Newt vs. Newt

Townhall.com ^ | January 5, 2013 | Steve Deace

[Kaslin]

This time I should’ve been the one listening.

But listening can be tough sometimes when you’re an analyst and a commentator, and people around the country – listeners, readers, media, candidates, causes, businesses, etc. – come to you to find out why things are happening and what may happen next. Analysis and commentary is one of the few things in life I’m really good at. My car expertise begins and ends with changing a tire. Any toy that comes with the phrase “some assembly required” my kids immediately take to my wife. And when that much-anticipated Zombie apocalypse finally happens I’m going to have to heavily rely upon my gun-toting “doomsday prepper” friends to survive.

But analysis and commentary I can do. It’s how I provide for my family, and since it puts food on my kids’ table regularly somebody must think I’m pretty decent at it. Yet this time I swung and missed.

I am 39-years old so a little young for the Reagan era. I wasn’t legally able to obtain a driver’s license yet when Reagan left office. Like many my age, my conservatism was actually honed by listening to Rush Limbaugh and cheering on Newt Gingrich and the Republican Revolution of 1994. In my era, Gingrich is a transformative figure. He’s still the only man alive to win a national election on conservative principles. He played a part in establishing much of the conservative infrastructure we take for granted nowadays. There are only two authors I ever sought autographed books from: Bo Schembechler and Gingrich.

Yet despite my fan boy crush, I am well aware of his peccadilloes. He’s on his third marriage. He lost the Speaker’s gavel because of a caucus revolt against his leadership. He inexcusably backed Dede Scozzafava. He rightly stood up against the TARP, and then reversed course and backed what I believe may be the most criminal legislation in American history. These are just some of the reasons why several people close to me told me I was making a mistake when I endorsed him for president during the 2012 primary.

Yet I pointed to the fact he is one of the few national figures in the GOP that has the wit and knowledge to effectively communicate what we believe in today’s short-attention-span-society, which I believe is very important to our movement going forward. He was the only candidate last year that was really speaking to what I believe is the biggest threat to liberty and morality in America—judicial supremacy (which is really the judicial oligarchy Jefferson warned us about). And I was also impressed with the way Gingrich was willing to speak openly about his past moral transgressions, including one very blunt joint appearance on my radio show with Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association. As a Christian I’m a sucker for a good redemption story.

However, there’s a reason I have often compared Gingrich to King David in the Bible, beyond the marriage infidelity both have in common. Both were also extraordinarily God-gifted leaders whose legacies were tarnished by their slack of self-discipline. Both were often at their best when pursuing power and at their worse once they obtained it.

While on vacation I was reminded of that comparison when I saw Gingrich say that Republicans should accept the destruction of marriage as “inevitable.” As a historian Gingrich should know better. He should know that marriage and free market economics are the essential societal bedrock components of western civilization, without which liberty isn’t possible. I know firsthand he should know that, because he has communicated right to my face that he does.

In a letter to The Family Leader just 13 months ago, Gingrich said:

“As president I will vigorously enforce the Defense of Marriage Act. I will aggressively defend the constitutionality of DOMA in state and federal courts. I will support a federal constitutional amendment (defending marriage). I will oppose any judicial, bureaucratic, or legislative effort to redefine marriage.”

So which is it, Newt? Do you want to defend marriage or not? Those words do not read like someone who thought destroying marriage was “inevitable?” Did you mean them?

For the past week Gingrich has been rightly urging conservatives to fight the fiscal cliff tax increase. Maybe Gingrich should be urging us to surrender instead, being that our slide towards bankrupt statism seems “inevitable” after all. As a father with three small children at home, I’m looking for leaders who will fight to stop our “inevitable” destruction as a free republic, not come to grips with it. Especially on an issue like marriage, that is 31-4 (89%) at the ballot box.

Gingrich was arguably the most gifted political figure of his era. He could’ve been an American Churchill. Check that, he should have been. Despite all that he has accomplished (which I’m thankful for) his legacy still includes a waste of potential. He could’ve led us out of the wilderness. Instead we’re still circling the mountain (or the drain).

Several of you warned me about this, which is why despite his obvious gifts Gingrich failed not once but twice to coalesce conservatives when he was the presidential frontrunner. Some of you were once bitten and twice shy. Now I get it.

I still have a soft spot for Newt, and he’s still one of the few politicians I’ve met whose intellect I actually respect. But that’s not enough to believe he should hold the highest office of this land. If someone won’t defend marriage, the oldest institution in God’s created order, then what can you count on them to defend when it’s hard?

Those of you that warned me were right. I was wrong. This time I should’ve listened to your analysis.

[TomGuy]

Selective memory.

Yeah, Newt was great. Or not.

He’s still the only man alive to win a national election on conservative principles

Sorry, but Newt never won a national election. He won a representative district election in Georgia and eventually was elected Speaker of the House.

My recollections include him pouting because he had to sit at the back of AF-1. [Hey, at least you were ON it!!!! That is a privilege.]

Then, he underwent ethics investigation, was forced out of his speakership, and basically walked away from his district representative seat.

And there were the marital situations and the affairs.

[Don Corleone]

“He could’ve been an American Churchill.”

To utter “Churchill” and “Gingrich” in the same article makes this a ridiculous article, with the quoted line being the utmost in hilarity.

On the contrary...if you look deeply into the political history of Churchill, before WWII you will find a very very tarnished individual, not averred to cutting back door deals and sucking the rug out from under those with whom he disagreed. Even FDR fell under his spell.

[TomGuy]

Nobody - and I mean NOBODY - who was on said bench in 2012 should even be allowed anywhere near it in 2016.

Are you kidding? It was the best the party had to offer:

• He who couldn't get his wife's permission, so he dropped out,
• She actually was kind of flakey,
  
• He who forget -- during the debate -- one of the departments he was going to eliminate,
  
• He who had some questionable female relationships and was a talkshow host,
  
• He who was force to resign as House speaker and had to pay a massive ethics fine,
  
• He would lost his senate seat,
  
• He who lost to the last guy to faced Obama and lost.
  

Oh yeah, the GOP primaries were filled with quality in 2012. And most of them will initially vie for a return in 2016. Bet on it.

[Lakeshark]

I'm not particularly a Mitt fan, I'm not here to defend him, but below is why all of our conservatives would have been beat like drums.

My problem since the election is discovering we have this huge conundrum now: Our country has passed a line where the majority could be convinced by Reagan himself that the values we once stood for are important enough to return to.

1. The media is too powerful, and has NOT been neutralized and until we figure out how to beat them, we're screwed. They have learned how to take out the likes of Reagan, they have it down.
2. The American culture has crossed a line where free stuff is welcomed and embraced long term, success and the work ethic is vilified.
3. Conservatives (of all stripes) have become a circular firing squad, vilifying other potential candidates, and taking their ball home when their chosen candidate loses.
4. The Academic/Hollywood/media complex has stolen the hearts and minds of the next generation(s), and unlike in the past people aren't waking up and changing back as they see the false paradigm.

Yoiks, I'm even depressing myself....need to stop.....:-)

[ImpBill]

Nice find. I too still have a soft spot for Newt, and he’s still one of the few politicians whose intellect I actually respect.

[Servant of the Cross]

Happy new year. Welcome back.

I'm curious. Do you think Newt listens to anyone? Does he have advisors that assist in his strategy? He clearly blew it in Florida in his response to Mitty's all-out assault.

[Lakeshark]

Hey CEW, good to see you again.

I wasn't sure you were around, kindly consider and address my most recent post to Servant of the Cross as a discussion point.

Breitbart was fond of quoting that "politics swims downstream from culture", I think it's my main point. A line has been crossed, one that will take more than a political fix.

[Bill Russell]

Churchill was undercut by FDR in the Tehran and Yalta talks. FDR thought he could charm Stalin, and Stalin played the ailing FDR like a fiddle. There is a really good book by Lynn Olson and Stanley Cloud on the contributions of the Polish Squadrons fighting under RAF command in the Battle of Britain called “Question of Honor, Kosciusko Squadron.” It gets into to the betrayal of the Poles, largely orchestrated by FDR.

[Hoodat]

In 20/20 hindsight, I think he would have fared far worse than Romney, as would have the entire conservative bench.
*Dons flame proof underwear*

That might have gotten you banned this time last year. Having said that, I agree wholeheartedly with your statement.

[itsahoot]

but acquiesces to the Stalinist takeover of Poland in 1945?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

[Servant of the Cross]

I get all of your points. And we may have crossed the tipping point.

However, I think the reality of $1 trillion unsustainable deficits and unashamed Lefties insanely wanting to just spend more, that obviously doesn't work and won't ever work, is known by at least 50%+1, who will go out to vote in November, 2014 and give the House and Senate back to the opposition party, assuming we have leaders that can articulate a coherent and passionate case.

We have been successful on a targeted state and local level, which could be replicated nationally.

[Lakeshark]

Had I said that last year I would have wanted to ban myself....

:-)

[LibLieSlayer]

I know.

LLS

[Lakeshark]

I admire your optimism.

Perhaps this is the darkest hour and we can still prevail, maybe I'm just being a Puddleglum, it's just so hard to believe we can extricate ourselves from the institutionalization that has happend and is happening in the next 2 years:

No strong leadership, a foe determined to destroy conservatives, a foe with power who is determined to make us a crony socialist nation and destroy our founding principles, the enshrinement of Bambicare and its myriad of landmine regulations and taxes, the new debt being piled up daily, the free stuff mentality, the low information voters, the successful villiying of business excellence and free markets.

Auughh!!!!

*Off to find humorous books, stand up routines, and movies*

[BuckeyeTexan]

Newt Gingrich is a genius. Period. He could have been great. The personal failures did him in.

[Longbow1969]

Lakeshark, that is a great post and everything you say is accurate. We thought the new media would provide more balance, instead it made the dinosaur media move even further left. The network news and urban papers have lost audience, but they still dominate and have mostly just stopped pretending to be balanced. The culture is mostly a lost cause now - largely because we didn't contest the left in academia and the entertainment industry. Far too many conservatives have a "take my ball and go home" attitude when they don't get their candidate of choice. You see this here constantly with endless tantrums every time a vote doesn't come down the way people want. And finally, the poison that is socialism has infected the majority of Americans - as we see in Europe, it is nearly impossible to reverse this until there is no more money left to redistribute.

My problem since the election is discovering we have this huge conundrum now: Our country has passed a line where the majority could be convinced by Reagan himself that the values we once stood for are important enough to return to.

If Reagan could even win today, it would probably be by a whisper - and he'd be savaged by our own side for not being conservative enough. Conservatives always believed there was a silent majority of decent, traditional people that would step up and vote the right way when the chips are down - that silent majority probably no longer exists. Worse, the masses that don't turn out, pollsters call them "adults", are probably even MORE supportive of populist left policies that Obama pushes than the actual population that voted. You can see this in any poll these days. "Adults" are far more supportive of Obama than "Likely Voters".

Things look pretty bleak for America right now. The future seems to be with Asia while the West declines. Asia is largely throwing off the shackles of socialism and is growing rapidly. A massive middle class is rising in India, China, etc. It won't be long till the productive people in the US and Europe start fleeing to the better business environments in Asia.

[Servant of the Cross]

It’s an old adage that “It’s always darkest before the dawn.”

And no matter what ... our "home" is not here. Even if it is 'A Long Way Home' .

[eddie willers]

I wish I could stand up and say, “You’re wrong!”

But, alas........

[Lakeshark]

Like I said, I admire your optimism and thank you for it.

All of us here need to make a pact with one another to talk each other off of the ledge when necessary..........

:-)

I'm not giving up, I just need a hot bath and a massage........

[VRW Conspirator]

betrayal of the Poles, largely orchestrated by FDR...

With the help of communist spies within FDR's administration, Alger Hiss comes to mind.