Posted on 11/23/2006 6:36:57 PM PST by no dems
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is telling associates that hes launching a major new grass-roots movement to recapture the soul of the Republican Party, and quite possibly the White House.
Gingrich says that the effort will be much larger than his founding of GOPAC and his creation of the Contract with America.
The Georgia Republican is spearheading a program called "American Solutions for Winning the Future in an effort to revitalize the GOP with Ronald Reagan conservatism.
This is the third time Gingrich has led a drive to steer the Republican Party toward traditional conservative values. In 1986, Gingrich took the chair of the Republican political action committee GOPAC and transformed it into an effective tool for electing conservative candidates. The stated theme of GOPAC was "a conservative opportunity society replacing the liberal welfare state.
GOPAC was a key element in Gingrichs rise to the leadership of the Republican caucus in Congress.
Then in 1994, as House Minority Leader, Gingrich was a co-author of the Contract with America, a conservative political platform that helped the GOP gain 54 seats in the House and end 40 years of Democratic majorities there.
Gingrichs new program echoes the title of his 2005 book, "Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America.
Sources close to the former speaker say Gingrich believes the Republican Party has once again lost its way, and needs to refocus its agenda with an eye toward regaining Congress in 2008.
Stepping back into the political spotlight could help Gingrichs presidential aspirations as well.
He recently told an interviewer that he wont decide whether to seek the White House in 2008 until September of 2007.
But insiders predict Gingrich could throw his hat into the ring if a true Reagan conservative doesnt emerge as a likely GOP candidate.
For the time being, hes playing his cards close to the vest. "I am not running for president, I am seeking to create a movement to win the future by offering a series of solutions so compelling that if the American people say I have to be president, it will happen, he tells Fortune magazine.
Gingrich said he plans to build grass-roots support for the health care, national security, and energy independence ideas he has been promoting for the past six years.
Exactly.
I also think he still has *it*, whatever *it* is, he's got it in spades.
I don't know if Newt will choose to run for POTUS in 2008, but Gingrich is the best visionary thinker the GOP has today. On most issues, Newt embodies conservatism.
Have you been to Newt's site yet?
http://www.newt.org/
A lot of people forget that Newt forged the majority, that Republicans had for 12 years starting in 1994....now we have lost it!
But I digress. That Arizona Senator and the former New York Mayor (who would want me to mention their names) seem to be anointed as the front runners, at least for today, and they are not going to energize conservatives. Newt could do that, but not to the degree he has done before, and it would not be enough. Reagan has already served two terms (plus he is dead, though that wouldn't stop me from voting for him), so I don't know what is going to happen.
How can Newt really be promoting CONSERVATISM through a RINO like Mitt Romney? It's amazing how many people outside of Massachusetts don't know all about Mitt Romney's troubles just from during his entire duration as Massachusetts Governor. See http://www.alainsnewsletter.com/s/spip.php?article325 ,and then, get back to me about what you think about Mitt Romney. I also wish that Newt would throw out some names of who he would really want to run with him on a Presidential ticket if he does end up running in '08. If he ended up choosing, for example, either Rep. Mike Pence, Rep. Hunter, Jim Gilchrist, or Rep. Tancredo to be his V.P., how would that affect his approval ratings and chances for victory in '08 among the majority of the general public with a CONSERVATIVE/CONSERVATIVE Presidential ticket? This same question also rings true if he picked Condi Rice, Rudy, or Mitt Romney instead to run with him as his V.P. as a CONSERVATIVE/RINO Presidential ticket for '08. Is a CONSERVATIVE/CONSERVATIVE ticket much better overall or is a CONSERVATIVE/RINO ticket much better overall for the '08 elections? Also, would a RINO/CONSERVATIVE ticket possibly be even better for the GOP in '08?
Somehow I don't see Newt as President.
I see him as a 'producer' not a studio head.
I see him as a coach, not a quarterback.
But yes, just as the article said, if the party fails to introduce a strong conservative candidate, then Newt would have to be it.
Thanks for the link....JJ61
Sorry. His recent alliance with Hiltlerly! is inexcusable. He should crawl back to whatever spouse dumping hole he crawled out of.
Seems to be a lot of good stuff on that site. I just discovered it myself.
Could you explain the "alliance" with Hillary?
"The former Republican speaker of the House and the New York Democrat have long touted the measure's main points."
The two also served on a bipartisan military advisory panel to improve America's national defense/security.
He is also a very patient and honorable man. He endured 84 (eighty-four) meritless ethics charges in the House. All were dismissed. NOT ONE was upheld. Yet he volutarily paid a 300k reimbursement to the Ethics Committee and resigned for the good of the party.
He was subsequently totally exonerated of any wrongdoing by the House Ethics Committee, the IRS and a federal judge.
I feel like watching To Renew America again.
Thanks for the info. Looks like Newt and Hillary had a "kiss and make-up". Newt was trying to re-shape his image....don't see any problem here.
I see you like Newt. I was orgionally going for my Senator Allen, but he seems to be out of the running. Newt looks like a good possibility. I think he will excite people to action.
The underlining issue is that in order to cultivate a more moderate look thus regaining a semblance of political relevence he essentially "whored" himself out for several photo ops with Shrillerly. That she gained from such exposure as the article I posted makes clear is pretty annoying. Thus will pass on Mr. Opportunist.
Thanks for pointing that out. I'm amazed that people forget that Newt was responsible for the Republican take-over of congress after being in the desert for 40 years or so!
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