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 Fords administration and at worst President Jimmy Carters.
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 Gingrichs 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.
Gingrichs remarks were wide-ranging, touching on Americas healthcare system, the bloated federal budget and a history lesson about George Washingtons Mount Vernon homejust 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 Republicansand especially White House adviser Karl Roveneed to recognize why they lost control of Congress. He said Rove should leave his job if he doesnt get it.
On Iraq, Gingrich said the U.S. won the first campaign theretoppling Saddam Husseinbut 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 countrys development of a nuclear weapon.
He said the American people are more courageous than the Bush Administration realizesand when called upon to act, they will respond accordingly. Show them Mahmoud Ahmadinejads 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 citys 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 Blackwells 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.
Dose he have an e-mail?
Newt has my ear on that one. They need to be abolished because they are not serving the taxpayers.
I do agree with Newt on many things, but I don't think the GOP screwed up 2004. However, 2006 was a flunking grade for the GOP and its leadership. I do see rough days ahead in the wilderness.
sorry - i misunderstood
-OR- make some sense of republican nonsense.. ANY sense would be welcome.. even if partially correct.. Newt is the closest thing this republic has to anything(electable) thats RIGHT WING.. Literally ALL other prospective (electable) republican candidates are left wing.. Some republicans are WAY left wing.. including the White RINO House..
Newt is the only game in town.. And with Ann Coulter as Campaign Manager he might WIN, 2008.. In that scenario any debates and TV appearances would be delicious.. Simply scrumcious.. Hyperbole would not be needed.. The democrat take over of Congress is hyperbolic enough.. Just speaking the TRUTH (about it) would be hyperbolic..
Really, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid choosing Committee Chairmen?.. May may... and George Bush assuming "the Position" for two years.. The comedy (if presented correctly) would delicious.. Americans love a good laugh even if a zinger is inserted.. Ann is the maven of zingers and Newt can deliver them accuratly.. win, win...
He is dead right about Rove.
perhaps the conservative base will learn some lessons from 2006 - all these "conservative democrats" elected to the House and Senate, they are all clay pigeons. they simply exist to empower the liberals that control the party.
what good is having a "base", if they equivocate about voting for you? if they look at the Dem opponent and say, "oh, he doesn't look too scary, I'll stay home".
No.
Newt did not have to resign.
He was not having sex with his secretary.
No credible person made any accusation of the sort to which you refer.
Newt left Congress because of the larger than expected loss of seats in the 1998 election -- one in which the GOP had expected to pick up two dozen seats and because certain other GOP leaders were again plotting to oust him from the speakership over issues like spending (the same House GOP leaders, by the way, who produced many of the problems that plagued the GOP in the last election).
I totally agree. There are many things that went wrong since the mandate of 2004 that was thrown away. This month I will be attending many Beltway holiday parties with lots of Hill workers (many now updating their resumes) and it will be interesting to see if they are still in denial.
How Did Pres. Bush blow the election? He wasn't on any ballot. Just why does anyone believe it is the responsibility of the President or the job of someone else to get the people we desire to run and then elected?
If we want a quality person that is in agreement with us on the important issues it everyone's responsibility to encourage them to run. Then help finance their campaign and get out the votes for them to win. Don't sit back and depend on someone else to do the job. Get involved. Put up some cash. Get out the votes. That is what it takes to win and have the type of elected officials we want.
*************
Anyone with a working brain knows where the GOP has gone wrong in the last few years. Gingrich surely knows this. He's also old enough to know of and appreciate the wisdom of Reagan's good example:
"The personal attacks against me during the primary finally became so heavy that the state Republican chairman, Gaylord Parkinson, postulated what he called the Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican. It's a rule I followed during that campaign and have ever since."
If Gingrich is smart, he'll stop bad-mouthing Bush.
..Newt was one of the greatest tacticians and bombthrowers we ever had, but the MSM would carve him up with infidelity stories and the religious right, generally, could not support him--as much as I enjoy his lectures and ideas, I couldn't get behind him...
Could you back Romney?
Bump to read later
Thanks.
Leatherneck MT
are you in Montana?
Last year I rented a cabin in Kila for a week and thought it was a most wonderful area.
Also stayed in Seely lake. Most beautiful.
Just about the right amount of folks, very few. And seems like everyone cared to keep the place beautiful.
..no, not really. Even if the religious issue didn't bother me, I remember how he blew a race against Kennedy when he had it in his hands...
Now that Allen is toast, I am looking (and so are a lot of influencial conservatives) at Gov. Haley Barbour of Miss.--I hope he'll run...
GO NEWT!! I saw him on Sean's show earlier this week and was very impressed with what he was saying!!! Good for him!
Yep. It's a trait that afflicts a lot of entrepreneurs, who know how to build a company, but not manage it so it continues profitably.
..prior marriage shouldn't be an issue unless there were some "activities" which led to those divorces--I don't think Newt could withstand that test, I regret to say...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.