Posted on 02/11/2012 10:50:08 PM PST by JediJones
The Washington establishment believes that the government shutdown of 1995 was a disastrous mistake that accomplished little and cost House Republicans politically.
The facts are exactly the opposite.
While the shutdown produced some short-term pain, it set the stage for a budget deal in 1996 that led to the largest drop in federal discretionary spending since 1969. The discipline imposed by this budget — overall spending grew at an average of 2.9 percent a year while I was speaker of the House, the slowest rate in decades — allowed us to reach a balanced-budget deal in 1997.
...the balanced budget was an outcome driven by House Republicans with limited support from skeptical Senate Republicans [Me: RINOs.].
House Republicans passed a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget. Seventy-two Democrats joined us, giving us the required two-thirdsmajority to amend the Constitution. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to reach this threshold by one vote.
Our constitutional amendment would have set a seven-year deadline to balance the budget. We adopted the same timetable and created a plan that would end deficit spending by 2002.
It was President Bill Clinton’s veto of our budget in December 1995 that closed the government. The White House knew that it could use the power of the presidency and the support of liberal media to blame us.
We could cave in and be accepted by the Washington establishment, or we could stand firm for a balanced budget for the American people.
We decided to stick to our principles through a very contentious and difficult period.
Nonetheless, the ultimate result was the first four consecutive balanced budgets since the 1920s...
Becoming one more promise-breaking, Washington-dominated, sellout group is a much worse fate — politically and ethically — than having the government close for a few days.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
>> If only Gingrich would praise Reagan or the Constitution as much as he does Nancy Pelosi.
I was giving your post an honest read up until the Pelosi silliness.
So I can only assume you prefer Santorum, who is a big govt nanny-statist, yes, no?
Seriously, there’s no one else contending that can drive the Country out of the ditch. There’s no way in Hell Santorum can deal with this. His aptitude is less than half of what’s required.
Oh! I see what you mean. thank you for the clarification.
I think you can lay Clinton’s non-removal from office squarely at the Senate’s feet. They didn’t want to go up against an incumbent President Gore.
All I know about Dole is that he’s reported to have stamina.
And so does his dog. I think I remember his dog doing Britny Spears in a TV commercial.
Ouch...
Clinton has the press on his side. He was a rock star and Ken Starr was a nosy troll.
I didn’t even want Santorum to run, but at least he’s a conservative, unlike the other three.
My point was and is, that Nancy Reagan wouldn’t have participated had she thought Newt Gingrich was a backstabber to HER Ronnie and that was Romney’s intent in his attack ads and also the theme of the establishment and news media running against Newt Gingrich.
During a recent debate, an ABC News commentator passed a bag of stones to Republicans on stage (in the form of questions about marital infidelity and personal character). Every candidate, except for one, grabbed a handful of rocks, to throw at the man they considered the sinner amongst them. In a scene right out of, well, the Bible, Republican candidates - again and again - pelted the sinner, a great sinner, to be sure, with stones; all the while, reassuring the audience: they, the upstanding candidates, were nothing like the sinner. Each of them, they made it clear, were more fit to the hold the office. Their sins were small, not the large sort the sinner was guilty of; humans of quality, they.
In another scene, right out of, well, the Bible, Jesus once spoke to those with great confidence in their own goodness: "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector. The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: `I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don't sin, I don't commit adultery, I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.'
But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, `O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God."
This sinner. Old as the Message is, it is so new and wonderful, if rightly presented, as to awaken astonishment in the weary, imperfect hearts who hear. When babes in Christ give themselves to the Lord - justified through the Redeemer's sacrifice, brought into the family of God, begotten of the Holy Spirit - it means a great change for these. It means a Miracle. Old things pass away; all things become new.
Only Now, just like Then – whited walls, the outside-of-the-cup crowd, invested in the appearance of good conduct and their "core" principles, make the Precious Savior, Bringer of Peace, Lifter of Burdens, unapproachable, uninviting, intimidating, to sinners seeking forgiveness, desperate for a second chance. The Rick Perrys, the Michelle Bachmanns, the Ron Pauls, the Rick Santorums and Mitt Romneys of today's world, their banners of spiritual pride waving high, keep multitudes of sinners standing afar off, sure they are unworthy to approach the only One who can make them new.
On that stage, that night, there was not one word - not one word - from the political Christians about the miraculous saving work of Christ Jesus, sufficient to change, to make all things new, to transform the worst sinner, even Newt, into a new creature.
America is full of sinners, who love their country, many of whom would die for it, and according to the purity test of the republicans on stage that night, they probably couldn’t run for dog catcher. Steve Deace sees things a little differently: sometimes the greatest sinners, "the most broken people are the ones God does the most tremendous work through."
No one has walked a mile in Newt's shoes, except for Newt. No one on that stage knows the crowded corners of Newt's heart. There is only one thing every believer truly knows about Newt... he is forgiven.
forgiven
Thomas Purcell: "South Carolina turned out to be quite a shock for the Republican Party as Newt Gingrich sailed to an easy victory over Mitt Romney. Gingrich, an historian, knows full well the significance of this victory: no Republican has ever won the nomination without the South Carolina primary under their belt.
However, even more shocked and disturbed was the third estate and ABC News.
The media was sure that the airing of Gingrich’s former wife complaining about his desire of an ‘open marriage’ would destroy Newt at the SC primary. In fact, not only did Newt win, one of his widest margins was in the 18-44 women’s vote, much to the chagrin of ABC.
During this election, the media has consistently played the family and wife card on Republican candidates in order to besmirch and monkey with the election process of the Republican primaries (on a side note, a good argument could be made against ABC for an election tampering case). The played the religion and faux pas mistakes cards on Bachmann, Pawlenty and Perry and went after Cain the most vociferously with unsubstantiated claims of infidelity and basically boorish character flaws.
Unfortunately, up until Gingrich they all fell into the trap of denials and explanations. By doing so, previous candidates validated the media’s claims whether they were true or not, or made the candidates look bad. They put people on the defense and thus gave credibility to the stories, and power to the attacks.
Instead, Newt responded not as a politician would, with denials and explanations’, but as an ordinary American would—he called the media out on their ruthless and despicable acts of yellow journalism. Instead of saying “Yes, that was a mistake in my life, and I’m sorry”, he simply said “Yah I did it, so what? You are a jerk for bringing that up now”.
By responding in this way, he struck not only a major blow against the networks, but against political correctness itself and struck a chord with almost every American who detested the rampant spread of silly and worthless adjustments to popular culture that do nothing but weaken a society. He made neither apologies nor disavowals, he simply defined himself as who is today and burned the media at the stake for their accusations.
Political correctness is the elephant in the room, the subjects we dare not brooch. We have made free speech and acts of normal human nature taboo. We have avoided subjects and hidden our flaws in order to be more accepted in society"
http://www.thomas-purcell.com/2012/01/newt-not-political-correctness.html
Well said, true.
Made my day!
I remember the day the news of that story broke. No one even had to tell me it was Brian Ross. And I remember being sick to my stomach for days... and look how it turned out... oh, my, Heaven was bombarded by Newt’s supporters through those days leading up to the vote...
Rick is the one fooling conservatives. You will see where a vote for him eventually goes.
Since you are swayed by his rhetoric and ignore his record - get educated.
Immigration
Voted against increasing the number of immigration investigators
Voted to allow illegal immigrants to receive the earned income credit before becoming citizens
Voted to give SSI benefits to legal aliens.
Voted to give welfare benefits to naturalized citizens without regard to to the earnings of their sponsors.
Voted against hiring an additional 1,000 border partrol agents, paid for by reductions in state grants.
Taxes
Voted against a flat tax.
Voted to increase tobacco taxes to pay for Medicare prescription drugs
Voted to increase tobacco taxes to fund health insurance subsidies for small businesses.
Voted to increase tobacco taxes to pay for an $8 billion increase in child healh insurance.
Voted to increase tobacco taxes to pay for an increase in NIH funding.
Voted twice for internet taxes.
Voted to allow gas tax revenues to be used to subsidize Amtrak.
Voted to strike marriage penalty tax relief and instead provide fines on tobacco companies.
Voted against repealing the Clinton 4.3 cent gas tax increase.
Voted to increase taxes by $2.3 billion to pay for an Amtrak trust fund.
Voted to allow welfare to a minor who had a child out of wedlock and who resided with an adult who was on welfare within the previous two years.
Voted to increase taxes by $9.4 billion to pay for a $9.4 billion increase in student loans.
Voted to say that AMT patch is more important than capital gains and dividend relief.
Welfare
Voted against food stamp reform
Voted against Medicaid reform
Voted against TANF reform
Voted to increase the Social Services Block Grant from $1 billion to $2 billion
Voted to increase the FHA loan from $170,000 to $197,000. Also opposed increasing GNMA guaranty from 6 basis points to 12.
Voted for $2 billion for low income heating assistance.
And I read somewhere, though I have no idea of the accuracy of it, that Huckabee was still in the race when he endorsed Willard... if that really was the case, it adds a new layer of hypocrisy...
Did you read my posts? I didn’t criticize him for his sin, I criticized him for being a leftist. But, since you brought it, nothing in the Bible says I can’t use my reason to determine who would be a good leader. So, if I determine a person’s character is not a good risk to be president, I am not judging his soul, just his potential as a good leader. You are really perverting the Bible if you say that is inappropriate.
Okay, so do you say the same thing about Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Mitt Romney? How can you judge them, if it is so wrong for a Christian to judge?
WOW! Thank you very much for posting Thomas Purcell’s column!
You’re a treasure, dear Marguerite!
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