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The staffs these people hire in DC are very often Left Wing operatives, who beyond being somewhat better tailored than those shaggy outright loonies who work for Democrats, make no bones about their beliefs.

When I was a young conservative I interned for five weeks with a Republican Congressman. I can definitely confirm this statement. I couldn't believe this guy who had a reasonably conservative voting record (nothing to make you jump up and cheer, but respectable) had several liberals working for him. These are the people who are afraid someone like Newt will turn off the spigot again like he did temporarily in the late '90s.

I would say that Newt is Reagans choice.

Reagan's Young Lieutenant - By Jeffrey Lord on 1.24.12 @ 6:09AM

Jeffrey Lord is a former Reagan White House political director

Excerpt:

Hayward also notes that in one instance towards the end of the administration, Gingrich discussed complaints about things left undone. Writes Hayward of the president Jack Kemp fondly nicknamed the "Oldest and Wisest":

Reagan put his arm around the young Georgia Congressman and said in his typically gentle fashion, "Well, some things you're just going to have to do after I'm gone."

snip

But to anyone who was present, awake, and paying attention in the 1980s -- anyone who is listening to Newt Gingrich right now -- it doesn't take much to understand that some version of those gentle words from Ronald Reagan when he put his arm around a young Newt Gingrich is in fact driving the older Newt Gingrich in this campaign.