Why Is Gingrich Still In? He's Delusional

Most GOP voters want him to drop out, he's woefully behind in the delegate count, and he's started charging for photo opportunities: Yes, "from a conventional standpoint," there's really no reason for Newt Gingrich to carry on with his presidential run, writes Steve Kornacki in Salon. But Gingrich, of course, is no conventional candidate. He sees himself "as the central player in a real-time political drama with epic historical significance," so it's no surprise that he's refocusing his campaign toward a Republican National Convention that, Gingrich predicts, will be deadlocked.

The move is a good example of the candidate "accommodating a certain amount of reality"—he's not going to be able to catch Mitt Romney at this point—"without really acknowledging it." The idea of a deadlocked convention is "remote," Kornacki writes, but such a historically significant event "really connects with Gingrich's sense of his own place in history." And remember, Gingrich has twice been thought to be a goner, and twice surged back to the head of the pack, making it "particularly easy for Gingrich to scoff" at the throngs who think he doesn't have a chance. Click for the full column. (More Newt Gingrich stories.)