Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are both among the very many Republicans whose names are in the mix when the presidential election of 2012 us discussed. Both are also on the payroll of Fox News Channel as commentators. And both have made public statements that have moved FNC to get them off the payroll as they look more and more like serious rather than speculative candidates.
In the case of Gingrich, he has said to be actively exploring his possible candidacy. Santorum has mentioned participating in candidate debates. In both cases, it was enough for FNC.
According to reports, they will be suspended until 5/1/11, when their contracts are up, and their employment will be terminated at that point unless they specifically state that they are not running for the White House.
Two other politicians frequently mentioned when the topic comes up are also on the Fox payroll, but have not gone over Fox’s line. They are Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee.
RBR-TVBR observation: Will this move take the heat off Fox from critics that it is a wing of the Republican Party? No. The argument is that it supplies prospective candidates from that party with an income and with public exposure while they consider their political options. That it does not have a similar group of Democrats on the payroll means the sniping will continue.
Of course, at the presidential level in 2012, the Democratic candidate is all but a foregone conclusion, since they have an incumbent already seated in the White House.
Huckabee in particular has made no bones about the fact that if he decides to run for office again, he will have to walk away from a nice income to do so. It actually is interesting that Huckabee and Palin, who we believe are better positioned for a White House run than Gingrich, and light years ahead of Santorum, are the ones able to play their cards closer to their chest and keep their spot on Fox for the time being.
