Posted on 12/01/2006 7:40:42 AM PST by ZGuy
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich last night offered a grim outlook for the final two years of the Bush Administration, saying at best it would resemble President Gerald Ford’s administration and at worst President Jimmy Carter’s.
Gingrich spoke at a private fundraiser for the Virginia Conservative Action PAC. The event, hosted at the home of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs President Craig Shirley, attracted dozens of conservatives to hear Gingrich’s message.
Despite a clamoring among conservatives for Gingrich to run for president in 2008, he offered no indication he would do so. Recently, Gingrich has said he would make a decision in September 2007. He echoed those sentiments last night.
Gingrich’s remarks were wide-ranging, touching on America’s healthcare system, the bloated federal budget and a history lesson about George Washington’s Mount Vernon home—just miles from the site of the fundraiser.
He reserved his harshest remarks for the Bush Administration and Republicans in Washington, D.C. Gingrich called the consultant community “stupid” and said the GOP has wasted money on campaign ads. He said, “2004 was pathetic, and 2006 was worse.”
Gingrich said Republicans—and especially White House adviser Karl Rove—need to recognize why they lost control of Congress. He said Rove should leave his job if he doesn’t get it.
On Iraq, Gingrich said the U.S. won the first campaign there—toppling Saddam Hussein—but has failed in the second, ongoing campaign. He said he opposes the current plan of action in Iraq, and called on the U.S. to launch a new, broader third campaign. In the past, Gingrich has suggested a preemptive invasion of Iran to thwart that country’s development of a nuclear weapon.
He said the American people are more courageous than the Bush Administration realizes—and when called upon to act, they will respond accordingly. “Show them Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speeches,” Gingrich implored.
What advice would Gingrich offer Bush and Republicans? He named three bold moves he would take: Abolish the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, make English the official U.S. language, and praise US Airways, in the form of a congressional resolution, for its tough stand against six Muslim imams who behaved like terrorists on a recent flight.
He cited the “fiasco” in New Orleans as another embarrassment for the Bush Administration, which has relied on government to fix the city’s problems rather than private enterprise. “If there was no FEMA, New Orleans would have recovered faster.”
The fundraiser was organized on behalf of VCAP by Erin DeLullo, who most recently worked on Ken Blackwell’s campaign for governor of Ohio. Notable conservatives in attendance included former U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston, Media Research Center President Brent Bozell, public-relations consultants Diana Banister and Christian Josi, Townhall.com General Manager Chuck DeFeo, and American Spectator contributor Quin Hillyer. Virginia Delegate Chris Saxman and Corey Stewart, the newly elected chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, were also in attendance.
Has Newt opined on that question yet?
He's in bed with a very slimy, left-wing politician on "health transformation." Key quote from the link:
"and that money, properly saved, should be used to get to a system in which every American has access to insurance and in which we have an expectation that every American has insurance, which is an equally important problem."
Who is going to "get to a system in which every American has insurance?" The government? Is this not universal health care?
http://www.healthtransformation.net/News/Press_Releases/835.cfm
Newt is a born teacher. That's good in some lines of work, but when running for the presidency, that is a disaster waiting to happen: he over-talks, over-explains, and opens himself up to major gaffes. (Remember the "whither on the vine" comment? That was just one example of what he would do every week on the campaign trail.)
How about we throw Newt out of the Republican party would that make you feel better?
If nothing else, it alienates all the people of principle who think you shouldn't violate Reagan's 11th commandment. But I have a bigger concern about Newt, and that is his propensity to "teach" and to therefore blab in such a way that he opens himself to major gaffes (such as the "whither on the vine" line over Medicare). Look at Reagan. He "taught" in very simple concepts and phrases. But Newt has a tendency to try to explain all the details, and on a campaign trail, that's a disaster.
Tough talk but all true. It seems like the Bush Administration should be done licking their wounds and should begin to try to fight on new fronts.
Newt is definitely a voice that resonates but I don't know if he should be the '08 pick.
I know it is upsetting to a lot of folks, but there really isn't a lot of good that Bush can do at this point. He can veto bad legislation and that is about it. He can't lower taxes, reduce the size of government, get conservatives on the bench, secure the border, etc.
He didn't do all of those when he had a Republican Congress, either.
In fact, the only one of those he did on his own was lower taxes. That and conservatives on the bench, but he had to have his feet held to the fire on that score....
Uh, in Iraq? Are you kidding? 45,000 terrorists killed, most of the terrorists in one spot, al-Qaeda virtually finished as an organizational force. That kind of success?
I wish that all the old washed up politico's in this country would just shut up.
"I don't think he's electable (which is too bad), but as a behind-the-scenes "idea guy," he'd be fantastic."
Hmm... A pot smoking, draft dodging under indictment liberal from Arkansas became President and never even got 50% of the vote in two elections.
Given that history, it was no wonder that behavioral scientists knew something would happen. And it did. The pot smoking, draft dodging President soon became a disbarred, impeached and morally corrupt President.
There are going to be a lot of folks who will simply refuse to understand this fact.
Don't get me wrong... I appreciate what Newt did in '94.
However, since then he's shown himself to not only have large feet of clay, but also be a co-conspirator with the Hildabeast.
Find someone else to promote.
P.S. And how do you feel about Newt's desire to constrain the First Amendment?
You will be inundated with hate mail from thos on ths forum that still do not realize that GW was not the Second Coming.
NO? Whom do you suggets Jeb?
Newt is a eff'en genius.
No. Jeb won't do it, and the U.S. would not stand for another "dynasty" at this point, let alone another Bush. I'm still hoping we haven't seen the right guy or gal yet.
He is, but that is precisely why he would detonate on the campaign trail. Geniuses tend to over-explain, and the more you say, the more likely you are to put your foot in your mouth. Remember "whither on the vine?"
There is no evidence the Christian Right stayed home in November 2006. And the wither on the vine comment was a) mis-quoted and b) taken out of context beyond that.... the news organization that did even admitted it.
waiting to hear what he has to say about himself -- not relying on a reporters version of the events.
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