More headlines: Newt Gingrich on Principles & Values
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OpEd: Contract agenda smart; but exaggerated scandal culture
In 1992, Republicans in Congress, led by Newt Gingrich, sought to wrest political power out of the president's hands by pushing an ideologically driven agendas, tearing down Clinton and attacking congressional Democrats rather than reaching out to forge
common ways forward in line with their political priorities. Some of what the Gingrich Republicans did was simply smart political positioning, as when they developed and trumpeted their Contract with America as a coherent agenda and set of shared talking
points for congressional candidates to rally around. The gambit helped them wrest control of the House of Representatives from Democrats in 1994. But some of what they did was based on exaggerated charges of dishonesty, immorality, and corruption, using
Washington's scandal culture as a weapon to attack Clinton & his allies. The parade of scandals seemed endless: Travelgate, Whitewater, FBIgate, the Vince Foster case, the Rose Law Firm billing records affair, and, of course, the Monica Lewinsky episode.
Source: What Happened, by Scott McClellan, p. 17
May 28, 2008
Thinking about thinking about running; decision by October
Q: We’re curious about whether you’re a candidate. Let me show you what you’ve said. In December 2003: “I doubt it very much,” running for president. Then in May 2006, “I doubt it.” Then in December 2006, “Of course I’m thinking about it.”
And last week, “It is a great possibility.” As we sit on this day, May 20th, 2007, will Newt Gingrich run for president?A: I promise, if after the September 27th American Solutions workshop, I do decide to run,
I will come back and be on “Meet the Press.”
Q: So you’re thinking about running?
A: Well, I’m thinking about thinking about running. But I won’t do anything at all about the possibility of running until after
September 29th when we have our second workshop.
Q: So by October you should have a decision?
A: By October I’m confident that we’ll be chatting.
Source: Meet the Press: 2007 “Meet the Candidates” series
May 20, 2007
3 out of 14 planks of Contract With America passed by 1996
In 1995, as Congress recessed for Xmas break on Dec. 22, Gingrich Republicans passed a radical welfare reform act that, if left to stand, would imperil millions of vulnerable women & children. The President vetoed the GOP welfare bill as promised.The
Republicans finally were being held accountable for both the budget impasse and the shutdowns, and the drop in their approval ratings led to a fracturing of the party's united front. By January, Sen. Bob Dole, likely looking ahead to the launch of his
presidential campaign, started talking compromise. Gingrich's strategy of "playing chicken" with Bill had failed, and I felt great relief that we could reopen the government and get workers back on the payroll now that Bill had prevailed.
As
Congress opened on Jan. 3, 1996, only three minor pieces of the Gingrich Contract had been signed into law. Bill had sustained 11 vetoes. He had managed to stave off disastrous cuts to Medicare and to save programs like AmeriCorps and Legal Aid services
Source: Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, p.326
Nov 1, 2003
Six challenges for a prosperous, free, & safe America
Let me outline the six major changes that I believe are necessary to leave our children with an America that is prosperous, free, and safe:- We must reassert and renew American civilization. Until we re-establish a legitimate moral-cultural
standard, our civilization is at risk.
- We must accelerate America’s entry into the Third Wave Information Age. Second only to renewing our civilization is making the intellectual investment necessary to understand these changes and harness them to our
lasting advantage.
- We must rethink our competition in the world market. We want our labor to add the highest value so that we can be the most effective competitor on earth.
- We must replace the welfare state with an opportunity society.
- We must
replace our centralized, micro-managed, Washington-based bureaucracy with a dramatically decentralized system more appropriate to a continent-wide country.
- We musty be honest about the cost of government programs and balance the federal budget.
Source: To Renew America, p. 6-9
Jul 2, 1995
OpEd: Frivolous ethical complaints reached critical mass
One of the left's favorite weapons is frivolous ethics complaints. That's what they used to bring down the architect of the 1994 "Republican Revolution," Newt Gingrich.Prior to the election of 1994, the Democrats had held a majority in the House of
Representatives for four decades. Working with a team of grassroots activists, Newt selected and trained candidates, shaped a political message--a genuine movement leader." To the left, that meant one thing: he had to be eliminated.
Back in the
1990s, Democrats had Newt in their sights. And strangely enough, the more influential he became, the more "unethical" he became--at least if you counted the number of complaints filed against him.
Over time the cloud of ethical questions hanging over Newt reached critical mass. Instead of defending their own, Republicans on certain committees forced Newt to concede to one charge.
Source: Going Rogue, by Sarah Palin, p.363-364
Nov 17, 2009
Page last updated: May 31, 2012