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.
In many ways... the defeat on November 7th returned us back to 1974. If no conservative agenda emerges from the ashes of that debacle between now and and the 2008 Primary... we'll come in second for the 2008 election.
How about BobDole?
When everyone was clamoring for Katrina aid, he was all for it. 18 months later, he acts like he knew it would be a disaster and had nothing to say about it!
Come on! This is flip-flopping of the worst type, and he is doing it simply to make himself look superior to the President.
Please explain his parading around with Hillary talking national health care. Explain his sudden negativism about Iraq.
OPPORTUNIST!
remember what happened to him...
balderdash.... if you are going to base your analysis on those kinds of things then the country deserves what it gets.
"He can't be faithful to his President, his party or his family."
Sounds suspiciously like the Republican Leadership in General, especially when it comes to it's conservative base.
perfect people rarely make great leaders...
Since I don't believe that anyone in a leadership position will ever come right out and say, "islam is the enemy", I don't see what this "third campaign" stuff is all about. If we refuse to identify the enemy, we cannot win the war.
You know, you blast Newt every chance you get.... I beginning to think its personal with you. You offer up opinion and projection as facts but refuse to deal with the real issues. Who do YOU think is the leader America needs for the next eight years?
No need to get snippy. :)
Regards, Ivan
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Bill Clinton only wants to divorce his wife on her deathbed. Vote Democrat family values. Vote Clinton in '08.
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Thank You but he is too busy licking hillarys a-s
Rudy maybe a son of New York, but he's also a liberal SOB!
Anyone who keeps advancing this notion of Rudy the Liberal for POTUS in 2008, is barking up the wrong tree. I'm not saying Newt has a good chance of getting the nomination. His baggage and personality upsets many. But Newt remains one of the best political thinkers and issue oriented conservative Republicans around. The Contract With America was no fluke. By any standards, the CWA was a success. 100% of the CWA was voted on by the House, 90% of it was passed by the House, and roughly 65% was signed into law by Clinton.
And what has Rudy Giuliani done? He was a liberal mayor of America's biggest liberal city. He reduced the city income tax by working with the socialist leaning city council. They abolished the 12.5% surtax on high incomes. Rudy cut the welfare rolls in half, but he also added 15,000 new teachers to the city employment rolls, increasing the membership of the AFT and NEA in the process. Rudy also left behind a projected $2-billion deficit and a $42-billion debt. Crime rates went down under Mayor Giuliani. Great. They were headed down under Mayor Dinkins too. They've dropped off even more under Mayor Bloomberrg. That doesn't mean I'll be voting for Dinkins or Bloomberg for Prez.
Rudy isn't the answer for Republican Party in 2008. Look at the GOP platform and tell us, what Rudy agrees with. Not using his current political rhetoric, but by gaging his political record as mayor. Rudy is pro-big government, pro-abortion on demand, pro-partial birth abortion, pro-gun control, pro-assault weapons ban, along with supporting special rights for homos and illegals. Rudy doesn't have a conservative bone in his body. Rudy is the Joe Lieberman of the GOP.
If Rudy somehow gets the nomination, it will fracture the GOP. A Democrat will be sitting in the WH come Jan.21, 2009.
Personally, I don't like Newt Gingrich and don't think he should run. IMO, he's a loose cannon and we can do better.
Accurate assessment. Thank you no-shows.
Had he not been having that affair, perhaps he would have been more aggressive. In fact, I remember he swore that he was going to mention something (I believe it was the China technology sale) every day, and then suddenly clammed up. I believe the CLintons had information on his private life. Thus...he let us down.
His repeated failure to come to the President's defense has also been reprehensible, in my opinion. It demonstrates a lack of loyalty, and particularly in the Katrina case, his failure to place the blame where it belonged, with Blanco and Nagin, was really depressing.
Oh, you must be looking for DU. Just google it, and with just a few clicks, you can be amongst your own kind.
If only Bush and his cohorts had the talent to "Talk Up" the administration's real success, we wouldn't be in this mess. Which is not to say that Newt is doing the right thing.
Talking Bush down only adds fuel to a fire that is only going to warm Democrats. Yeah GW is in zombie-land at the moment, but Newt is certainly not forced to point this out. And after all, what 8-year president didn't go on a long slide in his remaining "lame-duckness?"
I will support whoever the nominee is, whether Romney, Guiliani, Tancredo, McCain, Pence, Perdue, Brownback, or whoever. I firmly believe that the democrats must not be allowed to control foreign policy or the military.
I simply am pointing out that Newt is quite willing to bend his principles and flip-flop on issues. Now you may think that's ok, but the fact is that he DID run around the country with Hillary and he DID advocate massive spending for the Gulf Coast.
If he is the nominee, I will vote for him.
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