Gingrich Decries 'Backdoor Socialism'

Fox ^ | 1-12-12 | LYN

[USNBandit]

So if he paid back the FDIC, not taxpayers, $10 million, would he be off the hook?

Romney's problems aren't with Bain. It is everything else!

Every time I am critical of the Bain attacks, I know I am treading on thin ice with the thought police that have cropped up here recently.

As far as I can tell Romney doesn't have one publicly held opinion that isn't subject to change. I also don't think that he is probably much different than Scott Brown. They just aren't conservatives.

Right now, I really don't support anybody since Perry imploded. The candidate I want doesn't exist. I want a right wing, fiscally conservative, strong on defense, governor. Why governor? Because we need somebody that knows how to make a decision. I just don't see that in anybody in this race. I honestly don't see that in the Republican Party right now without getting Dr. Frankenstein to accomplish some strange gene splicing, bringing people back from the dead, experiment.

[Josh Painter]

Nice try, but Newt had no dealings with Fannie Mae. Get your facts straight.

[david1313]

Newt is the miracle but you are blinded by misinformation and down right lies.

[VinL]

Yeah. Santorum was at zero in the polls in IA and basically won.
**************
Laz, you can review my posts, not once have a put down another candidate, other than Romney. I like Santorum. My point to you is that, imo, he’s not going anywhere if Romney wins SC- it’a over. So, strategically, I was simply saying he can’t conceivably win unless he forcifully competes against Romney. And he’s not doing that.

[david1313]

Or Obama, so which one is it?

[Lazlo in PA]

I am opposed to crony capitalism (government+corporations) which I consider to be fascist.

I am against this too. Where exactly is a venture capital company like Bain involved with the Gov't? Newt isn't even spinning that. What he is talking about is how someone makes a legal living in the Private sector and how immoral that form of profit is over other more "honest" ways. That is how the Regime talks about profit, not GOP candidates running for POTUS.

Here is what your friend Newt thought about Romney all the way back in the olden days about Mittens job creating and private sector experience.

Newt Gingrich praises Gov. Romney's business experience in 2010

This is just like when Newt said the Romney mandates were a great idea before he said they were not.

This whole sour grapes attack that is getting Mitt haters to defend him is worthless. Mittens whole MA Gov record is enough to sink him for good. Why isn't Newt on that?

[Josh Painter]

Notice how Fox News and Wall Street Journal, both Murdock holdings, have been slamming Newt ever since they cancelled his contract as a contributor because he got into the race.

[Josh Painter]

Bud McFarlane (Reagan’s National Security Advisor) and Art Laffer (Reagan Economic Advisor) both say Newt is a genuine Reagan conservative.

No offense, but I’ll take take their word over yours any day and twice on Sunday.

[VinL]

Bandit,

90% of the negative ads have been against Newt. You can see how the Establishment is coming down on him. I’m not trying to persuade you-— I’m sure you see it.

There must be a reason why the Establishment is trying to destroy him. I think it’s because they know they can’t control him.

As you said, there’s nobody perfect-—but if they hate him that much, he’s good enough for me.

[Lazlo in PA]

I was simply saying he can’t conceivably win unless he forcefully competes against Romney.

I disagree. I think that a positive message on the issues is going to surprise people in it's effectiveness. We forget that Newt was doing much better before he started in this attack mode and was focusing on Obummer and the economy. He should have let his super PAC do the pummeling and stayed above the frey and on message.

[USNBandit]

Newt had no dealings with Fannie Mae. Get your facts straight.

Yeah!.....it was actually Freddie Mac.

[Utmost Certainty]

People owe it to themselves to actually listen to Newt's explanation. Unfortunately, many Republicans don't seem to understand it, and are projecting it as an attack on capitalism.

But this isn't some Left-tard kind of attack at all. Newt's case is simple:

1) Romney's vaunted "private sector experience", is of a particular kind that's going to represent a huge liability in the general election. Nobody's asserting that Bain Capital's actions were necessarily illegitimate nor unlawful, but it's obvious that Romney was no white knight of heroic, entrepreneurial capitalism.

2) Questions on business ethics are legitimate inquiries that one should have to answer for, especially if they're running for public office—these are not attacks on capitalism, and it's completely goofy that some are construing it that way. Those advocating a "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" attitude towards private enterprise activity, aren't doing capitalism any favors—rather, they're ironically validating the Left's destructive sophistry against capitalism.

Selling out capitalism in the defense of Romney and Bain

Even ZeroHedge doesn't defend Romney's record as a 'capitalist':

"Lately, Bain founder and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has found himself in a spirited defense of the private equity industry, doing all he can to spin decades of data which confirm, without failure, that PE Leveraged Buy Outs are nothing but "efficiency maximizing" transactions whose only goal is the "maximization" of EBITDA in the pursuit of dividend recap deals, IPOs or outright sales, while loading up the company with untenable amounts of leverage. All this with a 3-5 year investment horizon, which ignores the long-term viability of a company and seeks to streamline (read fire as many as possible) operations as quickly as possible in the goal of maximizing short-term returns. We wish him luck in his endeavor."

Shame we have so many wannabe Capitalistas here at FR and elsewhere, who adamantly defend this kind of shuck and jive financial paper shuffling as exemplary acts of free-market enterprise.

[Paladin2]

Dude, Newtie is nowhere close to a Conservative, much less a Reagan Conservative. You need to go get some new glasses.

[Paladin2]

Bain Capital principals have apparently contributed more $$$ to Zer0 than Romney.

The Goldman Sack is part of the enemy.

[VinL]

Well, I wish him luck.

[Advil000]

Precisely! If a person can read what Newt said and somehow take it as an attack on capitalism, then I have to wonder if they actually read his words or if that person is just spouting what the main stream media said.

He simply told the truth about Mitt’s business practices, and the difference between buying a business and investing in it to improve it as a going concern and buying them to pillage. There’s a vast difference. Just because being a corporate raider or hostile takeover man is LEGAL is a mile wide difference from being either ethical or RIGHT.

Newt has spent the last decade as a businessman himself and can see the difference in worldview.

Why can’t we? Are we that dense? Or do we only believe in conservatism and right/wrong when it suits us?

Newt’s comments over the last few days have been very accurate about the state of the economy and some of the core problems. (Crony capitalism, the Fed and justices.)

I thought we all agreed with those issues here?

He’s hitting the issues, but we don’t like the WAY he is hitting the issues? I’m begging conservatives to grow up, and quickly. There’s no time left for this foolishness.

We are about to get stuck with Romney or Paul. The train light is headed for us on the track. If we can’t push Newt or Santorum over the top we are screwed.

I’d prefer Newt but we have got to stop this crazyness now.

[Lazlo in PA]

People owe it to themselves to actually listen to Newt's explanation. Unfortunately, many Republicans don't seem to understand it, and are projecting it as an attack on capitalism.

If you can't further your position without long winded explanations and 28 minute videos, you lost the argument. Newt should have stuck with his original statement yesterday to the voter and just moved on to another attack avenue. It looks to me that Newt is doubling down on this out of spite and not smart stategery. Not really a Presidential move.

[SatinDoll]

My friend Newt...very funny. This isn’t an attack on capitalism nor on free enterprise. It is wanting the truth about Mitt Romney.

It’s called transparency, Lazlo. Romeny doesn’t want to talk about his background specifics involving Bain or his record governing Massachusetts. Why?

Would conservatives be supportive of Romney if he did a successful turnaround of a strip club, or a porn film studio? Bain bought failing businesses and either revialized them or stripped them down for liquidation. In one case they recieved a $10Million bailout from the Feds. (”According to the Globe, Romney’s company failed to repay at least $10 million to a failed bank and the rest of us had to absorb the loss. Romney abd others made $4 million dollars in this deal.”)

Nothing illegal, but do we want the guy as our Republican President?

If Romney has nothing to hide, then he should be transparent about Bain and about his term a Governor of Massachusetts.

As for Newt Gingrich, Romney dumped crap and negatavism on Gingrich in Iowa because Newt was ahead in the polls. Gingrich was talking positively, not attacking anyone but Obama, and about how he intended to better the nation. Politics is like war - once you attack your opponent, you can’t start whining about the counter-attack.

Sour grapes? I think not.

Dems are now saying Solyndra = Bain. Do we really want our candidate to have that target painted on him? How will the GOP counter that now? What is going to happen to all of the anti-crony capitalism arguments that the GOP was storing up for 2012?

In the end, if Obama supports bailouts and Romney does, too, and Newt challenges them, it would be Romney and Obama putting free enterprise on trial, not Newt.

[Revolting cat!]

There are simpleton on both sides. On the left everything about the ideas of socialism is right. For the people, Kumbaya! On the right, capitalism in all its forms is copacetic (despite the fact that there is no such ideology as 'capitalism'), or at least until such outfits as Enron, Madoff and MF Global get caught! Socialism or Capitalism, we are not to judge, not to criticize. Socialist or capitalist nirvana! Oh, well, never mind...

Go Newt!

[david1313]

You can disagree all you want to it is Santorum that is headed south in the Polls while Newt is beginning to surge.He is winning the argument against all odds. He is the man.