work in the republican party. but that isn't the reason john mccain lost the race. john mccain lost the election fundamentally because we lost the middle of the electorate. and at the end of the day, if you look at the president's poll numbers right now in the mid-40s that middle of the elector vat up for grabs and i just think it denies lodgic that newt gingrich would be the person that would be able to appeal into the middle of the electorate, given his record, given his -- >> do you need the activists? don't the activists make a big difference? >> at the end of the day what will drive enthusiasm among those activists is -- is for a candidate that will defeat president obama and when john mccain stepped out onto the stage at the republican convention, he was greeted with enthusia enthusiastic, loud, robust applause, as will mitt romney if he is the nominee of the party. and i think at the end of the day, what will excite people is the prospect of being able to take back the white house. and so, i don't think on the