58th Speaker of the House and 2012 GOP presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich makes the case for his candidacy, explains why he’s not a Washington insider, and his describes his vision for his first term. On the agenda: gaining energy independence, ending the war on religion, balancing the budget, and repealing and replacing Obamacare. Also, why he is temperamentally suited for the highest office.
This is an excellent interview and deserves to keep getting bumped up. He may be a grandiose jerk. He may be likely to put his foot in his mouth. He may be a flip flopper. But he's the only one who's saying the kinds of things that need to be said about what we need to do to get back on track and avoid a major economic disaster (well, except for Ron Paul, whose foreign policy views disqualify him IMO).
He's not perfect but he's the best we've got right now.
Sometimes the right person for the job is insufferable personally. That's in fact why they're the right person for the job because they want to get something done, not get along.
You should lay off the moonshine,and learn some facts. Given the size of our national energy resources and our technology (constantly improving) in extracting it 'energy independence' is a 'choice' available to us, not a pipe dream. Time and observable results (the twin enemies of all liberal ideas/positions) is allowing us to see that choice as possible, much to the chagrin of the Left.
I find it ironic that the name of Thomas Sowell is being invoked, in an anti-Newt context, when Thomas Sowell was one of the few voices independent and strong enough not to buy into the Romney/Rove-orchestrated propaganda.
The article is longer and deserves to be read again, but here is at least one excerpt:
Thomas Sowell: The Florida Smear Campaign
"The Republican establishment is pulling out all the stops to try to keep Newt Gingrich from becoming the party’s nominee for president of the United States — and some are not letting the facts get in their way.
Among the claims going out through the mass media in Florida, on the eve of that state’s primary election, is that Newt Gingrich “resigned in disgrace” as speaker of the House of Representatives as a result of unethical conduct involving the diversion of tax-exempt money. Mitt Romney is calling on Gingrich to release “all of the records” from the congressional investigation.
But the Wall Street Journal of January 28, 2012, reported that these records — 1,280 pages of them — are already publicly available online. Although Speaker Gingrich decided not to take on the task of fighting the charge from his political enemies in 1997, the Internal Revenue Service conducted its own investigation which, two years later, exonerated Gingrich from the charges. His resignation was not due to those charges and occurred much later.
Do the Romney camp and the Republican establishment not know this, a dozen years later? Or are they far less concerned with whether the charges will stand up than they are about smearing Gingrich on the eve of the Florida primaries? (.....)"
The demonization of Newt is one of the ugliest things I have seen done by powerful people in GOP in my lifetime. Not that he shouldn't be criticized for what he does wrong, not that he is infallible, not that people are forbidden from disliking his far from stellar family past. What really bothered me was falsely pushing the meme of "grandiosity" and "instability" on the most Churchillian candidate we had since Ronald Reagan.
Even the tortured compliments paid to Newt sounded completely disingenuous, because indicative of a superficial, Democrat-style assessment. Newt speaks well not because he is a good speaker, but because he has substance, imagination, erudition and experience. Far more so than the rest of the candidates put together.
I am saying this aware of the fact that his chances to a meaningful recovery in this campaign cycle are quite dim, so this cannot be suspected of being a sales pitch. That won't make me change my opinion, though. I care about the right thing, not the popular thing. Come November 5th, some of us - even some of us who kicked him when he was down, not so much for (the real) faults of his own, but because the establishment decided he's too hard to control - will remember him and the fact that we have squandered a precious chance, not only at winning the Presidency, but at having something meaningful done following that victory.
"Energy independence" is a problematic expression. No, in a global market, we will never be 100% energy independent, but the policies Newt is advocating are correct: produce more energy in order to lessen the impact of politically motivated embargoes and other shocks in world supply.
"On the agenda: gaining energy independence,"
-of moonshine, utter moonshine.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis is an excellent interview and deserves to keep getting bumped up. He may be a grandiose jerk. He may be likely to put his foot in his mouth. He may be a flip flopper. But he's the only one who's saying the kinds of things that need to be said about what we need to do to get back on track and avoid a major economic disaster (well, except for Ron Paul, whose foreign policy views disqualify him IMO).
He's not perfect but he's the best we've got right now.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"He may be a grandiose jerk."
-jackpot ~and it ain't a maybe.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo was Patton. Who cares?
Sometimes the right person for the job is insufferable personally. That's in fact why they're the right person for the job because they want to get something done, not get along.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusegr8,
You should lay off the moonshine,and learn some facts. Given the size of our national energy resources and our technology (constantly improving) in extracting it 'energy independence' is a 'choice' available to us, not a pipe dream. Time and observable results (the twin enemies of all liberal ideas/positions) is allowing us to see that choice as possible, much to the chagrin of the Left.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse-you should lay off political hogwash and brush up on your Thomas Sowell.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI find it ironic that the name of Thomas Sowell is being invoked, in an anti-Newt context, when Thomas Sowell was one of the few voices independent and strong enough not to buy into the Romney/Rove-orchestrated propaganda.
Go no further than this National Review article:
External Link
The article is longer and deserves to be read again, but here is at least one excerpt:
Thomas Sowell: The Florida Smear Campaign
"The Republican establishment is pulling out all the stops to try to keep Newt Gingrich from becoming the party’s nominee for president of the United States — and some are not letting the facts get in their way.
Among the claims going out through the mass media in Florida, on the eve of that state’s primary election, is that Newt Gingrich “resigned in disgrace” as speaker of the House of Representatives as a result of unethical conduct involving the diversion of tax-exempt money. Mitt Romney is calling on Gingrich to release “all of the records” from the congressional investigation.
But the Wall Street Journal of January 28, 2012, reported that these records — 1,280 pages of them — are already publicly available online. Although Speaker Gingrich decided not to take on the task of fighting the charge from his political enemies in 1997, the Internal Revenue Service conducted its own investigation which, two years later, exonerated Gingrich from the charges. His resignation was not due to those charges and occurred much later.
Do the Romney camp and the Republican establishment not know this, a dozen years later? Or are they far less concerned with whether the charges will stand up than they are about smearing Gingrich on the eve of the Florida primaries? (.....)"
Caption: good night.
Indeed.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI have that on my iPhone. I haven't watched it yet. I have a bit of Newt fatigue. I'm all Newted out. Maybe I will watch it this weekend, maybe.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse-You'll get the gist if you just watch 10-15 seconds of the Hindenburg disaster.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe demonization of Newt is one of the ugliest things I have seen done by powerful people in GOP in my lifetime. Not that he shouldn't be criticized for what he does wrong, not that he is infallible, not that people are forbidden from disliking his far from stellar family past. What really bothered me was falsely pushing the meme of "grandiosity" and "instability" on the most Churchillian candidate we had since Ronald Reagan.
Even the tortured compliments paid to Newt sounded completely disingenuous, because indicative of a superficial, Democrat-style assessment. Newt speaks well not because he is a good speaker, but because he has substance, imagination, erudition and experience. Far more so than the rest of the candidates put together.
I am saying this aware of the fact that his chances to a meaningful recovery in this campaign cycle are quite dim, so this cannot be suspected of being a sales pitch. That won't make me change my opinion, though. I care about the right thing, not the popular thing. Come November 5th, some of us - even some of us who kicked him when he was down, not so much for (the real) faults of his own, but because the establishment decided he's too hard to control - will remember him and the fact that we have squandered a precious chance, not only at winning the Presidency, but at having something meaningful done following that victory.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Energy independence" is a problematic expression. No, in a global market, we will never be 100% energy independent, but the policies Newt is advocating are correct: produce more energy in order to lessen the impact of politically motivated embargoes and other shocks in world supply.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse