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Good Newt

As A Historian

By: Dan McLaughlin (Diary)  |  December 19th, 2011 at 12:47 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

As we all know by now, there’s Good Newt and there’s Bad Newt. If you want the full Good Newt experience, check out this speech he gave to the NRA convention back in April. If you don’t have time for the full 26-minute speech, watch from around the 5:18 mark to about the 14:30 mark. It’s spellbinding.

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COMMENTS

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  • Mike Krempasky

    That is Good Newt. More of that, please.

  • Common_Cents

    Does he brainstorm and get off on tangents as a thinker, historian? yep. But he’s so well grounded in the significant lessons of history, making it less likely to repeat its mistakes, and more likely to pursue its successes.

    Nearly everyone focuses on his brainstorm tangents, nobody acknowledges his actual accomplishments. Who can name a more accomplished conservative in modern day, second to Reagan?

    Those who bash Gingrich haven’t even taken the time to review his specific plans once elected. They stick to the noise laid out by the establishment.

  • Common_Cents

    SOUTH CAROLINA TALKER ? GINGRICH HAS MORE PAID STAFF THAN ROMNEY: ?Palmetto State GOP insiders seem to agree that Romney has not laid enough political groundwork in the state should he need to a strong showing in the January 21 primary,? CNN?s Peter Hamby reports. ?Romney has just three paid staffers in the state and one campaign office in West Columbia. Gingrich, who leads Romney by a wide margin in the most recent polls, has five offices in the state and 12 paid staffers. -politico 12/19

    • tomatin

      We may have the first GOP nomination in history where IA and NH just don’t matter and I think that would be a great development for the nomination process. My only fear is the GOP establishment types will fall in line with Romney after a most likely victory in NH.

      Like I said in an earlier post since 1980 the SC primary has predicted the eventual GOP nominee 100% of the time because that’s where the base lives.

      • Common_Cents

        He just has to finish in top 3 to gain ground troops/support/money from those that drop out. He could come close to Romney in NH which would almost be a win since expectations were for Romney to dominate NewtHampshire. Then comes his firewall in SC. SC has picked the nominee for several elections.

        • Scope

          Gingrich can do all the bus tours he wants in Iowa. He doesn’t have any money to anything beyond that. The major influx of negative ads against him in Iowa will far outweigh his bus tour.

        • bzip

          Hey CC maybe you could get Newt to explain these items while on his mystery tour:

          December 19, 2011
          Liberal watchdog group: Gingrich used campaign funds for personal gain
          http://dailycaller.com/2011/12/19/liberal-watchdog-group-gingrich-used-campaign-funds-for-personal-gain/

          Nearly half of Newt Gingrich?s campaign debt is from private airplanes
          http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/15/nearly-half-newt-ginrichs-debt-is-from-private-airplanes/

          “FEC reports released Friday show that former Speaker Newt Gingrich?s campaign has $1,030,627.82 in debt.”

          • captkirc

            CREW?s Worst Governors report”

            Since it’s like, totally cool now, to attack Republican candidates with releases by “Liberal” watchdog groups here are some more of that very same group’s totally credible and unbiased “concerns” about Rick Perry”

            Allegedly disregarded campaign finance laws and aided a business that was especially generous to his campaign
            Refused to operate transparently, and has blocked access to information related to a death penalty case
            Rejected federal stimulus funds in a manner that appeared to put partisan politics ahead of the interests of the citizens of Texas
            Has perpetuated the revolving door between government and special interests
            Accepted travel and campaign donations from a business that received benefits from his official actions
            Used campaign funds for a personal trip with questionable relevance to his campaign for office

            Maybe in-between parroting Liberal watchdog group’s accusations against Newt Gingrich you can ask Governor Perry why a liberal watchdog group is saying mean things about him.

          • Xasteius

            If only all governors did that!

  • beric

    I’ve watched most of his speeches of the past year over the past few weeks. This guy is the ideas man of the party, quite literally. He’s innovating in the same way Reagan did – thinking outside of the box to find conservative solutions. He’s also technologically, scientifically, and historically literate in the way no other candidate in the race is. As a conservative in college in CA, looking to enter the tech industry, this is especially appealing. And he’s an ENTJ (if any of you know Myers-Briggs personality typology), and we need more conservative N’s in government.

    I’m looking past his few flaws, just like Reagan had a few. Gingrich in engaging people with thinking about conservative IDEAS (not just principles), which I haven’t seen a candidate do in my time.

    • Scope

      but what exactly have you seen “in your time” to cause you to support Newt? Is it his idea to use mirrors in space to light America’s highways at night? Maybe it’s his idea to have honeymoons on the moon. Just askin’.

      • conservativecurmudgeon

        Did you watch the video?

        Newt Gingrich has forgotten more about this nation’s founding, (and our first principles and their historical context, our traditions and roots) than the entire Democrat party has ever KNOWN. And, I think we do our American conservative movement no good when we condescendingly (and with much snark) dismiss our serious, thoughtful leaders with toss-off comments.

        This election season isn’t a game. This is no joke. Our society is crumbling, and we need authoritative, eloquent, articulate leaders. And the more we tear at the fabric of our candidates, the more it damages the battle as a whole. I will point out that solar collectors in space were given serious thought by NASA and others, and that Newt found it an interesting proposition is certainly no more ridiculous than, say, Mitt Romney thinking it was suave to pose with dollar bills sticking out of his nose, or Rick Perry hanging out with Al Gore.

        Speaker Gingrich is, without question, the most substantive GOP Presidential candidate to come along in a generation… now, whether or not you agree with the substance, that’s another matter. But I defy you to find ANYONE of major national prominence to speak so adroitly, so authoritatively, completely off the cuff for half an hour, on an issue that is at the heart of our national debate.

        Hell, John Boehner can’t speak for two sentences without saying “uhh” ten times. The fact is, very, very few people in or out of the GOP have the ingrained thought-process of a movement-style conservative than Newt Gingrich.

        • barleycorn

          Thanks for taking the time to swat down a non-serious snark from a drone-bot.

          Its takes energy but it is necessary.

          • Scope

            than to join your club of dumb-bots.

        • Scope

          but only you own that opinion. You do not speak for me, or for those that see the dangers of a Gingrich presidency, despite your ideas to the contrary.

          BTW- While my comment may have been snarky, the ideas I mentioned above are in fact ideas that crossed Newt Gingrich’s lips. Newt could write some bestsellers for the SciFi section in the bookstores, and that is what he should stick to.

        • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

          Good Newt is indeed everything you said.

        • lineholder

          I’m of the same mind that you are that this is not a joke! We’re fighting for our nation’s future here. Our backs are to the wall. We need all the allies we can get in the battle. And there’s a point where gutting our own ultimately defeats the purpose.

          We’re faced with a lot of challenges. We do need a significant amount of creativity and ingenuity, not to mention a massive amount of determination and perseverance, to overcome the challenges we’re facing.

          We need strong individuals who can present themselves as leaders in a way that inspires the American people to face those challenges head on!

          One of the things that I respect the most about Newt is that he has the ability to articulate himself very well. That’s important…it’s important to be able to articulate a vision of where we go from here.

  • johnconradarens

    …and tell me this man can’t win.

    Forget the garbage– Newt Gingrich is a great American.

  • Scope

    and said that he is the reincarnation of Reagan.

  • williamjameson

    should not legislate from the bench. Screw what the media think cuzz they want your guns confiscated so big gov can really screw us over.

  • tricianc

    Guess who advocated and fought to implement Mandates, National Health
    Records and Comparative Effectiveness Rearch in the Stimulus and Obamacare?

    Newt Gingrich!

    Here’s his own Op-ed in 2008 written with a Democrat that worked with him to get these. Newt was making millions off it too, all the while, we were fighting against them.

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/28/next-president-must-put-health-in-health-care/?page=all

    The last 4 paragraphs of this article are particularly enlightening and can be corraborated: http://nyti.ms/t29THI

    Read the whole article but here’s the last 4 paragraphs:

    “When The Wall Street Journal editorial board, in January 2009, criticized
    the bill for creating a Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research, Newt’s Center was there to defend it. The Journal
    argued that eventually ?the comparative effectiveness outfit will start to
    ration care to control costs.? In a statement for the center, Mr. Merritt
    had said that while those fears were understandable, ?that argument is not
    currently justifiable in the specific language of the bill.?

    The following August, however, the coordinating council came in for added
    scrutiny as conservative health care opponents rallied against its creation
    in angry town-hall-style meetings and online, playing into fears of ?death
    panels.?

    Around the same time, Mr. Gingrich reversed his call for a ?comparative
    effectiveness institute.?

    ?In our country, the road to dehumanizing, bureaucratic health care rationing,? Mr. Gingrich wrote in Human Events, a conservative publication,
    that August, ?begins with something called comparative effectiveness
    research.?

    So Newt is LYING on his Flip Flop. You don’t work for years for something, making millions off it at our expense, especially when we fought it so hard, enduring the ridule and sacrifices we made, and then when there’s outrage, and you’re going to run for President, change. NO NEWT, NO WAY!

  • Common_Cents

    Newt Kids on the Block keep turning out for Gingrich. He is still going strong despite undergoing the worst attacks during the primary from all sides. any lesser candidate would have imploded.

    “Don Wildmon, the founder and chairman of the American Family Association, announced his support for Gingrich on Tuesday. The group, which promotes conservative Christian values and has a nationwide radio network of more than 180 stations, is a coup for Gingrich, who has struggled to convince conservative voters to overlook a past that includes multiple divorces and admitted marital infidelity.

    “Newt Gingrich recognizes the threat to our country posed by judges and lawyers imposing values upon the country inconsistent with our religious heritage, and has proposed constitutional steps to bring the courts back in balance under the Constitution,? Wildmon said in a statement.

    ?We need someone in the White House who can balance the budget and get the economy moving again. Newt has done it before and I believe he can do it again. I am proud to endorse Newt Gingrich for president.?

    Wildmon will campaign with Gingrich in Iowa in the coming weeks.

    Gingrich also earned the endorsement of Iowa Speaker of the House Kraig Paulsen, an important ally considering Gingrich’s relatively weak organization in the state. Gingrich has struggled to build a ground operation after early campaign chaos led to a departure of key staff and mounting debt.

    ?We need a president who is ready to lead and, more importantly, ready to release the energy of the American people and American spirit,? Paulsen said in a statement.

    Paulsen joins Iowa House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer and Speaker Pro Tempore Jeff Kaufmann in providing Gingrich top allies in the state House as he looks to regain momentum.”

    http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/200447-gingrich-wins-endorsements-from-american-family-association-iowa-speaker

    • onemovoter

      The founder of American Family Assoc. was the one who endorsed Newt, not the Association itself. The association is remaining neutral. It is interesting to note that Newt had run a fundraising event a year ago which brought in $125k for the Association. I’m sure though that such a large amount had nothing to do with the endorsement, right?

  • znjs

    It’s getting pretty clear he’s in this for the money, not winning. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gingrichs-sale-of-mailing-list-unlawful-watchdog-group-charges/2011/12/19/gIQArh3s4O_story.html
    (it’s also possibly illegal because the list wasn’t properly listed as an asset in a form or some other nonsense that really doesn’t matter). It’s not unusual to see a campaign hire a company that the candidate owns to do some work for the campaign, but a direct payment to the candidate over a mailing list? And when you see the other stuff he spends his money on instead of things like ads in Iowa where he needs to do well? Do we have to keep pretending that this campaign is about anything other then Newt?

    The worst part about it is that he sucks oxygen out of the room that should be going to the other candidates that are actually interested in the job instead of padding their own bottom line.

    • beric

      He didn’t own it himself, personally. Therefore, a charge is perfectly reasonable.

      • znjs

        “Mailing lists are routinely bought and sold by political campaigns, but the Gingrich case is unusual because the campaign says it paid the candidate personally for the list. Most such lists are owned by a political committee or group rather than by the candidate themselves…[Gingrich campaign spokesman R.C. ] Hammond said that Gingrich himself ? not any of the firms he previously headed ? owned the list and that failing to note the payment had been an oversight.”

        Next justification?

        • beric

          Not much else anyone can say right now on this specific issue, it appears.

          Regardless, selling books a campaigning a the same event is perfectly legal, as long as he keeps the funds for each separate.

          • znjs

            Unless someone else in the campaign is claiming that it was owned by a company Newt operates. It looks pretty clear Newt owns the list and wouldn’t even donate that to his own campaign.

            Just to be clear my concerns have nothing to do with whether it’s legal or not or whether all the proper paperwork is filled out. My concern is that Newt is running a sham campaign to earn money for himself. Most candidates as wealthy as Newt dig into their own pockets to help their campaign out. Newt won’t even give his a mailing list for free? And while I don’t normally complain about someone trying to earn a buck, in this case it’s sucking all the oxygen away from candidates who are more concerned about the future of this country then their wallet. That’s a pretty rotten thing to do.