hmm
Alright. The "Contract With America" was a document written 18 years ago. It's primary author was Larry Hunter, with some additions from Robert Walker, Richard Armey, Bill Paxon, Tom DeLay, John Boehner, Jim Nussle, and Newt Gingrich (several of the aforementioned people -- especially Boehner -- who helped write The Contract With America are currently called "RINOs" by Newt's fans on FR, including false accusations that those "RINOs" were responsible for a "coup" that "removed" Gingrich in 1998)
Newt deserves due credit for at least being the most public advocate of the Contact With America 18 years ago, and his maneuvering was certainly a major reason why the GOP took control of Congress in Nov. '94. Unfortunately, little of the Contact was actually enacted into law and Gingrich alienated most of his conservative base after caving to Clinton, leaving office with lousy approval ratings when the GOP lost 3 more seats in '98.
Since that time, Newt has gotten even worse and done global warming "awareness" ads with Nancy Pelosi and "bipartisan education tours" with Al Sharpton. These are not the actions of a conservative (would YOU tour with Al Sharpton?)
Next question.
(several of the aforementioned people — especially Boehner — who helped write The Contract With America are currently called “RINOs”
And for good reason. His actions against his own party’s platform confirm Bohner to be a RINO.
Are you saying his Dem sellouts are conservative?
Before Newt, nobody even imagined that the GOP could win the House. Reagan could win almost every state in the country and the House was still solidly dem.
The idea behind Contract was just to get these bills a hearing. The House wouldn’t even put these bills up for a vote before Newt. Nobody expected any of it to pass the Senate, let alone signed into law by a dem President!
The reason why I think Newt is a RINO is not because he is a self-identified moderate on most issues but like McCain, who was also conservative on many issues, he is sometimes for the wrong things but in such ridiculous over-the-top ways. For example, calling Ryan’s plan “right wing social engineering”, his push for Dede scozzafalooza, (who was from NY and not even any of Newt’s business) his attacks on capitalism, etc sounds very McCainish.
When someone is a moderate, you know what you’re going to get. When someone is like McCain or Newt, you have to scratch your head and wonder “why the hell did he just say that?”