Incensed by the negative ads that have spoiled his campaign, Newt Gingrich recently complained he’d been “Romneyboated,” an allusion to the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, whose ads helped derail Sen. John Kerry’s presidential campaign in 2004.
John O’Neill, the swift-boat captain who led the anti-Kerry movement, is none too pleased with the comparison. “To me, it reflects Gingrich’s very cynical hypocrisy, which he shares with Kerry,” O’Neill tells National Review Online. That hypocrisy “is the reason why he can appear with [Nancy] Pelosi in climate-change ads and why he can take money from Freddie Mac: If you’re part of the political class, [you believe] you’re free from any public scrutiny of what you’ve done.”
O’Neill has been disappointed with Gingrich “ever since the debacle in the late 1990s, when he came close to squandering a Republican majority in the House and engaged personally in conduct that really hurt the Republican party.” The ex-speaker’s recent behavior hasn’t been much better. “I was shocked by his labeling [Paul] Ryan’s plan ‘right-wing social engineering,’” O’Neill says. “It’s deeply cynical conduct and hypocrisy. He has much more in common with Kerry than with any of the other Republican candidates — maybe not in ideology, but in other things that count.”
Indeed, O’Neill sees many similarities between the old pols. “Kerry is an extremely cynical guy whose policies change like a kaleidoscope, and Newt Gingrich is just the same. He’s a constantly changing kaleidoscope with one policy idea after another.” To Republicans, O’Neill advises, “You select a president based on the entire person, because the truth is, the policy issues are very likely to be different in a year than they seem to be right now.”
O’Neill concludes, “I would be really proud to win or lose with any of the other Republican candidates. But I would be ashamed if Gingrich were the candidate.”
I have fond memories of the Swift boat veterans for truth, people on our side should not pretend they are a model of dirty and unfair campaigning that Democrats pot ray them as. I remember Giuliani made the same mistake in 2008.
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Darn mac os 10.7...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOuch! That's got to hurt when a member of the home team slash 'n bash division whacks ya.
Poor Newt! We hardly knew yee.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseTypical NR moaning and gnashing their teeth over nothing.
The term "swift-boating" has entered the political lexicon. EXACTLY like the term "borking" has.
Gingrich did not in any way, NOT IN ANY WAY, smear those on that boat who were opposed to Kerry, and fingered Kerry as a liar.
For NR to rush off and seize this rather commonplace political utterance, which is entirely factual by the way for Gingrich's record and statements are being warped and twisted beyond recognition, for NR to do that is yet again beyond the pale of political settlement.
But any stick will do to bash Gingrich, and any smear as well.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAlready, on a few occasions in the past few weeks, Newt's petty self interest has turned to a number of tired Democratic Partisan mantras...
He did it with attacking "Bain", slamming genuine, positive Capitalist endeavors, sounding much like Obama in the process. It was one of the dumbest anti-Private Sector offerings coming from a Republican in recent memory, which gained the condemnation of even George Will.
Gingrich has done it with the "buying" elections garbage, which is pure populism, trying to debase someone who is 'wealthy'. Sounding very much like a typical Democratic Partisan, while he became quite rich from his Public Sector endeavors.
Newt weakly turned to claiming he is a victim of unfair attacks, turning to Democratic Partisan denial over the honest "Swift-Boat" Veteran expression understandably opposing against Kerry for the President.
The list is rather long, of the regretful Gingrich offering.
It is embarrassing, but only reminds one of why he was forced to resign in disgrace long ago.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOld Fan, the problem with your commentaries is that they are largely subjective. Your language if chock-full of characterizations that are not objectively testable.
As witness,"petty self-interest, ... tired Democrat Partisan mantras, ... attacking, ... slamming, ...dumbest," and so on ad nauseam.
This is how the Left argues. To them, everything is personal, and they believe something is true because it is how they feel.
Your opinions would fit quite nicely with those of the people who comment on Huffington Post.
Shoo.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHas it come to this, that John O'Neil is featured on this website as a paragon of conservative probity and action?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNewt Gingrich is a hypocrite, and HE is the liar trying to hide his liberal/moderate record, including his long-time support of amnesty for illegal aliens and his support of the "global warming" groupthink nonsense with his pal Nancy Pelosi.
Every day Gingrich continues his glorified book-tour of a campaign, further helps Obama -- which admittedly is what the RINO fraud Gingrich likely wants.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt is a play on words, nothing more.
Whether we as conservatives like it or not, the general meaning of "Swiftboating" is a negative attack. It's definition is proof that the liberal media exists since the "attacks" on Kerry were legitimate criticisms.
Calling out Gingrich on this is silly. It is the equivalent of the management at the Watergate Hotel getting snippy when pundits add "gate" to the end of any controversy.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf we concede that "Swift-boating" means to attack negatively, we concede too much, especially since the term (as used by Left/Progressive groups) has a connotation that the attack is untrue. Remember that there are many independents we need to win over to our side, and you don't win arguments by conceding your opponents' points - especially when your opponents are as misleading and dishonest as ours are.
Every time a Democrat or a mainstream media figure (I know...) uses the term that way, we (and Republicans) must patiently correct them, explaining that the Swift Boat Veterans are honorable men who held an honest opinion about John Kerry (that was in fact correct!).
It's as correct to hold this remark against Gingrich as it is his "right-wing social engineering" statement - both are revealing of the basic assumptions under which he labors and which are anything but conservative. We can't afford to give him a free pass, or to let the Left score a goal against our side by default.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHow pathetic & desperate can you be? I keep thinking you can't possibly demean yourselves further yet you continue to prove me wrong.
NR - Lowering the Bar & Driving Readers Away - a How-To Primer.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJohn O'Neill is a man of honor.
I agree with him 100% on Gingrich.
I would be ashamed and disgusted to have Newt Gingrich be the Republican nominee.
It would make me feel that conservatives are rather than the people of honor and standards that I always thought we were would instead be the most cynical and hypocritical people on earth.
Thank you John O'Neill for once again serving your country honorably in its time of need.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs someone who wrote over 100 blog posts in 2004 about the SwiftVets, my reaction to Mr. Gingrich's latest episode of foot-in-mouth was the same as John O'Neill's.
Link B, you may think this is "silly," but then, perhaps you think John Kerry deserved his medals. In any event, you're missing the point: This may just be a "play on words," but it's using words made up by John Kerry and his closest allies to LIE about men who are great American patriots. It reflects a mindset that is the product of, entirely comfortable inside, the Beltway.
That Mr. Gingrich is apparently entirely insensitive to this problem and, so far as I know, hasn't yet apologized, is very troubling to those of us who don't take our marching orders from the mainstream media.
You may not feel like your heroes are worth standing up for, but MINE are, and the SwiftVets are definitely heroes as far as I'm concerned. Anyone who says or implies otherwise loses my regard, period.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJust to be fair, Gingrich was ASKED if he was being swift-boated. He did not come up with the idea. he replied, suggesting he was not being swift-boated, "I'm being Romney-boated."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think Link B's point was simply that to use "swiftboat" to imply something negative is just to use the word that way that it is, in nearly every case, used. It's really just a statement of fact. "Swiftboat" has entered the general lexicon, and carries a negative connotation, whether you like it or not, and it extends well outside of the Beltway.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI agree that the Swiftboat veterans were honorable men, but the fact remains that the way Newt used the word, is just the way the word is used.
I wish you luck in your quest to change its definition though.
Exactly my point.
It is amazing what you can discern when you actually read what is written and think critically. Apparently, not everyone here can do that.
The Swiftboat Veterens were instrumental in the 2004 campaign, and they told the truth! However the term Swiftboat now means negative attack. Sorry, but it does. We may not like it (as I pointed out in my original post that obviously went unread by some), but that is what it now means.
I am not sure why some people don't get that. Perhaps, they got Munsoned when they were younger.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"However the term Swiftboat now means negative attack. Sorry, but it does."
This is "critical thought"? It means, as defined and employed by the left, a negative attack...having no basis in truth.
I'll just assume, then, a momentary lapse in your "critical thought" process.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseFor those of you who may be unfamiliar with Mr. Dyer's stunning blog-analyses of the Swift Vet vs. Kerry story, you'd do yourself a favor (and treat yourself to a great historical read) by perusing his archives at Beldar Blog...and I couldn't agree more with his take on Gingrich's Swiftvet diss...and the general indifference among conservative pundits to similar rhetorical abuse of those American Heroes.
Other than perhaps Byron York, the conservative community has become effectively mute in reaction to an employment of the "Swiftboat" pejorative.
It's shameful.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNewt promised he wouldnt go negative.
Okay, lots of pols do that.
And then they seek to make their oppoents look like dopes.
But making yourself look like a dope?.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNewt going negative....on Newt?
That's a bit much.
"It is embarrassing, but only reminds one of why he was forced to resign in disgrace long ago."
More embarrassing is the performance of the GOP majority in congress AFTER Newt Gingrich retired.
I am sick and tired of the republican establishment attacking GOP candidates with a fervor they would never consider when talking about Obama. After 2012 I expect to change my registration to unenrolled. Republican party hates conservatives almost as much as democrats.
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