Campaigning in Florida today, Newt Gingrich said, per BuzzFeed, “When they have 13,000 Americans living on the moon, they can petition to become a state.”
“By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American,” Gingrich added.
Confession: While I’m dubious about how practical this scheme is, there’s something delightfully whimsical about viewing the moon as America’s next state.
This is laughingstock material....and classic pandering.
I only hope he says 100 more crazy ideas before Super Tuesday.
What scares me is that candidate Newt is going to believe he can win CA and NY and will do a Jack Kemp moment and waste time in Harlem (probably talking about getting the kids janitor jobs).
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAbsolutely right, Steve. This is a level of nuttiness usually only attained by Ron Paul and his fans. No doubt the Newtniks will be touting this as an example of their leaders determination to cut federal spending. They're not overly bright, you know. Cordially, Bill
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIgnoring (just for a moment), the idiocy of Moonbase Newt, isn't the US signatory to an international treaty that forbids just such an endeavor - the territorialization of the Moon?
Then again, given the enormity of Newt's ego, it may require that we store it on its own celestial body. To that end, perhaps the Moon makes sense.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSince our children, grand-children and great-grand-children are already in the hock for all the profligate FedGov's spendings, how about waiting for our great-great-grand-children to make that decision?
Hmmm. And I thought that the GOP was the party of the Constitution, the 9th and 10th amendments and all that stuff? Where is the space program/exploration/colonization delegation to the FedGov in the Constitution?
Hmmm. Space colonization ..... I bet Lincoln would be all for that one. I can see it now, Lincoln for the Moon Colonization Society.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOn the other hand, there is no "injun" problem to be solved a la Andy Jackson, kill'am dictum..
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis can't be serious, right? This is...unbelievable. How can he do this? Blow up RIGHT AS IF ON CUE LIKE THIS?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThat will do wonders to cut spending.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMaybe Moonunit Newt will propose to put poor black kids on the moon to sweep up the dust.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNewt for President of the moon....the perfect place for him!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWould the Moon State gets its own "Star" on the Flag?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is why Newt scares me, among other reasons. This is a fine topic of conversation for just sitting around thinking of ideas for the future. But, in this context it's just an excuse for the press and pundits to make fun.
Blurting out half baked ideas is not a new thing for Gingrich.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHeaddesk
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe high level premise of this is good stuff. As I dig down, I know I will be disappointed.
At the high level, I do want the US to reevaluate its stance on territory in space. Current treaty law says that no nation can "claim" the Moon or Mars or any other territory in space. This was an understandable position to take back when we were in a cold war, but it also stunts our ability to exploit space. Without a government to enforce property rights in space, it is more risky for a private enterprise to setup shop there. And without private entities finding ways to generate wealth on the Moon (or elsewhere) any presence there will be as temporary as the latest budget crisis.
And that's where Newt's rhetoric fails (just as every other president's rhetoric has failed). The practice of pouring billions of dollars into subsidized presence in space displaces private investment. It currently doesn't displace corporations that would put a base on the moon- since there are none who are willing to do so. Rather, It displaces those corporations looking to take those first steps into space. Every dollar spent on people and parts meant to get to the Moon is a dollar that could have been spent on X-prize style bounties for private, sustainable footsteps into space. And it is a dollar that bids up the price of those same people and parts, increasing costs on private enterprise.
The way for Americans to dominate space is for the US to ensure that private concerns have a framework for staking claims in space, homesteading and generating wealth. That means establishing a system of property rights and developing some means to protect them.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI agree that the current laws against staking claims on extraterrestrial bodies are archaic, however I am not optimistic that any future reworking of these laws will be any better.
I fear that future US presidents will be all too willing to cede any possible claim on these potential properties to international governing bodies like the UN. There will be a huge push from internationalist activists to make space operations and colonies completely separate any kind of national or political structure (particularly the US), with the hope that these new resources will give the UN the kind of power and leverage it needs (but has never been able to attain) in order to finally overpower national sovereignty on Earth, and fold us all into a global government.
The final frontier indeed.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGood thing we're not broke or anything.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse“When they have 13,000 Americans living on the moon, they can petition to become a state.”
Well, that cost Newt about 50% of the Puerto Rican vote.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLOL ... and the DC's folks too
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'd be happy if we settled Iraq. Shoot for the moon, Newt--!
Captcha code: "hot-n-ready"
These are too perfect.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is the sort of stuff that can sink a national campaign instantly, and I can guarantee you with Newt, this kind of nonsense will happen on a regular basis if the GOP was ever stupid enough to hand him the nomination.
With all of our country's problems, you want to focus your attention on colonizing the moon?
Didn't also have a brilliant idea of putting mirrors on the moon to combat climate change on Earth?
When voters hear hare brained ideas like this, they see a person who isn't a serious leader.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAgree. Like Gingrich's Six Sigma as panacea idea, also totally vacuous and uninformed.
Gingrich isn't the only one of course. Obama makes statements and claims that are logically incoherent, disjoint and/or fundamentally infeasible. When the Nitwits Pols do that, I can only stick a fork in my eye for relief.
It should only take one episode of rank inane stupidity to disqualify those clowns of all political stripes from consideration.
Too bad the press is usually as clueless as the politicians.
P.S. Gingrich is an idiot disguised as a Gasbag.
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