Posted on 11/15/2006 8:39:52 AM PST by ConservativeMajority
Now that the 2006 midterm elections have almost all been decided, political observers are turning their attention toward the presidential sweepstakes in 2008. It will be the first race since 1952 that doesn’t have an incumbent president seeking re-election or vice-president looking for a promotion, leaving the field in both parties wide open. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and John Kerry top the list of about a dozen Democrats considering a White House run and Mitt Romney, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are the names most frequently talked about for the Republican nomination.
With the official end of the 1994 Republican Revolution coming just a week ago, some have been openly wondering if the architect of the Contract With America will return to the political stage to once again lead the conservative movement with a bid for the White House. After attending an event with Newt Gingrich last night, it appears that the former House Speaker is not running for president - he’s waiting to be asked to serve.
Gingrich was interviewed by a restrained Chris Matthews and revealed the depth and breadth of his knowledge of American history. Gingrich, once a college professor, lectured the audience about how leaders like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt might deal with today’s problems and political environment. Woven into his responses to the over-matched talk show host, was an unmistakable affirmation of conservative principles that were abandoned by the Republican Congressional leadership just deposed.
More striking was Gingrich’s outlook for the upcoming presidential campaigns. He suggested that the current lack of effective leadership in both parties is the result of negative campaigns that appeal to the lowest common denominator. Gingrich believes that real leaders will emerge when “things get bad enough” for Americans to stop responding to the politics of personal destruction and seek candidates with a strong, defined, inspirational message. The underlying premise is that those who seek power will be turned aside in favor of someone who seeks to lead a nation.
It is clear that Gingrich believes he is such a man, as do I. He’s not running for anything, but it seems that he is waiting for his country to call.
Ring, ring, ring.
I hope he can win, especially if the alternatives are RINOs like The McCainiac or Rooooooooooodeeeeeeeee.
UNELECTABLE! The GOP needs fresh faces and new blood for 2008, not has-been politicos from the past who have enough skeletons in their closets to fill a graveyard. Newt is NOT the savior of the GOP, and if he runs in 2008, Hillary will trounce him. It's that simple, folks!
...."Mitt Romney, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are the names most frequently talked about for the Republican nomination."....
And I WILL NOT vote for any of the above! If these are our only choices than I say someone call Newt, QUICK!
I know Newt, I like Newt as an advisor, stratergist, but not as a leader.....
Too much personal baggage.....
Hmmmm...that's funny. As a social conservative, I've been saying since November 8th that we need Newt in a position of power in the Republican Party. But thank you for correcting this error. I now see that I must view him as unclean, since its impossible for us social conservatives to support someone when they don't ascribe to our own personal agendas.
Right?
I'm as socially conservative as they come. He is no longer acceptable for an Elder position in a church, but he can still be the president just fine.
Sorry, he carries too much baggage with him.
What are his positions on the common social issues, especially gay marriage and abortion?
I like Newt as well. I could care less about his marital state. The man knows his stuff, and would TRASH hillary in debates as well. (That would be worth paying for!)
Newt had his chance to lead. He decided getting wrinkles taken out of his tally wacker was more important.
If he wants to compete, fine but I'm not going to annoint him.
We're hiring the guy to kill jihadis, not a marriage counselor.
I can bet that there will be plenty of D-I-V-O-R-C-E-D in heaven. I will be one of them! :) Now my exhusband... that is another story!
Against Hillary, it would be an interesting skeletons-in-the-closet contest.
With all her baggage, I don't see why anybody thinks she is a credible candidate.
I was blissfully unaware of things back in his hey-day, so can somone please tell me what all this baggage is? If it's just that he's divorced, give me a break, that shouldn't be an issue at all.
Newts chances of being president are less than mine and I'm not an American.
If you stood all the presumptive GOP nominees in a group with Newt behind them, he'd be the one with head and shoulders above the rest. The other three are doctrinally flawed as conservatives. With his long view of American and world history, he's the best qualified by far.
TC
Because that's what I did when I read it. ;-)
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