Posted on 01/03/2012 10:42:50 AM PST by nickcarraway
Incensed by the negative ads that have spoiled his campaign, Newt Gingrich recently complained he’d been “Romneyboated,” an allusion to the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, whose ads helped derail Sen. John Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004.
John O’Neill, the swift-boat captain who led the anti-Kerry movement, is none too pleased with the comparison. “To me, it reflects Gingrich’s very cynical hypocrisy, which he shares with Kerry,” O’Neill tells National Review Online. That hypocrisy “is the reason why he can appear with [Nancy] Pelosi in climate-change ads and why he can take money from Freddie Mac: If you’re part of the political class, [you believe] you’re free from any public scrutiny of what you’ve done.”
O’Neill has been disappointed with Gingrich “ever since the debacle in the late 1990s, when he came close to squandering a Republican majority in the House and engaged personally in conduct that really hurt the Republican party.” The ex-speaker’s recent behavior hasn’t been much better. “I was shocked by his labeling [Paul] Ryan’s plan ‘right-wing social engineering,’” O’Neill says. “It’s deeply cynical conduct and hypocrisy. He has much more in common with Kerry than with any of the other Republican candidates — maybe not in ideology, but in other things that count.”
Indeed, O’Neill sees many similarities between the old pols. “Kerry is an extremely cynical guy whose policies change like a kaleidoscope, and Newt Gingrich is just the same. He’s a constantly changing kaleidoscope with one policy idea after another.” To Republicans, O’Neill advises, “You select a president based on the entire person, because the truth is, the policy issues are very likely to be different in a year than they seem to be right now.”
O’Neill concludes, “I would be really proud to win or lose with any of the other Republican candidates. But I would be ashamed if Gingrich were the candidate.”
oh please we are just not smart enough to see that it was the press and not newt...or something.....no we are smart enough to fathom that the liberal mask slipped off newt yet again
Gingrich should just drop out. Every move he makes is more embarrassing than the last. I would like him to be Santorum’s Press Secretary.
Just where/how did Gingrich slam any vets?
To me, it reflects Gingrich’s very cynical hypocrisy, which he shares with Kerry
well we know newt loves him some kerry and some nancy
First engage mouth before putting foot in gear..
Just trying to be too clever resulting in another self inflicted wound...
Right, swift-boating is a derogatory term used by democrats to slander veterans just like “teabaggers” is used to slander teaparty patriots.
Swiftboating is the legitimate critique of a politician that hurts them in the polls.
The Swiftboat vets only told the truth.
I presume Gingrich feels that the truth has hurt him too.
Gingrich didn’t invoke the swift vote vets in the first place, it was a reporter asking him a question so why should anyone be embarrassed about anything?
Is English your native language?
As I recall, it was the media who first interjected “Swiftboat” into the question to Gingrich.
Gingrich then offhandedly quipped ‘Romney-boated.’
Agreed. It was a snappy Newt come-back to a reporter's loaded quesiton. Unfortunately Newt fell in the trap as would most people. I'm sure he would have preferred to clarify and support the Swiftboaters.
Gingrich gained traction by focusing on Obummer and staying on message. Since then he keeps insisting on deviating on these tangents that turn people off. Talking about the judiciary and now the Kerry’s treatment in ‘04 to his just keeps moving him down in the polls. He should just stick to the economy and Obummer. That is what people are interested in.
I think Newt lives in a bit of a bubble where he must perform amazing stunts to show his awesomeness and intellect. Thus Pelosi & Couch, Kerry/Sharpton & stage, Judicial Arrest, etc.
Newt’s his worst own enemy.
While "Romneyboated" was a poor choice of words, I don't believe Gingrich intentionally smeared the veterans. Nonetheless, I wish he would stop whining about the negative ads.
“I think Gingrich was very wrong to slam these veterans, just to get on the good side of the media... “
WHAT? Oh Please, Gingrich did not slam vets. Newt has and is being “swift boated”. The attacks just keep coming.
The definition is (from wikipedia) “”the term “swiftboating” or “Swift Boating” is now commonly used to refer to what the New York Times describes as “the nastiest of campaign smears”.”
I can understand the wacko left trying to push this thought down their bases throats but please explain yourself as I would like to understand what you are talking about. Are you saying he is not being smeared or nastily attacked?
There was no slam; just another establishment GOP step into the media-prepared poop, which they, in turn, used to make a profit at Newt’s embarrassed expense. Had he been on his game, he might have seen it coming, but he isn’t on his game, because he hasn’t had a consistent game since the Republican Revolution of ‘94.
That stated, I’ve no love lost for Newt. He peaked in the mid-1990’s and has done little besides damage his credibility at nearly every turn, and on nearly every issue, ever since.
His personal life reflects a low view of marriage; his flip-flopping on global warming reflects an ability to be unduly influenced by emotional, but scientifically unfounded, arguments — he’s just too pliable for the leadership role that America needs in the office of President; too ready to abandon conservative principle in favor of moderate behavior when it suits him.
American needs a leader with a long track record of successfully resisting such temptations.
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