Twists and Turns in the Republican Race Re "Upset by Gingrich Shifts G.O.P. Campaign" (front page, Jan. 22): The candidacy of Newt Gingrich has gone from ridiculous and impossible to conceivable. The fact that Republicans in South Carolina can embrace this deeply flawed politician speaks volumes about disturbing undercurrents in American society. The evidence is undeniable that Mr. Gingrich is a hypocrite of the first order, taking "do as I say, not as I do" to the extreme. He is prone to volatile, wild and often contradictory notions, which he expresses with inflamed passion and certitude, a frightening combination for a potential president. If voters can ignore his behavior and history - or view his record favorably - it can only be because they are obsessed with finding an unethical pugilist who can take on and bloody President Obama. This speaks of deep, ugly prejudices that make facts and rational discourse irrelevant. Newt Gingrich's winning performance in the South Carolina Republican primary highlights the former speaker's ability to confront and resolve the vital issues affecting the American people now and in the foreseeable future: our deeply injured economy, jobs, energy, education, health care, national security, foreign policy, irresponsible media and a grossly ineffective, oversized, overregulating, overspending, overreaching government. Now it is up to the voters to make the most important decision of our lifetimes in the 2012 elections. Republicans should nominate Mr. Gingrich for president, and elect sufficient qualified Congressional candidates to gain control of the Senate and maintain control of the House. I am a retiree living in South Carolina, and I have always considered myself an independent. I look at the issues, qualifications and positions of the candidates before deciding for whom to vote. Unfortunately, this time around, the excessively ideological positions taken by the Republican candidates scared me. Hence I was one of those who ran to vote for Mr. Gingrich. This was not because I would like to see him as president, but because I would like this cast of characters to wear one another out some more, so that President Obama can have a better chance for a second term. I am not exactly happy with the president, but at least he does not scare me. In 1994, I was the chief federal lobbyist for Chemical Bank, later merged into what is now JP Morgan Chase, and was invited to Long Island MacArthur Airport to meet with Representative Newt Gingrich of Georgia. Only five people showed up. He pulled out a notebook and district by district explained how the Republicans would pull off the impossible and recapture the House. He was smart, strategic and right. I wrote a memo to senior management saying that for the first time since Eisenhower was president the Republicans would control the House. Lesson: Don't underestimate Newt. Re "Mr. Gingrich's Deceptions" (editorial, Jan. 23): Newt Gingrich strategically stoked the flames of bigotry in a state still smoldering with racial intolerance by calling President Obama "the most successful food-stamp president in American history" and questioning the black work ethic. These words served as chum for angry ultraconservatives seeking reinforcement for a hateful worldview. Mr. Gingrich's often acrimonious oratory laden with cheap sloganeering and historical revisionism exploits our nation's blemished past and jeopardizes its future. He should be ashamed of himself, but almost certainly won't be.