Posted on 11/14/2009 9:32:06 AM PST by rabscuttle385
"...[I]t’s equally clear that you can’t be a right-wing party and govern the country." --Newt Gingrich quoted by Jonathan Martin, Politico, November 12, 2009
Dr. Newt Gingrich (Ph.D. History) should know better by now not to use “right-wing” as an adjective to describe the GOP. The GOP is not “right-wing,” but rather a conservative political party.
Members of that party responded to Newt Gingrich’s “Contract for America” that was not “right-wing,” but an expression of the conservative philosophy of limited government shared by most Republicans and many Independents.
Unfortunately, had Newt Gingrich adhered to political principle he might not have been ousted from his Speakership by conservatives in Congress who felt that Newt was off-message and no longer exhibiting the attitudes of a conservative nor representative of conservatives who made up the Republican majority that took control of the House in 1994.
Newt is now and was then a Republican first and a conservative when it benefited him. So it is in keeping with Newt’s opportunism to criticize conservatives who supported the Conservative Party nominee, Doug Hoffman, in New York’s 23rd Congressional District while Newt supported the “left-wing” Republican Dede Scozzafava. Newt himself is a left-wing Republican with skills and abilities lost to the Republican Party when he abandoned principle in favor of electoral success.
That, of course, is what bothers Newt—the abandonment of a real shot at obtaining power at the cost of mere principle. In Colorado Republicans like Newt—who are not conservatives—have ganged up on Colorado’s conservative state Senator and Minority Leader Josh Penry. This 30-something political conservative is not raising as much money as “moderate” Republican and former Congressman Scott McInnes and has dropped out of the race. The arguments made to get him out of the race are that a primary is bad for McInnes who is the only Republican in the race who can raise enough money to defeat incumbent Governor Bill Ritter.
That may be true, but will the Colorado state GOP be better off with McInnes as Governor if he follows the same disastrous policies of former Colorado Governor Bill Owens? And frankly would the national GOP be better off if Sen. John McCain had been elected President and then engaged in a wholesale abandonment of Republican Party principles?
The answers to those questions are as important as is the well-justified fear of Newt Gingrich and others who fear a growing polarization of American politics. That's another issue.
A long time ago, before the 1960s, conservative Democrats leavened the policies of Democratic Administrations and state politics. Today all the conservatives except for a handful of pigs at the federal trough who call themselves Blue Dog Democrats are gone from the Democratic Party.
And all the liberals are gone from the GOP--except for Olympia Snowe, Lamar Alexander and the Bush toadies who took the GOP down to defeat in 2008.
Despite anything that Newt Gingrich might say or think, until the numbers of Republicans in Congress are filled up by new Congressmen and Senators who truly believe in limited government, the GOP won’t have an opportunity to govern the nation.
Who wants to vote for careerists who only seek power when you can have Senators like Tom Coburn (R-OK), Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and a handful of Republicans who stand up for principle—and against members of their own Party who abandon principle for powers—like Newt Gingrich, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, G. W. Herbert Bush and George W. Bush?
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus
“Gingrich Chooses Power over Principle”
He ALWAYS has, and he always will. He proved that when he pushed McCain/Bush’s amnesty a few years ago, lining up with the most open border advocates around, like Tamar Jacoby, Grover Norquist, Steve Moore, Cesar Conda, etc in a letter to the WSJ. Don’t trust this guy!
Agreed. WHen he sided with Scozzafazza (sp) he lost a lot of his conservative base.
This is not about helping America be great again, but is all about retaining power.
I WILL NEVER VOTE for Newt when he runs for pres. I used to love him as a leader/
And apparently has neither.
FUNG
Newt is an image of most members of Congress, they all sacrifice principals for power. This is the most corrupt congress in our history and they get worse daily. That’s both sides of the aisle.
Sheeyit. I wish.
remember when newt apologized to the democrats
for agreeing with rush’s
hope that the policies of obama failed?
And apparently has neither.
Funny how it seems to work that way. If Newt were a better historian, he might be a better politician.
Coburn endorsed McQueeg, and I can’t understand why. How could any Constitutional conservative vote for that man, knowing what he has done?
Newt has been dead to me as an authority on conservatism since he blinked during the 90s while fighting Dole and Clinton. Not that ol’ dump-`em-on-the-deathbed Gingrich has any moral authority left, either.
Even on this site, comments like this from Newt Gingrich should be enough to start some head-scratching. The Nutjob Gambit is completely out of control. If Gingrich is a RiNO, then you have to start asking what a real Republican is actually supposed to look like.
http://whichwayisright.wordpress.com/
Just as his buddy Arnold Schwartzenegger has done to CA conservative Republicans!!!
Furlough Fridays will become Furlough week, followed by furlough month.
Whenever there's a state holiday the streets and highways around here look vacant. The government impact has been unreal and cannot be sustained- this bubble is gonna pop. Until it does, everyone will think as they have (liberally) and will only change when it(reality) hits them in the face.
Districting rigs the elections in favor of the liberal, big, cities. Liberals will be able to run this state into the ditch and no one will be able to stop them. Conservatives will not elect a governor until things get so bad (unemployment hits 40%, etc.) the public wakes up to the failure of socialism and stateism.
As someone pointed above, the Gingriches and others, rather than lead, move to the front of where the 'mob' is headed to appear 'leaders'. Nationally, voters are more upset with the direction we're headed (tea parties) than in our state. NY-23 was a head-fake and Newt got caught jumping in front of a movement that's in jeopardy of extinction (moderation of principles- a big fail).
Conservatism could pull independents nationally and clean-up the mess there before a similar movement occurs here in CA. When you see a Republican governor on the horizon you'll know the tow-truck's already been called.
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