Posted on 11/13/2011 6:54:05 PM PST by fightinJAG
[snip]Gingrich is perhaps best-known for his foibles, including his spectacular fall from power in the late 1990s. ... Gingrich also holds some views that do not fit the conservative mold. He has partnered with Hillary Clinton to advocate health-care IT legislation, with Al Sharpton and Arne Duncan to promote President Barack Obama's education reforms, and with Nancy Pelosi in an ad stressing the importance of taking action on climate change.
Gingrich angered Republicans by criticizing Paul Ryan's plan to reform Medicare, prompting the American Conservative to accuse him of never really having been a conservative in the first place. [snip]
A self-described "ideas man," Gingrich is the author of 23 books....His earlier books are filled with rapid-fire streams of ideas for bettering society, often without details about how to implement them.
"Gingrich's vagueness was always a problem," wrote Ferguson. "But the books show something more: a near-total lack of interest in the political implementation of his grand ideas—a lack of interest, finally, in politics at its most mundane and consequential level."[snip]
Gingrich is also known for having had a six-year affair with his now-wife, then-House staffer Callista Bisek, while he was married to his second wife, Marianne Ginther. Esquire has an interesting profile of Gingrich based on interviews with his second wife. Ginther describes how Gingrich told her about the affair right after giving speeches about family values, and says that he initially asked her if she could just tolerate the affair.
Gingrich also runs the Center for Health Transformation, a for-profit group whose members are health insurers and drug companies. According to the Wall Street Journal, the companies pay big membership fees, and "in return, they get access to Mr. Gingrich, interaction with other group members, and marketing and research support."
(Excerpt) Read more at alaska-native-news.com ...
I hear you on this part. Newt has made some fantastic contributions to our country and can make more.
I just think we also need to carefully evaluate his propensity to be old-school, reach-across-the-aisle, "bipartisan" etc.
What are your thoughts on the Al Sharpton and Arne Duncan thing in the article?
I, for one, think everyone makes up their own mind and that it’s very arrogant to think otherwise.
Pretty arrogant if you think only a select crowd, of which you are a member, realizes there is more than one side to a story.
In fact, that's the ENITRE POINT of posting articles such as this, so that people can bring up and point out the other sides to the story.
Unless one doesn't want to read the article because they feel the author has the power to "tell" them what to think and to bend their minds to the author's interpretation of the facts.
I’d still like your reply to #42. Thanks.
Only if it’s your candidate that’s blindfolded with the cigarette.
Rule of thumb... Vote for the most conservative candidate that you can get elected... Not the most perfect candidate, because non of these folks are saints. Up until lately, our current crop made that proposition a bit difficult. Now, on the other hand...
You’re still just making conclusory statements.
For one thing, you’re just ruling Cain out when the polls, for now, say otherwise.
And Newt just started a surge. He was nowhere near being in a Romney-Newt race even a few weeks ago. So, again, just by the polls, it’s a little early to be making it a Hobson’s choice between Newt and Romney.
It goes without saying that Romney is the worst. But that still doesn’t do anything to address why Newt should be the alternative. All you’re doing is *concluding* that Newt is the only viable alternative.
He’s certainly one of them. But I can’t see ruling Cain out when he’s maintaining, at least for now, strength in the polls.
And we’ve already seen how fast things can turn around. Meaning: there’s still a lot of time and room for both men to rise or fall.
Here’s more for your ....Newt Gingrich and His Record
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/gingrich-and-santorum-criticize-obama-on-constitution/
P.S.
It seems to me that what you’re interested in is beating Romney. So am I. To me that means not tearing down Cain or Gingrich because one of them, not yet known, will have to be the one to take on Romney in the homestretch.
That said, “not tearing down” does not mean “not discussing the candidate’s record” or performance. That is what it is. But I don’t want to see either candidate just destroyed and especially not destroyed for no reason.
Newt is gaining traction and another guy is slipping...out comes the long knives
zealots of Sarah went after Perry and Bachmann and a bit on Cain even
now they are with Cain mostly and know Newt is a threat...a big threat
not much time left
it comes down to Newt or Romney I know how most here will vote
if it’s Cain insteasd then so be it...I just don’t see it
but folks need to understand...the media will hate any of them...even Ron Paul who does attract some lefties
Newt has been pretty vetted...they hated him only second toe Raygun-Zap.
As far as I can tell, that's exactly what we're all trying to do.
But that involves two discussions, and those discussions can get pretty lively:
(1) Who are the conservative candidates? and,
(2) Which one is the most likely to get elected?
This is where discussing a candidate's record comes in. It has to do with evaluating how well he has demonstrated conservative instincts and it has to do with what his overall likability (electability) is.
You seem to be stating that since everyone has warts, the warts of a particular candidate should be overlooked. But warts relate directly to electability.
And if the warts have to do with failure to show conservative instincts, or a tendency to show pandering instead, then they relate to the first question.
So warts just can't be glossed over! They are integral to the important question you cited.
obviously a man with stones to try that...Obama and Putin..Islam...and the Left should be a cakewalk
one bone for you Snewt haters...his wife does need to tone down the doo
soften it up...she makes Dana Perino look like a cottonball...that haircut could cut steel
Fair enough... But I like to make this simple... we’re coming down to the wire and it’s gut check time... Who’s it going to be?
Cain has ruled himself out - regardless of the scandal. He’s a gaffe a minute. Can’t stake a position on anything without having to “clarify” later in the day - or worse - insulting our intelligence by claiming he was taken out of context. His answer to anything that can’t be covered with canned prepared responses is either “I’d consult with my experts” or “9-9-9”. I could go on and on but what for... Let’s just keep it simple... When it comes to Cain, there isn’t a lot of there there and it’s starting to show even to those that are blind. Go ahead and pick Cain. My view he’ll get creamed in the general. I for one think a Cain/Obama debate would be a serious cringe factor.
I am well aware of all the wonderful things about Newt's record. Maybe you haven't read all my posts in this thread.
How does that have anything to do with addressing, for better or worse, the not-so-wonderful things?
It's not the wonderful things that are going to have to be faced and resolved in this race or, if a candidate is the nominee, in the general.
Would you be so kind as to answer my questions in #42? Thanks.
So better to figure out our response now than once the LSM has fully engaged.
If it gets to that.
If Newt stumbles, this all goes back on the shelf.
I have to say I think Callista would be an insufferable First Lady. And, yikes, First Lady by way of mistress.
People think talking about Newt’s record is bad. Wait ‘til the LSM gets talking about Callista. It won’t be pretty.
We’re not coming down to any wire. Super Tuesday, and Texas’ primary, isn’t until March. There won’t be any where near 50% of the delegates committed, much less a clear majority, until the end of March, 2012.
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/events.phtml?s=c
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/ccad.phtml
Newt is just another McCain, except he’s better at covering his a**.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.