Newt Gingrich: Hey, what about my flat-tax plan?

Hotair ^ | 10/25/2011 | Ed Morrissey

[SeekAndFind]

RE: I prefer Paul’s plan. Eliminate the IRS. Take the income tax rate to zero.

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And then what? Surely Ron Paul isn’t advocating ZERO government. If not, how does he intend to fund what he believes is necessary? By what means?

Talk is cheap, what’s Ron Paul’s plan?

[SeekAndFind]

RE: I think Paul’s plan (eliminating the IRS) is good, but I don’t like much else about him.

______________________

OK, so he eliminates the IRS...

And then what? Surely Ron Paul isn’t advocating ZERO government. If not, how does he intend to fund what he believes is necessary? By what means if we have no income tax?

What’s Ron Paul’s plan?

[Prokopton]

So Perry’s plan is basically Gingrich’s plan with some minor tweaks? Hey Rick, why did it take you so long to copy Newt’s plan? Looks like you copuld have done this in a few hours.

[Prokopton]

copuld = could.

[jpsb]

"Hey Newt, first tell us how to fix the wreckage from the housing bubble that you helped create...crickets."

A few details on how Newt created the housing bubble would be nice. Just saying .....

[livius]

There are other ways of collecting taxes. The Fair Tax is basically a sales tax. It may be high, but there’s no income tax. Obviously, there are a lot of details to be worked out.

But I don’t like any plan that has (a) both an income tax AND a sales tax; or (b) an income tax that may be manipulated to look lower but is only going to get higher.

As long as there is an income tax, any kind of income tax (especially one deducted before most people ever even see the income), it will get higher and higher and higher.

[Paradox]

Newt debating Obama.. that alone would crush the big O. Newt’s chances of winning the general are, at this point, I think as good as anyone elses. Thats one of the reasons I am leaning more and more towards Newt.

[Gator113]

Agreed.

If the election were held today, Newt would get my vote.

[RightFighter]

I am very much leaning towards supporting Newt. I sent him a small amount the other day, and I talked to my parents, and found that my Dad is leaning the same way. We hadn’t even talked about it or the debates, so I found that interesting.

I do think that Newt needs to come out and acknowledge the baggage that he has. I’ll be the last person to condemn him for any of it, but he can’t go around talking about “Calista and I” all the time as if they are somehow the poster couple of marriages. I think he could find a way to do it in the form of a speech that would be well received and would insulate him from a lot of the criticism that will come his way. I honestly think Newt could get the nomination without doing that, but he wouldn’t want to be asked about it for the first time at a debate with Obama, who looks like a family values advocate compared to Newt. If he acknowledges it now and speaks openly and honestly about it, then if it comes down to him getting the nomination, he can always just say, “well, I discussed this in my speech in November, and I don’t have much to add to that, except that I’m grateful that I’ve been given a chance to show that I have learned from my mistakes.”

[Politicalmom]

He already did a mea culpa. He went on Pat Robertson’s show and explained that his vast patriotism caused him to cheat on his wives.

And then there’s his “middle of the road on amnesty” speech from last week.

[cnsmom]

I too sent Newt a little money and last month I started talking Newt up to friends. I live in liberal Montgomery Cty, MD the most liberal county in the USA. You can’t even smoke in your own condo and no santa either. Anyway, at first everyone told me a was crazy in the head to consider Newt. Lately, ppl are listening and I’m not appearing so far fetched anymore. My aunt, who is a Michigan delegate, listened to my argument for Newt yesterday and was surprised by how much she didn’t know about Newt. I argee the personel stuff hurts him a bit especially with women but these are scary times. We dont have much time to fix everything if we can get a real conversative pres and large majorities in senate and house the USA has a chance. This isnt the time to play it safe. The media is scared of Newt too.

[jageorge72]

Agree.... the buzz about Newt seems to be increasing quite a bit. I have been on this website for a while, and it was so over-the-top anti-Newt Gingrich it was ridiculous. But lately.... it seems a LOT of people here are giving Newt a second look. All the candidates have flaws, but Newt’s positives far outweigh his negatives. ...and the fact he will trail Obama around the country demanding he commit to the seven, 3-hour Lincoln Douglas debates just shows how much confidence he has that he can clearly win the argument in front of the entire country. No other candidate would attempt such a thing.

[wilco200]

“And then what? Surely Ron Paul isn’t advocating ZERO government. If not, how does he intend to fund what he believes is necessary? By what means?”

Like I said use it as the open bargaining point. Maybe we end up settling somewhere between 10%-15% flat tax. Better than starting at 20% and going up from there. With all the deductions, many people already pay less than 20%.

[cricket]

In fact, he’s the only one who seems to get it.

Sadly; Newt is the only one of those running who 'gets it'. We are fortunate to have a candidate who needs no 'on the job training'; a Conservative with a 'vision' plan for America's recovery and he is dismissed out of hand; in favor, of what seems; almost a 'designer' candidate option.

Is Newt perfect; no. ..but he is far more perfect than the rest of what is our ill-equipped - by comparison - candidates.

The sheer shallowness of our Party, right now; is pathetic. IMHO. . .

[moonhawk]

Exactly—

But Newt’s “baggage” starts to look pretty small compared to the problems of the other candidates. Especially when you consider his good points.

[tdscpa]

Newt does not “Get it”. He might as well go back to the couch with Nancy Pelosi.

I could never vote for him. Just another RINO.

[throwback]

Google “Newt Gingrich Fannie Mae” or go read “Reckless Endangerment”. It's why I think you don't see much discussion in the Republican debates about who did what that led to the meltdown in ‘08. Bush supposedly tried to rein it in, but at the same time you can find him at signing ceremonies where down payment standards were reduced. Most R's like big government just like D's.

[cricket]

Well, did not like his 'Pelosi' moment; but that was then. . .and now we are facing an opposition that is truly America's worst serpent. From what Newt says; he does get it; and certainly and for certain; the rest of the Rino bunch does not. Perhaps you can name a candidate that you might support who does not have some checks in the 'debit' side of our politics.

Most importantly; he knows our history; and the choices we must make to insure we do not repeat the worst of it. Newt does recognize America's enemies.

[jpsb]

I did a little googling and did not find much, Newt left Congress in 1998 almost 14 years ago, 10 years before the melt down. I am not buying Newt is responsible for the Fannie Freddie mess.

[throwback]

Per "Reckless Endangerment", February, 1995:

There to celebrate the Fannie Mae commitment was none other than Newt Gingrich..."Fannie Mae is an excellent example of a former government institution fulfilling its mandate while functioning in the market economy. Fannie Mae has had a regional presence in Atlanta for over 40 years and the announcement of a partnership office demonstrates it's continued commitment to affordable housing in the Atlanta metropolitan area."

Newt's just a big government guy. Makes sense. Why would anybody be interested in reducing the importance of their life's work? Why didn't Republicans disarm this bomb all the years they had control? For the same reason Newt gave this speech at a Fannie Mae event.