by Art Kelly

1.  The outcome of the Florida Primary on January 31 cannot be predicted, as the winner is very likely to be determined by the CNN debate at 8 PM Eastern on Thursday, January 26.

During two separate periods in the campaign, Newt Gingrich had fallen to the bottom of the polls, only to come back to the top through impressive presentations in nationally televised debates with the other candidates.

But at other times, Gingrich has fallen fast when he did not do well in the debates.

For instance, in a debate just before the New Hampshire Primary, a previous issue of this newsletter recounted how Gingrich was hurt by a dramatic confrontation with Ron Paul regarding military service.

The result was a strong second place showing for Paul in the primary and a near-last place finish for Gingrich.

But in debates before the South Carolina Primary, a different issue of this newsletter reported on Gingrich's extremely powerful performances, which produced unprecedented standing ovations from the audiences.

by Art Kelly

1.  House Republican leaders are drafting legislation to replace Obamacare with a new law to address some of the same problems that the President's heath care legislation was intended to solve.

The Associated Press reports that Congressman Joe Pitts (R-PA), Chairman of the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the GOP leadership wants to be ready in the event the U.S. Supreme Court declares Obamacare to be unconstitutional in its entirety.

The Court is expected to render a decision on it in June.

Since the law lacks a routine "severance clause," to provide that if any part in it is declared unconstitutional, the rest of it is not affected, some observers believe Obamacare may be totally voided.

If that happens, this new bill will be ready for immediate consideration.  It would include medical malpractice reform, high-risk insurance pools for people with pre-existing conditions, tax breaks for individuals and small businesses to buy health insurance, and sale of policies in interstate commerce.

by Art Kelly

1.  Newt Gingrich's powerful performance in the January 16 televised debate may boost his chances in the South Carolina primary and beyond.

In answer to a question from liberal moderator Juan Williams, Gingrich's effective reply so moved the audience that he received a standing ovation.  This is first time in the history of presidential candidate debates that any candidate has ever received a standing ovation.

A video of Gingrich's full encounter with Williams is available on the Fox News Channel website at http://tinyurl.com/895wdmr

The same effect may have been felt by the national television audience.  A nationwide Rasmussen poll taken the day after the debate found Gingrich had moved to within three percentage points of Mitt Romney.  The full results were:

30% Mitt Romney
27% Newt Gingrich
15% Rick Santorum
13% Ron Paul
  4% Rick Perry
  4% Others
  7% Undecided

Gingrich gained 11% from the previous poll.  At the same time, Romney's support remained constant, neither increasing nor decreasing.

"This suggests that many voters are still looking for an alternative to Romney and currently see Gingrich as that candidate," Rasmussen Reports explains.