Oh, yeah, Newt Gingrich is just the guy to give pointers on how to win a showdown with the President....
..........
Things went south for newt personally but, the pubbies picked up extra house seats in the next election, got a raft of legislation favorable to them passed subsequently and went on to win the next presidential election. The actual shut down of government under newt was a blip. In the end it made clinton look good. Why? Because the pubbies slowed government spending long enough for the booming economy to produce the tax revenue that balanced the budget.
Same thing is going to happen with Obama. If they follow through by holding down govnernment spending while the economy grows—Obama will leave office with a nearly balanced budget.
If the supreme court declares obamacare unconstitutional come november or december — then the economy explodes and the federal budget balances with the added revenue of a fast growing economy.
-PJ