To Save America, by Newt Gingrich: on Principles & Values
Newt Gingrich:
America is now facing a mortal threat
This is a book I never expected to write. After the victory of freedom over Communist tyranny, of religious liberty over secular police states, and of American pride over the malaise and cynicism of the 1970s, I fully expected America to follow an upward
curve of consistent improvement. I did not expect the Left to ignore the lessons of history and move further into ideological extremism.After leaving Congress in 1999 with a balanced budget and a booming economy, I certainly did not foresee
Republican failure so vast that it allowed left-wing radicals to take over the House, Senate, and Presidency.
America as we know it is now facing a mortal threat.
This danger to America is greater than anything
I dreamed possible after we won the Cold War and the Soviet Union in December 1991. We stand at a crossroads: either we will save our country or we will lose it.
Source: To Save America, by Newt Gingrich, p. 1-2
May 17, 2010
Newt Gingrich:
Saul Alinsky is clear: Left needs to be dishonest
Perhaps nobody has been more clear about the Left's need for dishonesty than Saul Alinsky, considered the godfather of community organizing. His two most famous works, "Reveille for Radicals" and "Rules for Radicals" were published in the late 60s and
early 70s. In these works, Alinsky draws a distinction between meek, garden-variety liberals and brave, revolutionary radicals. "While liberals are most adept at breaking their own necks with their tongues," Alinsky wrote, "radicals are most adept at
breaking the necks of conservatives."Many of his "rules" are guidelines for engaging in immoral, dangerous, political dishonesty, including the following:
- "In war the end justifies almost any means."
- "Concern with ethics increases with the
number of means available and vice versa."
- "The less important the end to be desired, the more one can afford to engage in ethical evaluation of means."
- "You do what you can with what you have and clothe it with moral garments."
Source: To Save America, by Newt Gingrich, p. 46-47
May 17, 2010
Pat Moynihan:
1993 article "Defining Deviancy Down": pattern of decline
The move toward secularism has harmed American society. Look at the problems affecting today's teenagers, compared to the same data for 1963, the year the Supreme Court banned school prayer.- Drug addiction is up.
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Teenage pregnancy is up.
- Drinking is up.
- Violence is up.
- Rape in schools is up.
- Assaults on teachers are up.
- The display of disrespectful attitudes is up.
Did the elimination of school prayer help our schools? No. To the contrary, the decline of morality in school and in society overall has given rise to a destructive pattern that the late
Senator Pat Moynihan captured perfectly in his article, "Defining Deviancy Down."
Source: To Save America, by Newt Gingrich, p. 32
May 17, 2010
Ronald Reagan:
1975: conservative banners of bold colors, not pale pastels
Ronald Reagan understood the importance of clear statements for real change. That is why, in February 1975, in the depths of the Republican collapse after the Watergate scandal. He told CPAC, the annual conservative convention, that conservatives had to
nail their cause to banners of bold colors and avoid pale pastels.Reagan used this strategy throughout his political career. He had defeated a popular incumbent California governor by more than a million votes because Reagan boldly and clearly
declared his opposition to more spending and higher taxes, and his commitment to bringing efficiency and eliminating waste in Sacramento.
He again contrasted his clear, profound beliefs with the temporizing "realism" of the Republican establishment in
his 1976 presidential primary campaign against President Jerry Ford. And in 1980 Reagan again offered Americans a clear choice between his vision of a resurgent America and President Carter's focus on adapting to American decline.
Source: To Save America, by Newt Gingrich, p.154-155
May 17, 2010
Page last updated: Feb 25, 2019