Gingrich Explains That Sen. Bennett Lost Because He's Too "Reasonable"

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) is reportedly considering a write-in campaign for the U.S. Senate after losing his bid for the Republican nomination.  Although Bennett is a reliable conservative, he was targeted by the Tea Party movement, largely over his support for the bank bailout under the Bush administration. 

Addressing Bennett's loss, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said last week that the Tea Party "doesn't have an open mind and they won't listen." In a new interview with the National Review, Tea Party booster Newt Gingrich inadvertently echoed Hatch's criticism, saying Bennett lost because he's "reasonable."

GINGRICH: I think in the case of Utah, we're clearly going to keep the seat.  I think, uh, that the people of Utah wanted somebody who would fight.  And Bennett is a very nice man, but he comes across as a very reasonable guy at a time when people actually want somebody -- they want Chris Christie.  They want somebody who stands up and says, "Yeah, let's have it on."

Watch:

Indeed, being reasonable has become dangerous for Republican lawmakers.  The conservative base has made it clear that they want a fight, even when they don't understand what they're fighting.