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Newt's Progressive Conservatism
jenkuznicki.com ^ | 11/12/11 | Jen Kuznicki

Posted on 11/13/2011 2:48:36 AM PST by jenk

What are we to believe about Newt Gingrich's recent admission that his commercial with Nancy Pelosi in 2008 was the, "dumbest single thing," he has done in years.

Conservatives agree that it was dumb, in fact, infuriating. Gingrich has for years suggested that he is a staunch, combative conservative.

This week, the Daily Caller reported on a segment on Fox News where Newt was a guest and said,

“First of all, that is probably the dumbest single thing I’ve done in years,” Gingrich said. “It is inexplicable that somebody used to say, ‘You know, there aren’t enough hay wagons to stand on to get people to understand that.’ You just need to relax and go, that was dumb.”

Panelist Charles Krauthammer asked Gingrich if he was being held hostage when the ad was filmed. Gingrich responded that he just made a mistake.

“No, that was dumb,” Gingrich said. “I was trying to do something I failed to do. I do think it’s important for conservative to be in the middle of the debate over the environment.”

With that explanation, for many conservatives, Newt saved himself. But what did he actually say? He did not apologize for stepping off the platform, he did not tell us he had a change of heart. Krauthammer asked if he was held hostage, presumably to point out that Gingrich was giving the impression he did not agree with the commercial. When Newt speaks, you have to very carefully listen to his words.

He did not say that he thought the commercial was a waste of time, nor did he say that he disagrees with the message from the couch, "we do agree that our country must take action to address climate change." Instead he responded, "I was trying to do something I failed to do."

What did he mean by that?

Newt, "ran for Congress in 1974 against Jack Flynt, an eleven-term incumbent. Gingrich went door-to-door with a new brand of progressive conservatism, emphasizing environmental issues and the need to end corruption in government. Gingrich charged that the Democrats had been in power so long that it had led them to become arrogant and unresponsive to the needs of their constituents. Although Gingrich lost the 1974 race against Flynt and another one in 1976, he gained strength with each campaign and began to be recognized as a formidable opponent. In 1978 Flynt chose to retire rather than run again against the energetic Gingrich, who was at last successful in getting elected to Congress."

Perhaps the progressive conservatism that began his career has always been part of his agenda. He has written a book, "Contract With The Earth" which, according to him is a, "pro-market, pro-entrepreneur, innovative environmentalism." That description of his own book could be why he said, "somebody used to say, ‘You know, there aren’t enough hay wagons to stand on to get people to understand that.’ You just need to relax and go, that was dumb."

What Newt told Fox News is that he does still believe government has a role in addressing climate change, and that he took somebody's advice to call the commercial dumb.

He did not tell us that his progressive conservatism has ended.


TOPICS: Government; History; Politics
KEYWORDS: agw; conservatism; environmentalism; globalwarming; newt; progressive; scam
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To: cripplecreek

Our choices suck, majorly suck. This is the absolute worst lot to ever run for Pres. (Thanks Sarah)

For all of Newt’s latest progressive leanings, didn’t he actually lead as a conservative? I look at his actual record and I see a balanced budget, welfare reform and an historic GOP majority.

I think he loves this country, unlike a certain current man in the whitehouse (I can’t call him my president)and he is the only one who actually can undo Obama’s mess... if he really wants to.

We will have to keep Newt on the conservative track but I think he has the makings of a good president.

Of the hand we’ve been dealt, I think he is the only qualified candidate.

Cain is conservative but honestly, congress will run all over him. He has handled this SH mess horribly, and he fell apart in this debate. And 999 - ugh.

Newt will be good on the supreme court appointments and he will be tough on radical islam. To me, those are the 2 biggest issues.

Amnesty is one of my top issues and I don’t trust any of them on that issue. I hate these politicians. The illegals are at the base of so many of our problems. #1 being unemployment of American citizens.

Just getting the communist out of the whitehouse will improve the economy, so the candidates are pretty much equal to me on that issue.


21 posted on 11/13/2011 4:31:43 AM PST by Reagan69 (I supported Sarah Palin and all I got was a lousy DVD !)
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To: Reagan69

I don’t trust him and won’t vote for him.


22 posted on 11/13/2011 4:33:46 AM PST by cripplecreek (A vote for Amnesty is a vote for a permanent Democrat majority. ..Choose well.)
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To: Loud Mime
The goal is to win an election. No matter who wins the republican slot, I will back them 100%. I don’t care if our candidate is ideologically impure, it is the cost defeating tyranny.

I agree. There's no guarantee we will pick up the Senate, or even keep the house. The unions and leftie ACORN clones will go all out to "win" this time, and the Holder InJustice Department will aid and abet their fraud any way possible. Think about an Obama second term with Reid and Pelosi running things again, and Obama replacing a conservative SCOTUS member with a leftie.

23 posted on 11/13/2011 4:33:51 AM PST by Hugin ("Most time a man'll tell you his bad intentions if you listen and let yourself hear"--Open Range)
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To: Reagan69

i really think women will have a hard time voting for him, and he was such a posterboy for taking down Clinton, he will not get many Reagan Dems.


24 posted on 11/13/2011 4:35:29 AM PST by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin and the Constitution.)
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To: jenk

What..


25 posted on 11/13/2011 4:35:43 AM PST by Earthdweller (Harvard won the election again...so what's the problem.......? Embrace a ruler today.)
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To: jenk

I keep thinking how much more interesting these debates would have been with Sarah and Huck in them.

Newt has mentioned West and Bolton for prime spots in his administration. Sounds pretty cool to me.


26 posted on 11/13/2011 4:36:28 AM PST by Reagan69 (I supported Sarah Palin and all I got was a lousy DVD !)
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To: Reagan69

SH mess? SH oh, sexual harassment? He didn’t sexually harass anyone. You are staring a Reaganite right in the face and you can’t see it. unreal.


27 posted on 11/13/2011 4:38:18 AM PST by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin and the Constitution.)
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To: cripplecreek

And I respect and completely understand that. I can’t blame anyone who doesn’t trust Newt... I don’t either. But I feel we don’t have much choice in this game.


28 posted on 11/13/2011 4:39:11 AM PST by Reagan69 (I supported Sarah Palin and all I got was a lousy DVD !)
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To: jenk

I did NOT say he harassed anyone. I don’t think he did and he is being “Clarence Thomas’d” but I don’t think he’s handled it well either.


29 posted on 11/13/2011 4:41:09 AM PST by Reagan69 (I supported Sarah Palin and all I got was a lousy DVD !)
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To: Earthdweller
this argument is about primary candidates, and you, and several other commenters just have this need to say, "I'll pick (x Republican candidate) over Obama."

duh

30 posted on 11/13/2011 4:42:51 AM PST by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin and the Constitution.)
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To: Reagan69

he was given a crap story, he wasn’t a party in the deal, yet he had to respond from memory a dozen years ago. I can’t think of any other way he could have handled it.


31 posted on 11/13/2011 4:45:07 AM PST by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin and the Constitution.)
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To: Darkwolf377
Pouting because some imaginary perfect candidate isn't running won't do it. So help, or get out of the way.

I'll second that.

32 posted on 11/13/2011 4:45:16 AM PST by TangoLimaSierra (To the left the truth looks Right-Wing.)
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To: TangoLimaSierra; Darkwolf377

so, you two can go vote for Romney, because he is who the RNC is feeding us. K?


33 posted on 11/13/2011 4:48:45 AM PST by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin and the Constitution.)
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To: Darkwolf377
"Pouting because some imaginary perfect candidate isn't running won't do it. So help, or get out of the way."

who is this comment supposed to be directed at, me?

34 posted on 11/13/2011 4:51:43 AM PST by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin and the Constitution.)
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To: muawiyah

“he really, really, really wants to be elected President. He will tell us anything and do anything to get the job. He will also tell everybody everything and do everything to keep the job if he gets it.”

Which is why I can’t trust either him or Romney - they both have the burning desire to be elected President, but not for any altruistic reason that I can see. Neither looks like a servant leader in the Reagan and Bush II mold.

Colonel, USAFR


35 posted on 11/13/2011 4:52:19 AM PST by jagusafr ("We hold these truths to be self-evident...")
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To: jenk
"i really think women will have a hard time voting for him"

I'm not looking to marry him, I just want to use his brain to clear out DC. Women can hold their noses if it's important enough..give us a little credit.

He married three women but otherwise strikes me as having a clean social slate. He strikes me as emotionally numb, kind of an Aspergers type neurology, which does not make for fun close relationships..it would be like being married to your computer hard drive.

I do not detect any viscous women hating in him or any appearance of being an obsessive player/user.

36 posted on 11/13/2011 4:53:17 AM PST by Earthdweller (Harvard won the election again...so what's the problem.......? Embrace a ruler today.)
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To: Earthdweller
He cheated on each wife for the next. Big difference, and I'm a woman too. It goes to his leadership style and his "frenetic" personality. He didn't clear out DC in the 90's, he resigned as Speaker.

It could be that you don't know enough about Newt, which is why I'm digging into him.

37 posted on 11/13/2011 4:58:06 AM PST by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin and the Constitution.)
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To: jenk
You make a mean point. I suppose I need to read over my own posts as well. I'm trying to convince myself that an emotionally vacant "Spock" would be good as the leader of human beings. Logic over emotions really does look good to me right now.

But in the long run, you can't govern that which you do not completely understand. Now look what you did, you've convinced me that he won't work..darn you.

38 posted on 11/13/2011 5:11:56 AM PST by Earthdweller (Harvard won the election again...so what's the problem.......? Embrace a ruler today.)
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To: Gaffer
Newt’s basic problem is the intellectual arrogance which is borne from his academic background.

Any thoughts on Romney's basic problems(s)?

39 posted on 11/13/2011 5:16:28 AM PST by trebb ("If a man will not work, he should not eat" From 2 Thes 3)
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To: Earthdweller

I mean no disrespect, but he is coming off as this great, smarter than smart guy. But when you look into what he has done, it gets clearer and clearer that he may not be what he is portraying himself to be. Thanks for the compliment.


40 posted on 11/13/2011 5:22:18 AM PST by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin and the Constitution.)
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