TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

It'll probably change tomorrow, because that's been the nature of the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, but a scant 30 days before the Iowa caucuses, Newt Gingrich seems to be on pretty solid ground. One recent poll had Florida voters favoring the former House speaker by an astonishing 24 points over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, with Herman Cain and Rick Perry well back.

By now Gingrich's lead must have opposition researchers parsing every word he ever uttered, every vote he ever took, every check he ever cashed, every woman with whom he ever dallied. One avenue they're sure to explore is the House's 1997 vote to fine him $300,000 for 84 ethics violations, including lying to the ethics committee -- a humiliation Gingrich later characterized as "politically motivated." If by "politically motivated" Gingrich means the vote was strictly along party lines and the accusations substantially without merit, he is forgetful. The vote to fine Gingrich was 395 to 28 with even Bakersfield's Bill Thomas siding with the majority.

That Thomas, the 14-term Republican congressman and former Ways and Means chairman, would add his own brick to this particular wall may not mean much -- the condemnation was collectively resounding. But it was interesting just the same to see Thomas placed in such a position, given his longstanding association with the Georgia conservative. Their careers took remarkably similar and overlapping paths.

* Thomas and Gingrich, only about a year and half apart in age, were both college professors before going to Congress. Thomas taught government at Bakersfield College. He has a bachelor's degree and master's degree in political science from San Francisco State. He was elected to the state Assembly in 1974 and then to the House of Representatives in 1978. Gingrich earned a bachelor's degree from Emory University in Georgia and a master's degree and Ph.D. from Louisiana's Tulane University. He taught history at West Georgia College (now the University of West Georgia) until he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1978.

* They were roommates. When they were both freshman congressmen (and Gingrich was divorcing his first wife), Thomas invited him to share a rented house in Washington. Thomas' wife, Sharon, and kids weren't there all the time. And Thomas and Gingrich -- both being former college professors -- would talk politics, economics and governance over dinner, and share their plans.

* They can both be, at times, insufferable. Both talk like college professors and believe, correctly, they are the smartest guy in whatever room they happen to be in. Doubt arises only when they're in the same room.

* They have similar reputations. Both Thomas and Gingrich have been characterized over the years as pompous, arrogant, intelligent, hot-tempered and mean. Neither then nor today would either man suffer fools gladly. And they're rarely reluctant to let the fools know it.

* But they weren't always best of friends. Thomas says they were "never rivals," but at one point, Gingrich participated in a coup that would have displaced Thomas as the ranking member of the House Administration Committee. Why? Some thought Thomas had become too cozy with Democrats. The coup failed, and Thomas went on to become the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and one of the most powerful men in Congress.

"I won't fall down and roll over because he's the Speaker and he says I'm supposed to," Thomas told the Los Angeles Times in a 1995 interview. "The rocky times are behind us. He tried to remove me and ... I beat him flat out. So he had to figure out a way to deal with me."

* They both left Congress with plenty of tread on their tires. Gingrich resigned as speaker of the House -- in fact, he left Congress entirely -- following the Republicans' embarrassing losses of 1998. The ethics violations left a stain on his record that seemed, at the time, quite permanent. Thomas went on to serve until 2007, when he opted against seeking a 15th term.

* Their post-Congress careers have been generally fruitful. Thomas was initially coy about his plans, saying he would make himself available. Some thought that meant an appointment from President George W. Bush. But most believed he would cash in on his extensive congressional clout by becoming a lobbyist.

Today, both call themselves consultants, and both have been associated with think tanks, including the American Enterprise Institute.

* Neither man ever left. Thomas has moved back to Bakersfield but he remains in the thick of things in Washington. He continues to shuttle between coasts. As recently as March 2011, The Washington Post acknowledged that "the Republican House that Bill Thomas Built" still stands much as he left it. And, of course, Newt never got out of Washington, either. He lives with his third wife, a former congressional aide of his, in suburban Virginia.

All of this puts Thomas in a unique position to judge Gingrich's chances -- and his worthiness to be president. He won't bite. Thomas won't even attempt to handicap the race for the nomination. But he does admit Gingrich has the sort of staying power he'll need to remain viable until the end.

"In a marathon, the runners all start at the same time and people tend to fall out along the way," Thomas said. "There's one or two who tend to stumble into the stadium at the end. All of the other non-Romneys failed somewhere along the way. But Newt's there, and he'll continue to be there. Maybe that's because he's not just another non-Romney. He's his own guy. He's been around, and he's been scrutinized."

That's an interesting take. Essentially, Thomas seems to be saying, we've already beaten the guy up so thoroughly there are no bruise-free places to bruise. I'm not sure I buy it; many younger voters know little about Gingrich, except that he's not Romney and certainly not Barack Obama. They have yet to hear all the dirt. And they will.

Ah, but perhaps there's a certain charm in that.

"Newt's like an old shoe, one that could probably use a new sole, but probably pretty comfortable," Thomas said. "He would be a knowledgeable president. If supposedly you learn by your mistakes, he would be one to have learned a lot."

That can be said of many presidential candidates, of course, but there's little question Gingrich's learning curve has been steeper than most. Thomas can verify that, having had a front-row seat for most of the climb.

Email Editorial Page Editor Robert Price at rprice@bakersfield.com.