win weeks ago, regardless of the then current numbers. The state was practically made for his proto-fascist nationalist/Populist schtick, and everyone in politics knows it. Can he play that game in Illinois? In New York? In California? In friggin' Missouri fer chrissakes?

I don't think so. We'll see how he does in Florida, but I think it would be very easy to over-estimate Gingrich's appeal based on the SC example. South Carolina is almost perfectly suited to the kind of retrograde racist nonsense Gingrich was spinning, so it doesn't really function as a bellwether for me yet.