Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich For President? Not Good For America! :(

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Former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who left electoral politics in 1998 after four years as the most controversial Speaker since Joseph Cannon at the beginning of the 20th century, is making clear his interest in running for the GOP Presidential nomination in 2012!

While not declaring his candidacy, he is traveling in the first caucus and primary states, and while in Iowa, he spoke openly about his planning to run, and the fact that he will decide by the early months of 2011!

It is true that it is already time for presidential candidates to travel to the first states that are part of the marathon race for the White House, and many have been in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. But none have gone as far as Gingrich in openly promoting the idea that he plans to run!

Gingrich is, obviously, a very intelligent man of deep thoughts and ideas, and were he to be the nominee against President Barack Obama, it would be a very intellectual race, probably only matched by John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960, and Woodrow Wilson and Charles Evans Hughes in 1916, in the past century!

But Gingrich is also a “flamethrower” who utilizes outrageous, irresponsible statements, and throughout his career in the House, he was more interested in being controversial than in promoting unity or compromise!

If “politics is the art of compromise”, then Gingrich is clearly the wrong kind of person to lead the nation in a difficult time economically, socially, and internationally! His Presidency would be far more divisive, and make the political split that exists in Washington, DC far worse than it is now! 🙁

It is odd how sometimes Gingrich seems to be very reasonable and sane, but at other times, he is totally whacko in his statements and beliefs! His problem is that he is not believable that he has any strong convictions other than his own desire for power, influence, and constant media attention! 🙁

And in a time of fervent morality on the part of many Republicans, do they really want a person who, while condemning the sexual misbehavior of President Bill Clinton, was himself engaged in an extramarital affair behind the back of his second wife, and has been married now three times? Yes, people make mistakes and have moral lapses, but three wives, two divorces, and a reputation of a tone of corruption while he was Speaker? Is this a winning combination for a person who also presided over the loss of seats while Speaker, in 1996 and 1998?

The best advice that could be given to Newt Gingrich is to reconsider the idea of running, as he would not contribute one iota to the solution of our problems, and would instead simply create even more division and turmoil in a nation that does not need it at such a difficult time in our history! 🙁

Father’s Day, Family Values, And Hypocritical Conservatives! :(

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President Obama is an ideal father, and has a stable, well adjusted family life!

This is, unfortunately, not as typical as one might think, with many families lacking a father, whether by tragedy or by irresponsibility! 🙁

Obama is an excellent spokesman for family values, and yet he is under constant attack by people who are pure hypocrites! 🙁

There are many people in the media and politics who constantly advocate family values, but do not practice what they preach! 🙁

This includes, for instance, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh (four marriages), and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (three marriages)!

While no one is claiming that liberals and Democrats have an ideal record as parents and promoting family values, it is a well known fact that there are many more conservatives and Republicans who have a sorry record on these matters, even though they are the ones constantly promoting family values to gain political advantage! 🙁

So on this Father’s Day, let us salute President Obama for his outstanding image as a dad and a husband! 🙂

The Republican “Revolution” of 1994: The Scandals And Hypocrisy Mount!

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In 1994, the Republican party came to power in both houses, with the House going Republican for the first time since 1954.

Newt Gingrich became the House Speaker and promoted the idea that a different “atmosphere” was being created, after the 40 straight years of Democratic control.

So what is the record of the Republicans who were in charge, and those who came in as freshmen, dedicated to change?

Well, Newt Gingrich came under attack for ethics violations, and was shown to have cheated on his wife, while condemning President Bill Clinton for his sexual escapades! The same situation was true for Bob Livingston, who was supposed to succeed Gingrich as Speaker, until his love affairs were exposed! Tom Delay was another leading figure who was “ethically challenged” and still faces trial for his transgressions involving influence peddling! Congressman Henry Hyde also was shown to be involved in romantic escapades which sullied his name!

But not only leaders, but the “new” members of the GOP who came to the House, became involved in scandal including Mark Foley, Mark Sanford, John Ensign, and Bob Ney. Others became involved in divorce proceedings, including Jim Bunn, James Longley, Jon Christensen, Enid Greene, Joe Scarborough, Steve LaTourette, and Helen Chenoweth. Others involved in trouble included J D Hayworth and David Funderburk.

Now added to the list is Mark Souder of Indiana, who was cheating with a woman staffer who was involved in an “abstinence” video with Souder, a member who, llke many others in the Republican group of 1994, loved to emphasize “family values”! Amazingly, Souder, in his resignation statement, blamed the “poisonous environment” of Washington, DC for his blunders, an example of a refusal to take full responsibility, and instead to blame the national capital for his transgressions! 🙁

What an outrage, as if the millions of people who live in the DC area are all involved in adulterous relationships! 🙁 This shows the total hypocrisy of the Republican leadership and Republican freshman class of 1994, which at this point shows at least 15 of the 73 new freshmen disgracing themselves in some form or other!

This is not to say that Democrats have not been involved in scandal, as certainly many have, including Eliot Spitzer, John Edwards, James McGreevey, and Eric Massa among others! But it is not the Democrats, but rather the Republicans, who have been constantly promoting “family values” and “Christian values” as their appeal. So the hypocrisy runs very deep indeed! 🙁

Newt Gingrich Being Totally Irresponsible And A Demagogue!

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Former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, always considered very intelligent and knowledgeable, but also seen as very confrontational and divisive in his years in the House of Representatives, has been, as Richard Cohen of the Washington Post wrote recently, on a “tear” lately in his vicious attacks on the Obama Administration.

Considered a likely candidate for the GOP Presidential nomination in 2012, even though he has been out of elective office since 1998, Gingrich has used the words “socialism” and “secularism” very loosely and attacked what he calls “Cultural Elites”!

The problem is that he, himself, is part of the “Cultural Elites”, as he is a former college professor with a Ph. D. in History who speaks in such a way that most “ordinary” people would have trouble understanding his intellectual bent!

Gingrich promotes religion and “family values”, but he has been married three times, divorced twice, admitted to an extramarital affair, and served his first wife with divorce papers while she lay in the hospital after cancer surgery! 🙁

As Richard Cohen points out, Gingrich lives in a very wealthy suburb of Washington, DC. He has never been in the military, but always promotes them as if he was a war veteran himself! He has never worked in the business world, but acts as if government is evil, even though his whole career has been one of being in government or being paid to comment on government! 🙂

But he revels in calling Barack Obama “socialist”, when, as any reasonable person would have to admit, Obama is FAR from being a Socialist, even on National Health reform (no public option)!

As Cohen states, Gingrich lives off controversy and provocation! He promotes trouble and mischief! Cohen concludes: “He is good at being bad. He is just not any good at being good.”

To this, I say “Amen” without invoking religion! LOL 🙂

Newt Gingrich Calls Barack Obama A “Radical”! Really, Newt? :(

Ronald 5 Comments

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is giving broad hints of his intention to seek the GOP Presidential nomination in 2012, and part of his strategy is to declare, at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, that President Obama is a “radical”, in fact the most radical leader of the nation in its history!

Newt does not seem to realize how ridiculous he looks by making such a silly assertion! Because the President managed to get through, after a long battle, a moderate health care plan that does not fully please liberals and was seen as a compromise, that makes him a “radical”? The fact that he wants to promote financial reform of a banking and stock market system that ran amuck for years makes him a “radical”? His attempt to promote a program that allows some oil drilling, but seeks to diversify our energy future by moving away from too much dependence on oil, makes him “radical”? The fact that he worked to preserve our banking, insurance and auto industries and prevent a worse loss of jobs makes him “radical”? His determination to make progress toward a nuclear free world by making agreements to cut the number of nuclear weapons and scale down the danger of nuclear war makes him “radical”?

Any sane person would see that Barack Obama has been working night and day to insure the return of prosperity and to secure our safety and security, both of which are the main responsibilities of any American President!

If Barack Obama is indeed ” radical”, then so are Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and even Ronald Reagan!

In reality, Newt Gingrich KNOWS that Barack Obama is within the mainstream, and has even been willing to work with the President on education reform. It is very clear that Gingrich respects the President, despite his rhetoric!

Newt Gingrich is simply displaying his ambition for the White House, and is therefore willing to lie to himself, fellow Republicans, and the American people! He is a very intelligent, articulate man, who has shown great speaking and writing ability, as he is the author of many books, including Civil War novels which utilize his historical training, all the way to the Ph. D.

At the same time, Newt Gingrich has been very willing to divide and create confrontation, as demonstrated by his years in the House, working against Speaker of the House Jim Wright, and being an extremely controversial Speaker from 1995-1999! It could be argued that he was more of a lighting rod than Nancy Pelosi has ever been in the past three plus yearrs as Speaker!

If Newt expects to seek the Presidency, he will have major liabilities which include: his scandalous private behavior, including cheating on two wives, and telling his first wife of an impending divorce while she lay ill in the hospital; his often corrupt behavior as Speaker, bordering on illegality; his willingness to use character assassination to the extreme against the opposition party; and his lack of any public office for what would be fourteen years by the time of the Presidential Election of 2012.

An election between Barack Obama and Newt Gingrich would be, certainly, one of the most exciting, dynamic and clear choices that the American people would ever witness. But the thought of a President Gingrich brings up thoughts of a time of conflict and divisiveness that would be greater than anything we have yet seen! A Newt Gingrich Presidency would be a truly “radical” Presidency, far greater than anything that Barack Obama could even imagine!

Rare Praise From Left And Right On Obama Nobel Peace Prize Speech

Ronald 2 Comments

Imagine this! President Obama has been praised by people on the Left and the Right for his Nobel Peace Prize speech!

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, and columnist Cal Thomas all had a lot of good things to say about Obama’s speech.

But the liberal Nation magazine, certainly disappointed by much of what Obama has done or not done, also lauded the speech, as did columnist Joe Klein of Time Magazine.

It can be hoped that the moral level and realistic nature of his speech can transform the world in a better direction before Barack Obama leaves the Presidency!

Competing Jobs Summits: Barack Obama And Newt Gingrich

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President Obama is holding a Jobs Summit, with representatives of business, labor, and academia next month, but will be upstaged to some extent by Jobs Summits being held in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Jackson, Mississippi, a day earlier and the same day as the White House Summit.

The promoter of these competing Jobs Summits is none other than former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is also flirting with a Presidential candidacy in 2012. Gingrich is trying to offer an alternative to the administration’s plans, which he calls inadequate and wrong headed.

Gingrich also has plans to hold additional summits next year as the political heat rises for the midterm election. This is just another indication of the rapidly accelerating presidential race in the Republican party, as numerous candidates make their case, and even talk show hosts get into the fray! 🙂

A New Low Is Reached By The Republican Party

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A new poll shows only 20 percent nationally identify themselves as Republicans, the lowest since 1983. Democrats have 33 percent and independents 42 percent.

To add insult to injury, only 19 percent think the GOP has the right solutions, while 79 percent feel that they have the wrong answers.

Additionally, the Democrats at this point have the same support for control of the next Congress that they had in 2006 and 2008.

So despite the anti government, anti Democratic reaction evident during August, the Democrats seem to have recovered and are in good shape for the 2010 midterm congressional elections.

What it comes down to is that negativism and lack of alternative ideas is seen as detrimental to the Republican party. The question is when they will realize that they are being self destructive, and stop allowing right wing talk show hosts and extremists who talk secession and states rights and the militia mentality to control their destiny. It turns out even Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker, agrees that the situation the GOP is in is their own fault!

Newt Gingrich, Laura Bush, And The National Review Agree On Obama Education Speech

Ronald 1 Comment

Imagine this: The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, no friend of President Obama, believes that the Obama education speech was a great speech.

Former First Lady Laura Bush also expressed support of the President’s message, and said she believed overall, Obama is doing a good job as President.

The National Review, the leading conservative journal of opinion, declared that the Obama speech was the BEST of his Presidency, quite a coup for the President to gain the backing and support of the most significant and legitimate opposition political periodical.

So do all the parents, the conservative talk show hosts, and the political operatives of the Republican party feel foolish, as they should, with spades? No! Instead, such conservative luminaries as Laura Ingraham, Monica Crowley, and Michelle Malkin, trying to compete with the “boys” that have more notice than they do, proved they are just as outrageous and crazy, despite the fact that we would like to believe that women are the smarter sex and use more reason. I would believe that, but these women mentioned above contradict that belief I so strongly hold! 🙂 LOL

Realize that Obama won today, and made conservatives and Republicans who were reckless, as always, with the truth, look totally ridiculous and out of touch.

Any thinking American will see that the intention of the opposition is not to improve America, but instead keep it as it is–a haven for the rich and privileged, and also the biased and bigoted, who don’t want to see any improvement or change that might affect their position of power and wealth.

But it is time to let these forces of reaction be made aware, that their time of domination is over! We will bring change and reform whether you like it or not! You had your chance and you blew it!

A Promising Development On Education Reform

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In the midst of so much controversy over health care reform, it is wonderful to report that Education Secretary Arne Duncan is gaining the support of former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and the African American preacher Al Sharpton, who tend to agree on nothing else, to work with Duncan to promote education reform, one of the major aims of the Obama Administration.

The three men will visit Philadelphia, New Orleans and Baltimore in the fall to push those cities to work to improve failing schools as a first step toward widespread education reform nationally.

It is good to see cooperation on such an important issue as this one, and one could wistfully wish that Newt Gingrich would have the same attitude on health care reform, but alas, that is not the case! 🙁

However, I guess we should be happy with small miracles! 🙂