Posted on 11/16/2011 5:48:01 AM PST by rabscuttle385
On issues such as Social Security, taxes and environmental regulation, the Newt Gingrich of the 1980s and 1990s is proving to be a problem for the 2012 presidential hopeful, who promises to fundamentally transform Washington.
From appearing in a television ad advocating global-warming awareness with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to backing the 1986 amnesty for illegal immigrants to his early support for an individual mandate requiring Americans to purchase health insurance, Mr. Gingrich’s past is sprinkled with positions that cause some conservatives heartburn.
Mr. Gingrich earlier this year waved off the Pelosi ad as “probably the single dumbest thing I’ve done in years.” And he now talks tough on immigration, calling for stiffer border security and demanding that English be made the country’s official language.
More recently, Mr. Gingrich vowed during a campaign swing through South Carolina last week to stop Congress from borrowing Social Security funds to balance the federal budget, saying it amounts to balancing the books at the expense of “American workers” and “retirees.”
But he failed to mention that’s what happened on his watch as speaker of the House from 1995 through 1998, when lawmakers used more than $371 billion in Social Security funds to balance the federal ledger and produce the overall budget surpluses that he now uses as proof that he is ready to “profoundly change” Washington.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Disqualified! So, who are you for?
badda bing;)
Newt is suspect on climate and healthcare and has a penchant for being easily distracted by bright shiny objects. But even so he is my second choice to Perry because he is head and shoulders above Paul, Romney and Cain.
Why isn’t he being called the flip flop king? Cain MUST be our candidate as he is the only one with principles (besides Santorum and Bachmann). Why are we settling for the lesser conservative (if he is even one). For amnesty, for global warming, serial adultery, Obama will have so much fun with him.
Hmm, now they are after Newt. Must feel threatened.
Newt will say ANYTHING.
“At times in my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard, and that things happened in my life that were not appropriate.”
Hilarious! It’s like my joke answer for the old job interview question—what’s your biggest flaw?
My biggest flaw is that sometimes I care too much and simply work too hard. lol
If he enters public service again—like as the POTUS—would he revert back to his more conservative ways is an important question.
Presently,he is trying to convince us he will.
Newt has to fight his inner demoms (liberal tendencies)
Newt Romney?
A flip-flopper? That’s okay, as long as he isn’t Romney.
Good grief! I know many people whose ideas have changed with regard to the political direction of this nation. Many people have begun to SEE how pervasive and persistent the leftist agenda really has been in the last 50 years or so.
My father-in-law did not have much formal education, but was a very wise man. He used to frequently say that, “A wise man sometimes changes his mind, but a damned fool never does.”
I was for Newt, before I was against Newt. Now I’m for Newt. That makes me a flip-flop-flipper.
Ah, another hit-and-run post from Rabbitscuttle. You are probably thinking about now, “gee, Palin’s looking better all the time. I wish I had spent more time supporting her than bashing her”. Of course, we don’t really know what you think since you tend to find an article highly critical of a republican, post it, and split.
For me, the important thing isn’t what a candidate has thought in the past, but rather what he will do NOW. Newt has a history of following through w/ what he says he will do, for better or worse.
I like what he says he will do NOW. He’s pissed me off more than once in the past, but that’s somewhat irrelevant in relation to what he can do now & the fact that his positions have changed.
As I’ve “seasoned” over the years, my positions have changed, & sometimes rather diametrically. That’s ok. It’s called maturation. Newt has admitted he’s matured on a number of fronts. If I believe him, which I do, that’s all that matters.
People CAN change. Look at David Horowitz. How about even the Heritage Foundation? They actually helped Romney craft Romneycare. The Heritage Foundation is where Newt got a lot of his views on the health mandate. Both have changed their views. That’s ok.
Ron Paul. :)
Indeed it does. I was against Newt at the start of the campaign season when he announced his Presidency bid, still against Newt when all his major staffers quit on him and he faded into the background, and STILL against Newt now that he rebounded and some conservatives are buying the B.S. that he's the conservative savior because he debates well.
That makes me consistent.
And it answers the question "where did all these Newt bashers come from?" I've been here all along, and certainly am not a Johnny-come-lately to criticizing Newt. I just have to be more vocal about it now that there's a conservative lovefest going on with him. I will crticize any phony "conservative" candidate that should not be nominated. This means that Trump fans, Perry fans, and now Gingrich fans will all scream "hater" and "purist" at me simply because their favorite candidate is not on my acceptable candidate list.
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