It’s true that Newt Gingrich used to go around with an empty ice bucket in 1996. It was a symbol of his efforts to cut congressional perks and costs. For decades prior to 1995, every congressional office would receive a daily delivery of ice from a central freezer on the Capitol grounds. It was a holdover from the days before easy refrigeration, and it made for a nice demonstration of the sort of silly and costly perks that members of Congress received. When he became Speaker, Gingrich ended the practice and (in large part because that meant eliminating several staff positions) saved some $400,000 a year. Gingrich liked to use the ice bucket as a metaphor for Democratic governance: expensive, wasteful, and out-of-date. Whatever you think of the metaphor, it was something Gingrich talked about constantly, including on many occasions in the presence of Bob Dole.
One could point to any number of erratic, undisciplined, and peculiar statements or actions by Newt Gingrich during his speakership. He was in many ways a disastrous manager and leader. But Dole’s example in his
statement today reflects more poorly on Dole than on Gingrich, I’d say. And putting out this statement from Dole frankly doesn’t reflect well on the political judgment of the Romney campaign.
Romney's criticism of Gingrich for his attacks on the media and his use of the Dole statement is bizarre.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMaybe Dole can reprise his "Where's the outrage?" performance if Romney's down by 10 in the Fall.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"And putting out this statement from Dole frankly doesn’t reflect well on the political judgment of the Romney campaign."
"Frankly" doesn't reflect well? Neeewwwt. Is that you?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo now using one word which Newt (and millions of English-speaking people) uses is somehow embarrassing?
Well, I guess it is when one "believes in America."
PS One can only hope that all this irrational and self-defeating hostility directed against the most brilliant mind of post-Reagan's GOP will be in turn defeated by the voice of the "stoopid" voter.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOf course, the Romney campaign previously put out a lavish endorsement from Lisa Murkowski, so there is no doubting that Romney is utterly tone-deaf when it comes to conservatives and conservative values. The Murkowski endorsement is such a stupid enforced error because the only folks that know ANYTHING about her, can't stand her.
Much like Dole.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRomney's whole campaign has been predicated on the belief that the conservatives in the Republican party and in society as a whole, will simply accept that the only two choices they will have are Obama or Romney. Oops.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBob Dole. Yeah, I'm breathlessly waiting to hear anything he has to say about the 2012 nomination.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWe are hurting ourselves with all this cut-throat business against our conservative field. We will have no one to blame but ourselves if we slash and burn everyone to the point that Obama slides through again.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI have been thinking the same thing Donna. It is simply breathtaking to see the levels to which Romney and his GOP backers are willing to go to win. But in the process, they are utterly destroying the party, possibly rending in two from the bitterness that may emerge from all this character assassination, but almost certainly turning off independent voters.
A serious party with serious ideas and respect for the governance of this country simply does not behave like a bunch of high school kids. But that's what the GOP party has become lately with the likes of Coulter, Sununu, Dole and countless others dumping refuse on the electorate day in and day out. How about they just talk about their ideas for the country rather than worrying about Newt? Or do we have such an entrenched power-hungry political class now that they cannot permit ordinary people to simply make up their own minds?
Mark this down. I think Obama's already won this thing.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt's not the content of the speech behind the theatrics, it's the necessity of the theatrics he uses to communicate his point. Seriously, why would he be showing up at a Presidential campaign for his own party seeking to do some theatrics behind the scenes? It's not a grandiose idea, it's a grandiose perception he has of himself. He's a prophet on the street corner with a sign, only the theatrics and venue are altered. That's just weird. You can imagine some Vietnam protester who used to be a Poetry professor doing something like this to "make a statement". But a major "player" in the political party?
That's I think the point Dole was making. You can be certain Romney won't be going around making weird statements with ice buckets. He'll say what he intends to do and he'll work to make it happen.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf Gingrich ended the practice in 1995, but carried the ice bucket to Dole's campaign HQ at various times in 1996, I'd have to think it reflects poorly on Gingrich rather than Dole.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat I've seen from the Romney campaign today has made my mind up. I won't support him if he's the nominee.
That's not anger, either. It's a calm realisation that while one candidate is impulsive, sometimes reckless, and has perhaps the wrong character for the job, the other candidate has no character at all and will coldly tell any lie, or run with any falsehood, that wins him office.
I'll back Newt in the full understanding of his flaws and the fact that we might lose. But I couldn't look anyone in the eye and ask them to vote for Mitt Romney.
So, that's where we are.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhy wouldn't the Romney camp put it out there? I'm not a huge Bob Dole fan, but it is yet another Republican with direct experience working with Newt who says he should not be POTUS. It's getting to be a pretty long list.
One thing I definitely agree with Dole on, is that nominating Gingrinch makes beating Obama more difficult. Whether Newt is truly a moderate or a conservative in his heart, who knows, but I don't think Newt passes the Buckley rule. And that is a gamble we simply cannot afford to make.
I was pulling for Perry when he got in this race, but he flamed out pretty bad. My second choice was Romney, and of the remaining candidates, he has the best chance to beat Obama.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhen does the memory-sucking inane dopey twitter BS go up on the main page?
Another debate, another frozen browser...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIn a way it's nice to see Sen. Dole loaded for bear and ready to tangle given his frail health and infrequent public appearances as he pushes 90...but I agree that deploying him as an aggressive surrogate in 2012 seems a little counterproductive.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDole issues a scathing attack on Gingrich containing many solid points and the entire focus of the post is about the bucket. I think Dole's statement is dead on and should be taken seriously -- where is the support for Gingrich from those who knew and worked with him in the 90s? Not every replublican in the 90s was a RINO, so it's misguided to try to blame this all on some mysterious republican establishment or RINOs.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNewt may be a solo flyer, but I consider that a plus for the presidency. Electing someone with a long congressional background is problematic in that those guys simply can't break the vision clouding habit of thinking about issues within the narrow context of legislative machinations. In this vein, McCain, Dole, Ford, LBJ, Truman, etc., were of a reactionary ilk unlike RWR, who, remember, was not favored by congressional leaders in the run up to the 1980 elections either - they called him "too conservative", "trigger happy", and "crazy".
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"And putting out this statement from Dole frankly doesn’t reflect well on the political judgment of the Romney campaign."
Can anyone name the last thing that the Romney campaign put out that did reflect well on their political judgment?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe year is 2012. Why am I still hearing about Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGiven that Dole was a Republican "it's his turn" candidate, and given his electoral fate, why does Romney want to be associated in any way with him? Does Romney want to reinforce the idea that he is this election cycle's Bob Dole? Yet another head scratcher from the Romney campaign geniuses.
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