Posted on 11/22/2011 5:13:59 PM PST by presidio9
If elected to the White House, former speaker of the House and history professor Newt Gingrich wants to teach Americans a lesson -- that is, for free on the Internet about his policy views. The self-proclaimed "ideas man" said on Monday his course would be distributed on the Web in a format similar to the University of Phoenix or Kaplan.
"I think I will probably teach a course when I'm president," Gingrich told students and supporters after a campaign speech on entitlement reform at Saint Anselm College's New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
"I will probably try to do something that outlines for the whole country what we're going to try to accomplish," he said. "It will be free."
The former West Georgia College professor who holds a Ph.D. in modern European history from Tulane University rarely misses an opportunity to remind voters and journalists of his academic credentials. On the campaign trail, Gingrich often employs historical anecdotes involving the Wright Brothers, horse-drawn stagecoaches and Abraham Lincoln to illustrate his policy positions.
Gingrich said an online course would be one element of a major social media strategy that would allow him to communicate with more citizens directly, if elected president.
"The idea would be, why wouldn't you want a president in the age of social media to methodically in an organized way share with you what they're going to accomplish so that those people who really won't understand it can understand it," Gingrich said.
Touting himself as a social media savvy candidate, Gingrich promised to tweet more as president but speak less.
How exactly? The former speaker vowed to deliver few speeches to his constituents,
(Excerpt) Read more at firstread.msnbc.msn.com ...
“Free”?
LOL
How will he have the time ... IF he is president?
I have mixed feelings about this.
Pros:
1 - it’s a great way to explain yourself without the filter of the media
2 - what’s cooler than having the POTUS teach you a course?
Cons:
1 - could be construed as a Third-Reich-style propaganda piece
2 - ego
3 - when will he have the time?
Personally, I’d probably “take” the course...
free as in beer.
Why wait to see if he is elected? He should be doing this now...
We don’t need a POL or an academic.
We need a leader.
We need a young Dick Cheney Clone.
Someone with experience, judgement, ethics and balls.
Who would you say most closely resembles this “young Dick Cheney” clone you are seeking?
I love this idea.
I’d take the course too!
Having been on FR for years (I hate to admit this, but I joined to make ONE comment in the first GWB election, and now I’m up to some insane number of comments and probably an astronomical number of views) I can say there are many, many conservatives who have virtually no knowledge of our system.
Some of them are young people who grew up in conservative areas or in conservative families, and others are older people who are conservative simply because they don’t like what’s going on now. But a lot of them don’t have enough solid knowledge to argue their positions.
So if Gingrich gives a course, sign me up...along with the rest of my family, most of them nice people but seriously badly educated in our public schools.
Starting out with a lie about it being free isn’t real encouraging.
No, no, no, Newt - you will be President. You will a have BIG job and teaching from the White House will not be it.
How was it a lie? I don’t think this should be a Federally mandated program, forced through your phone or TV whether you want it or not. Obviously, individuals have to be willing to sign up for it.
That said, I’d be really happy to have a president who knew enough about the Constitution and cared enough about the citizens to try to explain his positions based on the Constitution and our history.
In fact, it would be nice to have an American as president...
When ever Government promises to give anything away for Free, be very wary and careful...
“How will he have the time ... IF he is president?”
The one we have now seems to find all kinds of time to do whatever the hell he wants.
Why don’t you tell it to someone who doesn’t live in a nation where the white house spends millions on websites.
“How will he have the time ... IF he is president?”
The one we have now seems to find all kinds of time to do whatever the hell he wants.
As a home schooling family, we will, all twelve of us, be taking that course. The kids, me and mom.
Didn’t he have to pay a big fat ethics fine for doing that as a Congressman?
I agree with everything about your comment.
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