Newt didn't control spending during the Clinton's term in office. It increased every year. Instead, tax revenue increased more each year. Want to give Newt the credit for Clinton's tax increase?
When Newt came into office, there was a massive deficit; when he left, a massive surplus and a balanced budget.
The man took all of the blame for a government shutdown in order to force Bill Clinton to sign onto a balanced budget. He wore that blame like a badge of honor.
The drunken-sailor spending happened after McCain, Graham, and several of their Moderate allies over in the House used a small election loss in Clinton’s sixth year (GOP Still was in charge, though) as an excuse to force a coup. Newt stepped down rather than have the party implode over a Leadership battle that he couldn’t win because he didn’t have the votes anymore - the porkers on both sides wanted their pork back. The Moderates, finally rid of the man with the tight purse strings, immediately started their excess again.
Newt was the only reason we ever had a balanced budget and spending restraints. He killed a sacred cow with Welfare Reform, and was well into a battle to take on the bloated Social Security system when the porkers decided they had had enough.
Nobody in generations did more to get us to fiscal solvency than Newt Gingrich, and he was branded “The Grinch” for doing so, and to this day is despised by the porkers in the GOP.
Newt didn't control spending during the Clinton's term in office. It increased every year. Instead, tax revenue increased more each year. Want to give Newt the credit for Clinton's tax increase?