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Newt Gingrich has a Mitt Romney problem.

By: constitutional (Diary)  |  November 14th, 2011 at 12:47 PM  | 

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  • conservativeparrothead

    Does the Heritage Foundation have a Obamacare problem? The reality is that if these candidates were in congress in 1993 trying to come up with an alternative to Hillarycare, they too would be accused of supporting an individual mandate because that WAS the conservative position in 1993.

    With regards to Mitt, I dont think healthcare in Mass is really the issue, I think its a large part of a narrative. If Mitt said: We were a state, we tried it, if I had it to do over again, I would say it probably isnt going to work long term. He might be OK, but its just the long line of positional shifts which makes people wonder, plus what great conservative agenda ideas does he put forward on particular issues?

    • constitutional

      So, if twenty years ago the ‘conservative’ position was putting into law something absurd-like, a pornography ban–we would be accepting that?

      This is absurd. He CONTINUES to support it. I do not care if Ronald Reagan came back to life and said ‘I want a damn individual mandate!’ The fact is that it is NOT conservative.

      Also, I think you’re completely incorrect on Mitt’s Mess in MA–it is absolutely an issue! Putting the same thing Obama did into law at a state level is no different. I am sorry, but if you are saying that Mitt’s law is fine, but Obama’s is not, it would be clear to me there is nothing more than a dislike for Obama; not his policies.

      • heraklios

        Newt led the fight against Jim Wright, tony Cuehlo and for the Contract for America. He gave the GOP its first House majority in 40 years. Newt has a lot of flaws but not being a conservative is not one of them!

      • heraklios

        Newt led the fight against Jim Wright, tony Cuehlo and for the Contract for America. He gave the GOP its first House majority in 40 years. Newt has a lot of flaws but not being a conservative is not one of them!

        • pttx333

          conservative view with which I agree and which he verbalizes perfectly, he can also have loose-cannon moments where he seems to be completely off his rocker.

      • conservativeparrothead

        But lets just say, he didnt have this “flip flop” on every issue it took to win in Mass but now cant win a Republican primary, and his only “issue” was the Healthcare Law in Massachusetts.

        I think if he wanted to say, it was a mistake and here are the specifics why it was a mistake and why its not working for Mass (system is running deficits) and why it wont work for the country, I think that is something that would serve him well, the problem that he has is that he has flipped on everything he did in Massachusetts thats a campaign issue, and so it seems part of a larger narrative.

        • constitutional

          But I have no clue what you just said.

          A flip-flop is a flip-flop..this man has no positions.

          • conservativeparrothead

            My point (and let me be clear, Im not a Romney supporter) is that if he had a solid consistent record on issues without flip flopping on seemingly every issue that is important to conservatives, however, had passed this bill as Governor. I think it wouldnt be as big of an issue for him.

            But the fact he has flip flopped on so much, makes his ability to talk with credbility about why this health care was the wrong choice, is very hollow to many because of his position changes on so many issues.

  • constitutional

    I remember back in early October I was quick to point out Mr. Cain was not a conservative and was told ‘no one will ever doubt his conservatism.’ Well..

    Let me just point out that if we’re going to ignore the fact that the guy supported both an individual mandate and TARP.. we should just re-elect Obama and move to Greece.

  • Spartan4Life

    I like Newt. I like having him in the debate. He has many smart ideas. I like the fact he calls out the moronic media. I like that he does not attack other Republicans.

    But ever since I heard about him taking $300K from Freddie Mac as a “consultant” I have been bothered by it. That sounds more like a payoff to me.

  • wonkish1

    Newt in a speech I watched back in 2009 mentioned them approaching him for his advise on some things and that his answer was near verbatim what he delivered at the CNBC debate.

    It may have been Newt’s guest lecture to Carville’s Tulane Class now that I think about it or I may have confused it with a different one. Just search Newt and Tulane on youtube and check for yourself. Even if that wasn’t the speech he brought it up in its a pretty interesting watch.

    And why in the hell would Freddie Mac “payoff” Newt he wasn’t even in Congress and he called them crooks and idiots on a regular basis starting in mid 2008.

  • constitutional

    Every other liberal thing he has done–TARP, Individual Mandate–I do not really care.

  • wonkish1

    But also keep in mind that it was Newt as the lone voice railing against the TARP bill before the first vote that many people believe was key to it being voted down the first time in the house.

    Then as Newt later pointed out some businessmen and economists that Newt respected came to him and told him that the sky would fall if TARP wasn’t passed and he ‘blinked’.

    The house got rid of the liberal add on’s to the bill and added some extra conservative details and Newt came on television and said he would regrettably vote for it if he was in the house at the time.

    Only 3 months later he said it was a mistake to listen to those businessmen and economists when he turned, but “that you assume very, very intelligent people who you have trusted in the past to know enough about the situation to give good advice on TARP.” But this time everybody blinked.

    At least he actually came out in the beginning and railed against the bill publicly. Not even the most conservative members of congress(outside of Mike Pence) come out and mutter a peep nor any of the other candidates.

    So I wouldn’t use TARP as something to attack Newt on. The key ones are still the ones that people bring up on here all of the time.

    Couch and Dede!

  • constitutional

    Give me a break.So, let me ask this.

    If Barack Obama rallied against raising taxes for two years and finally blinked because his liberal economists told him to do so, should we consider him an-anti tax raiser?

    Fact is: what’s to say the man that made this choice then, won’t again? And it is only backed up by all of his other failings. Like, oh I don’t know–the individual mandate?

    It is frankly sickening to hear a conservative person defend TARP and defend the individual mandate when you know quite well that if Barack Obama did the same thing you would say it was ‘appalling.’

  • wonkish1

    I’m not defending TARP nor the individual mandate. And neither is Newt or TARP.

    Your dealing with the person who posted so far the most definitive diary on here on Newt’s baggage and I have given him a quite a lot of well deserved criticism in the past.

    As someone that has followed Newt considerably in the past I was watching TARP play out(also because I work in finance and was glued to the screen back then) and what Newt was doing. I sincerely doubt you were because you wouldn’t be bringing it up if you did. The man almost single handedly took down the bill so I would do yourself a favor a focus on something that deserves more scorn than that.

    As I said before the two biggest baggage criticisms of Newt were Dede and the Couch because there really is no excuse for them.

    But the attempt to go after him for TARP or the individual mandate is either A) someone who is clueless to the nature of what was going on at the time and how Newt related to it or B) is some candi-bot running around trying to score what ever attacks they can land regardless if they have much merit.

  • constitutional

    The fact of the matter is that words might mean nothing to some, but they do to me. I hold Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich to the same standard. Newt Gingrich supported TARP–bottom line. Secondly, he supported the individual mandate.

    I do not care if I have to say it over and over again until everyone realizes this: no matter when, where or who, a person who supports the individual mandate is not worthy of our nomination.

    No real conservative can go out protesting against ObamaCare yet endorse Newt Gingrich and his individual mandate.