Posted on 03/13/2007 9:11:43 PM PDT by jazusamo
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The enthusiastic reception given to a speech by Newt Gingrich at a recent meeting of the Conservative Political Action Committee has revived speculation that he may enter the presidential nomination race, after all.
It seems hard to believe that Gingrich has been out of politics for more than a dozen years. He has certainly not been out of the media that long -- and it is doubtful if he has overlooked the political value of maintaining his name recognition.
At one time it was thought that Newt Gingrich was permanently washed up after leaving the House of Representatives under a cloud of "scandal." But "scandal" is one of those words that the media use in a very inconsistent manner.
Bill Clinton's tawdry affair with Monica Lewinsky was usually referred to in the liberal media as "the Lewinsky matter" -- not the Lewinsky "scandal."
The word "scandal" seems to be reserved for people the media don't like, and House Speaker Newt Gingrich was high up on the list of people that liberals didn't like. He was second only to Ronald Reagan as the most effective conservative leader of his generation.
Gingrich engineered the Republicans' stunning takeover of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. Moreover, he followed through by carrying out the conservative agenda on which the Republicans were elected.
That was a big difference from the more recently elected -- and then repudiated -- Republican Congress.
What about Newt Gingrich's "scandals"?
The biggest scandal, according to the media, was that he "shut down the government" by cutting the budget, so that there was not enough money to operate.
In reality, the budget passed by the House of Representatives when Newt Gingrich was Speaker provided more money than any previous budget in the history of the nation. But liberals define a "cut" as any appropriation that is less than what was asked for, regardless of whether it is more than anyone ever appropriated before.
President Clinton asked for more money than Speaker Gingrich was willing to give him, so Clinton shut down the government and said that the Republicans had shut down the government.
He knew he could depend on the liberal media to buy his spin and repeat it endlessly on the evening news broadcasts and Sunday talk shows.
The Republicans did themselves no good by their inept statements trying to defend what they had done. To counter ringing rhetoric by the Democrats that these "cuts" would hurt the starving and the downtrodden, Republicans made wooden speeches about statistics, comparing "OMB figures" with "CBO figures."
Not surprisingly, Clinton and the Democrats won that confrontation going away, and Gingrich was tarred as a heartless man, denying food and shelter to the needy. The real scandal in all this was that the Republicans couldn't get the marbles out of their mouths to let the public know the truth -- and they should have known that the media were not about to puncture the Democrats' hot air balloon.
The second Newt Gingrich "scandal" was his violation of one of the many red tape requirements put into the law to supposedly clean up politics. Politics has not been noticeably cleaner since these laws were passed but someone is always tripping over the technicalities, so as to supply the media with "scandals" -- if those who trip are not liberals, in which case it is just a "matter."
Finally, Newt Gingrich admitted to having an extra-marital affair. This was equated with Bill Clinton's Monica Lewinsky "matter," even though Gingrich told the truth in public while Clinton lied under oath in a court where he was being sued.
Many a man has found some woman irresistible when he shouldn't have -- and, in a field of candidates crowded with saints, this would be enough to permanently disqualify Newt Gingrich.
But this does not seem to be the situation we are faced with. Conservatives waiting for the candidate of their dreams can give us President Hillary Clinton in the meantime. Among these alternatives, Newt Gingrich doesn't look bad at all.
Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute and author of Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy.
Too bad Dr. Sowell didn't offer his thoughts on Newt's chances of WINNING a national election.
no, newt is not back.
newt was neutered by the democrap media, in the mid-1990s,
like our "republican" governor, ah-nold, with his election that no one wanted.
BINGO!
Conservatives waiting for the candidate of their dreams can give us President Hillary Clinton in the meantime.
Thomas Sowell does a better job with the "shut down the government" propaganda than Newt did.
Give Sowell a cabinet post or create one for him.
Know-It Laureate.
I watched him, too. Actually, I got the feeling he is taking a wait and see philosophy.
Newt ping!
I just turned the replay on of H&C. Was it on first or towards the latter part of the show? Crazy Al is on now.
My tagline speaks for me on this "matter."
You could very well be right. But he also made a very good point about the early announcers needing to "take care of business". The impression I got, was if these early birds don't carry any weight and implode on each other..he might give it a try. He may not be my chosen candidate at this point, but his baggage is no worse than any others.
I was listening to Limbaugh's podcast, and there's one thing I've noticed about him, above all else. He never backs down. There have been more hits on Limbaugh than anyone else in the last thirty years, including Bush and Reagan. Limbaugh's had some problems, hearing loss, drug problems, three failed marriages, but every time they try to make a hit on him, he comes back swinging, and guess what? He's still here, and no matter how hard they've tried, they haven't been able to silence him or run him off.
Wish the Republicans would fight like this. This stupid "scandal" over firing justice department lawyers should be met at every turn with "What about Clinton firing all 93 right after he took office?"
This man, Thomas Sowell, is a giant in journalism's forest ... he is a Redwood in a forest of pin oaks. Indeed, Newt doesn't look even half bad in comparison to the Rodham-rodent.
How true.
"Among these alternatives, Newt Gingrich doesn't look bad at all."
Except that in a recent poll 64% of Americans said they wouldn't vote for Gingrich. His negatives are too high. And should Newt enter the race, he will again be fodder for the press. But the main problem with Newt, is, he is just not very likable.
Newt did a great job behind the scenes, in the house. No one can take that away. But he does not have the personality for the presidency. He would never be elected.
Very good points. It's really getting tiresome watching the Repubs throw in the towel instead of coming out swinging and this justice department thing is disgusting. It is a no issue thing, the Dems should have been told to take a hike.
That may be true amongst conservatives. It is not true in the general population.
We agree completely.
Yep, we sure do --- Newt is not likable.
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