Gingrich: RNC Ad is 'Destructive Distraction'

Atlantic Magazine ^ | 16 Dec 2008 02:07 pm | Marc Ambinder

[lewisglad]

Dear Chairman Duncan,

I was saddened to learn that at a time of national trial, when a president-elect is preparing to take office in the midst of the worst financial crisis in over seventy years, that the Republican National Committee is engaged in the sort of negative, attack politics that the voters rejected in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles.

The recent web advertisement, "Questions Remain," is a destructive distraction. Clearly, we should insist that all taped communications regarding the Senate seat should be made public. However, that should be a matter of public policy, not an excuse for political attack.

In a time when America is facing real challenges, Republicans should be working to help the incoming President succeed in meeting them, regardless of his Party.

From now until the inaugural, Republicans should be offering to help the President-elect prepare to take office.

Furthermore, once President Obama takes office, Republicans should be eager to work with him when he is right, and, when he is wrong, offer a better solution, instead of just opposing him.

This is the only way the Republican Party will become known as the "better solutions" party, not just an opposition party. And this is the only way Republicans will ever regain the trust of the voters to return to the majority.

This ad is a terrible signal to be sending about both the goals of the Republican Party in the midst of the nation's troubled economic times and about whether we have actually learned anything from the defeats of 2006 and 2008.

The RNC should pull the ad down immediately.

Sincerely,

Newt Gingrich

Chairman, American Solutions

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives

[MortMan]

The problem I have with that position is that pointing out the faults in the dem opponent’s positions or records are smeared as being “nasty”, while sealed divorce records are fair game for the dem to use against the republican (ref: Obama’s senate campaign).

Being “nice” while trying to talk about issues has worked wonderfully since 2006, hasn’t it? Being forthright and honest (by putting out LOUD and constant notice of the dems’ shortcomings) while continuing to talk about issues might actually have a chance to break through the Alinksky-esque tactics of the left.

Trying to speak to the issues, wearing a white suit to keep it “clean” does not work when the opponent is allowed to sling mud, crud, and feces at you without notice by the “referee” - being the press.

We’re going to be smeared as “mean”, so perhaps it is time to be forthright and honest with the public. “My good friend across the aisle” should be described in factual, and sometimes brutally honest, terms.

Frankly, when I am presenting a technical solution to a problem to a client, I absolutely MUST be honest about the problem, its causes, as well as its solutions. The bailout of the financial markets is a wonderful example of how the GOP has failed in doing this. The problem is the preponderance of bad paper in the mortgage arena. The root cause is the legal framework that was used to force banks to make the bad loans. Understanding this, and being able to name the very people responsible (most of which are high-profile DEMS) would have led the way to finding a different solution - or at least it would have had a chance.

Once cannot solve a problem without first defining it. Trying to make nice with the political opposition (including the press) means we can’t define the problem - which most of the time is an artifact of governmental action, and commonly a populist position expounded by the dems. By not defining the problem, we cede the solution to the dems who have no issues whatsoever with blaming republicans for anything and everything - especially when the blame lies squarely on their own shoulders.

So, tell me again how being nice allows us to be the “solutions people”?

[FFranco]

Is Newt even still a Republican? Like McCain, he should resign from the party and declare himself an independent or Dim, that’s where his true sympathies lie.

Republicans should not support Obama and the Commie Democrats in ANY WAY. Republicans should OBSTRUCT, because the Dims’ aim is NOT to save America. Their aim is to DESTROY America so they can transform our Judeo-Christian Republic into a Communist Islamic state where we all will be under Sharia law and forced to bend our knees to Mecca. That is their TRUE aim, and Republicans and All True Americans should fight it every step of the way.

[Hunton Peck]

Unilateral disarmamment has always been the dogma of fools, Neut.

(Neut's Big Idea: "Government is too big and intrusive, so I'm offerng several dozen government programs to solve that.")

[meyer]

Say what you will about Obama, but he had a message, and the voters responded to it.

Obama had a message??? What was that message? What was his solution? Never mind - I'll answer that one - the commie had no message. He won through the combined efforts of an extremely lame, candyass Republican candidate, complete media support, and massive voter fraud.

Even with his lame record, McCain could have won. But unfortunately, McCain sealed his fate when he ran back to Washington to support the socialist bailout. Being "democRAT-lite" is what killed the Republicans this election. Same as 2006.

[narses]

Newt is no longer a ‘conservative’, he is an ‘insider’. Being a ‘player’ or a ‘Washingtonian’ means more than any other label. Players play. Very sad.

[Alas Babylon!]

Yup. Along the way to dem victory we had "Bush lied, men died", Abu Graib, the Hurricane Katrina FEMA scandal, The Abramoff scandals, the Mark Foley scandal, McCain's 7 houses, and Sarah bought $150,000 worth of clothes.

So now Newt wants us to be nice and just let the dems and driveby media continue to smear us and assassinate our candidates.

[meyer]

Republicans should be offering to help the President-elect prepare to take office.

BS - what the republicans should be doing is everything possible to ruin this man's presidency and ensure that no communist ever makes it to any elected office in this country again. Helping America's enemies is no way to win this war. And it is a war.

[PGalt]

...If I only had a spine.

Neutered Gingrich.

[ari-freedom]

(Neut’s Big Idea: “Government is too big and intrusive, so I’m offerng several dozen government programs to solve that.”)

—
Who balanced the budget? Newt or Boehner? Who was against the bailout? Newt or Boehner?

darn right, I’d rather have Newt in charge of the GOP than these clowns.

[Revolting cat!]

We're back in the USSR, aren't we? You don't know how lucky you are, boys! The new 1st Secretary has been chosen, so shuddup or off to the camps witcha! Parlamentary democracies have opposition, that's a given, we have personality cult. Get down on your knees and worship, the newt says!

[budwiesest]

We got Doled again. I think the Who wrote a song about it.

Someone up-thread suggested getting rid of all rinos and I agree.

Here's how you do it: Ask them about the second ammendment and how it applies to the 'average' citizen (by that I mean not the retard or violent felon). Any waffles and they're out. Sounds tough but it really isn't. This issue is THE cutting edge issue (with me anyway) and those that vacillate deserve no second chance (intended).

Dittoes on Sarah. A little polish on the issues (global frauding, etc.) and she's good to go, especially after four years of Obama with the accomodating windowlickers on the Right, which possibly includes Newt.

[Hunton Peck]

I’m talking about the dumb ideas Neut’s been pushing in the last few years. He’s gone way downhill in the decade since he left office during the Clinton impeachment process.

[Titus-Maximus]

Newt is a smart man but he is wrong here.

This atrocious behavior from the Illinois governor is only out done by the indifference and acceptance of it shown by the Obama team. This chicanery is de rigueur for these venal people. What makes a normal American vomit only makes an Illinois Democrat that much hungrier. It is about time someone rips the scales from the eyes of the public and reveals this rotting corpse of Illinois corruption like it should have been revealed during the election. Rahm Emanuel had knowledge of this recent unscrupulous dealing, in fact took part in it, and did nothing about it - which means both he and Blagojevich are guilty of selling the Constitution for thirty pieces of silver. We have listened to these self righteous blowhards lecture the world for seven years for the so called Constitutional abominations of “Cheney and Bush” yet they remain as quiet as church mice when faced with the hideous day to day corruption of their own Illinois Democratic machine! Even their fixer, Tony Reszko, literally bought the President-elect a house and the press barely examined it. No Mr. Gingrich - I am tired of this lopsided coverage - it is disgusting, deceptive and viciously cynical. Our media treats the American populace the same way as Blagojevich treated the citizens of Illinois - with incredible disdain. It has been grotesquely unfair and any and every American has the right to indict Blagojevich, Obama, Emanuel, Jackson et al. of these atrocious acts. This is the “change” we were waiting for? I, for one, am tired of the hypocrisy, and fearful that that our President-elect is not even close to being vetted for this most vital office.

The press has failed and continues to do so and the opposition party has to do its duty.

[zeebee]

But Newt is saying we should not lower ourselves to be like the dems.

0bama will dig his own grave.

[stockstrader]

Republicans should be offering to help the President-elect prepare to take office.

Yep, that's just what we need to do--

ASSIST in the moving the country much further to the LEFT,,,,

ASSIST him in greatly increasing the size of government,,,

ASSIST him in more government intrusion,,,,

ASSIST him in a developing a more controlling government,,

ASSIST him in expanding an ever MORE expensive government,,,,

ASSIST him in higher taxes/class envy/class warfare,,,

ASSIST him in reducing our military,,,

ASSIST him in making our country a much more socialistic country,,,

ASSIST him in achieving his far-left, liberal extremist agenda.

NO THANKS.

[fr_freak]

It is long past time for decent people to realize that, when dealing with scumbags, civility is just a self-imposed handicap.

To lose is bad; to lose with unfired ammunition in your magazines is just shameful.

Amen to that. We just got our teeth kicked in for the second election in a row, and there are still Republicans, both in Washington and on FR, who want to keep playing Mr. Nice Guy. That's asinine.

Also, notice how many of the posters here who are preaching this middle-of-the-road, let's-not-offend-anybody crap are all 2008 sign-ups, most within the last 2 months. Coincidence? Oh, I think not.

[ari-freedom]

what dumb ideas? He, along with Mike Pence, were the only ones with credible ideas for an alternative to the bailout. Instead, the House GOP went along with some stupid mortgage insurance plan (and suspension of dividends) that didn’t make any sense.
He opposes cap and trade. Mccain and Palin support it. So what is Newt’s big crime? Because he supports building nuclear plants since they emit less CO2? He’s also for drilling in ANWR.

[gogogodzilla]

No, Democrats plot and scheme to take more of our money and freedom because they *ACTUALLY THINK IT’S FOR THE BEST*.

That’s what makes them so d@mn horrifying.

[gogogodzilla]

All Obama has to do is produce the piece of paper. But you're OK with an exemption for him because 60 million Americans are morons.

Yep, and your response tells me you think that 60 million Americans don't deserve the right to vote. Seems like Americans are only smart when they vote your way.

Tells me a lot about you, too... Sparky.

[Hunton Peck]

In what way is running a truthful ad asking questions about a president elect whose every associate seems to be corrupt, if not downright evil, anything like lowering ourelves to be like dems?

Dubya came into office reciting a platitude about "changing the tone". Gee, that really worked out well, didn't it? Folks who want an even kinder, gentler Republican Party are likely to get a party that keeps on losing, by bigger and bigger margins.