Free Republic

'Much worse than Watergate' Newt says. The Obama Adm. "methodically, systematically say whatever they need to say to manipulate the American people... This is an administration that refuses to be honest about who our enemies are but they're gathering up huge amounts of data on innocent Americans"

If the sluggish U.S. economy wasn’t reason enough for tax reform, the ongoing IRS scandal demonstrates how a devilishly complex tax code enables government mischief. But the flat tax — a longtime policy goal for many on the right — isn’t the realistic answer to either problem. Flat-tax advocates see headlines about an out-of-control IRS as a chance to put the idea back on the public-policy radar in way it hasn’t been since the 1990s. “This is why you need a flat tax,” Wall Street Journal economics writer Stephen Moore told Fox News recently. “If you get rid of two-thirds...

Yes, there is life after Fox News. Sarah Palin “parted ways” with the network in January. Dick Morris was gone the following month. Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum were suspended as contributors in March 2011 while they considered presidential runs. They haven’t come back. Being escorted — or, in some cases, shoved — off Fox News’s big stage has tested the ability of the four to find ways to stay relevant, whether through social media, books, radio shows, public appearances or other projects. In the time since these former high-profile paid commentators departed the most-watched news channel in the country...

Are You Now or Have You Ever Been a Friend of Newt Gingrich? Yes, the Obama IRS actually demanded a California Tea Party group to provide details of a rally with Newt Gingrich. The group was seeking non-profit status. This question was asked of one to a Tea Party groups by the IRS: 29.) Provide details regarding the townhall(sp) planned on February –, 2012 with Newt Gingrich.Unreal. Here’s a copy of the questionnaire: For the record: I have more information on this group. But am holding back since they are afraid to come out with all of the details right...

Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, who have reportedly given a combined $10 million to Winning Our Future, the super PAC that supports and is run by former staffers of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, were drawn to him by a shared view of the importance of the U.S. relationship to Israel. But a review of public records by Sunlight suggests that the couple, who appears to be the former House speaker's most generous political patrons pending the filing of Winning Our Future's first complete financial disclosures later this month with the Federal Election Commission, have considerable...

Former House Speaker and presidential candidate Newt Gingrich made two points Monday on “Morning Joe” that Americans should hear and heed. Referring to the still developing IRS scandal involving its targeting of tea party-like, conservative political groups, Gingrich asked, “How can you put Obamacare under the Internal Revenue Service?” Gingrich said President Obama “has a huge problem because Obamacare relies very heavily on the IRS.” Although not in the segment of the video below, Politico reported Gingrich also said during the interview: Why would you trust the bureaucracy with your health if you can’t trust the bureaucracy with your politics?...

Earlier this month, news broke that CNN was looking to relaunch Crossfire, the famous debate show that pitted two pundits -- one liberal, one conservative -- against one another on the political issues of the day. Sources now tell POLITICO that the network is in discussions with former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and former Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter about roles on the show. "They are talking to Cutter and to Gingrich," a source familiar with the discussions said. "[Cutter] is in discussions; Newt is in discussions too," another source confirmed.

Gingrich lost, but he hasn’t retired. After 69 years, Newt Gingrich is wealthy, a celebrity, and the owner of a tony home in Northern Virginia. His place in the history books, as the leader of the Republican revolution, has long been established. But the former House speaker isn’t ready to fade away. “I don’t rule it out,” he said on Thursday over breakfast, when asked about a future presidential run. He spoke excitedly about his company, Gingrich Productions, and his upcoming trip to South Carolina, where he won the Republican primary last year. Gingrich’s unflagging energy isn’t surprising. We’ve all...

Former Republican congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul has launched his own K-12 home-school curriculum to provide an “education in liberty like no other.” The curriculum, which includes courses on “the economics of the Austrian school,” provides its K-5 program for free, meaning that students and families will be able to learn under Ron Paul for six years “without spending a dime,” according to one of the curriculum’s high school teachers, Ludwig von Mises Institute senior fellow Tom Woods. “Here, students learn the basics of Western Civilization and Western liberty — how it was won, how it is being...

Joshua Green shares an amazing story about the secret negotiations between Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich for a “unity ticket” during the Republican Presidential primary. In the end, Green reports, neither of the two Republican leaders could agree which of the two would be president. (T)he two candidates spoke face-to-face at an energy forum just before the primary. Gingrich made an elaborate historical argument that when the party hasn’t been able to agree on a nominee, it always settles on the senior figure. Santorum wasn’t persuaded, and urged Gingrich to do what was best for the conservative movement.

Fox News chief's choice words for Obama, Biden and Gingrich Posted by CNN Political Unit (CNN) – Roger Ailes has never been known to keep his opinions to himself. So perhaps it's no surprise the powerful boss of Fox News Channel revealed candid opinions of top political figures – including President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich – during conversations and meetings that were recorded by his biographer Zev Chafets. In excerpts of Chafets' upcoming book "Roger Ailes: Off Camera" that were published in this month's Vanity Fair, the Fox News president is shown...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that Karl Rove should not play the role of kingmaker in congressional races across the country. Mr. Gingrich said it would be “repugnant” for Mr. Rove to use his newest super PAC — Conservative Victory Project — to ward off candidates that he doesn’t deem fit for a general election race. “I am unalterably opposed to a bunch of billionaires financing a boss to pick candidates in 50 states,” the Republican wrote in an op-ed that appeared in Human Events, a weekly conservative newspaper. “This is the opposite of the Republican tradition of...

The key subplot to Rubio's immigration push, of course, is how much of a headache it'll be for him with conservatives in the 2016 primaries. The talk-radio charm offensive is mainly designed to get grassroots opinion-shapers like Rush to at least wait and see what the bill looks like before lobbying against it, but more broadly it's designed to move the Overton window on what positions are acceptable for a good conservative to hold. Rubio can afford to have immigration reform fail; he can't afford to be RINO-ized over it. Like I said yesterday, whether or not a bill ends...

Piers Morgan challenged Newt Gingrich to provide examples of AR-15s being used in home protection. Obviously Newt has better things to do with his life (I don't) than provide Piers with an all-encompassing history of this gun saving lives. (Posted by: Religio-Political Talk) Piers then goes on to say there haven't been any. WhoooA buddy! I provide Piers with just two examples from the past few of weeks. I upload this only to provide evidence to the growing body of evidence that Piers Morgan is an ass! And that CNN is hurting its brand by trying to compete with MSNBC.

Hopefully, he'll be able to knock some sense in. Tom Delay should give him a call too. Republicans who were leaders who were weren't afraid to take on the democrats and the liberals. Take a lesson, Eric Cantor!

Full Title: Conservatives Have No Credibility with the Low-Info Crowd Because We Don't Defend Our Own When They Come Under Attack BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: New Milford, Connecticut. Bill, thank you for calling. It's nice to have you with us. Hello. CALLER: Yeah, Rush. It's an honor to speak with you. RUSH: Thank you, sir. CALLER: Thank you for what you do. RUSH: I appreciate you saying that. CALLER: Hey, earlier you had talked about Obama blaming the Republicans on the debt crisis and on the money that's been spent. You know, since you're the head of the Republican Party, you...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says House Republicans are making a mistake by using the issue of increasing the borrowing limit to challenge President Barack Obama on spending issues. Gingrich tells “CBS This Morning” that’s a losing proposition. “In the end, it’s a threat they can’t sustain,” he says, because no one wants to see the country default on its debts. …

Newt "evolves" on gay marriage

NEWT GINGRICH: Let me ask you this. And I appreciate E.J.'s support here. But I want to make a point that probably he may not be as enthusiastic about. They have two vehicles. They have a continuing resolution, which is at the end of March, and they have the sequester bill. Now, these are legitimate government spending bills. The debt ceiling is different because it triggers all of these international financial problems and triggers the credit of the United States. They don't have to say, "We're going to be wimps." I've helped closed the government twice. It actually worked. Bill...

This time I should’ve been the one listening. But listening can be tough sometimes when you’re an analyst and a commentator, and people around the country – listeners, readers, media, candidates, causes, businesses, etc. – come to you to find out why things are happening and what may happen next. Analysis and commentary is one of the few things in life I’m really good at. My car expertise begins and ends with changing a tire. Any toy that comes with the phrase “some assembly required” my kids immediately take to my wife. And when that much-anticipated Zombie apocalypse finally happens...

When asked about the roots of political partisanship in Washington, retiring Senator Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) traces the issue to Newt Gingrich. “I can see it very directly going back to 1994 and Newt Gingrich,” Conrad told C-Span in an interview. “He had a view, to take over the House of Representatives one had to bring down the institution and things have never been the same since.” …

A year ago, I resolved to spend 2012 praying more and, in my prayers, asking for patience. I have prayed, I have asked, I have received, but not enough. Ask my family, and they may attest that I must not have prayed enough, as my patience often runs thin. This year has been more than interesting and full of challenges. My father, Newt Gingrich, ran for the Republican nomination. Just one year ago this week, on Dec. 27, 2011, our family of four (me, my husband, Jimmy and our two children) boarded a plane from our home in Atlanta to...

To Chairman Reince Priebus, Thank you for inviting me to present an analysis for the Republican National Committee about the current challenges Republicans face at every level. Our working together goes all the way back to your early years in politics. I enjoyed doing events with you in Wisconsin and admired the work you did in helping Scott Walker become Governor. I was delighted when you became RNC Chairman and I know how much you accomplished in the last two years rebuilding RNC finances and developing a better ground game. Your creation of the Growth and Opportunity Project chaired by...

Newt Gingrich is working with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to develop a 6 to 9 month planning group to reinvigorate the GOP for 2014 and 2016 and beyond. Tough, major changes are required to match the Dems entrenched political machines and coalitions.

Former GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich reportedly said Thursday that conservatives and the Republican Party need to “accommodate and deal with (the) reality” of a “big wave of change” sweeping America—and that “gay relationships will be legal, period” in a number of states by 2014. In an interview published Thursday by the liberal Web site, “The Huffington Post,” Gingrich reportedly said that both he and the Republican Party could accept a distinction between a “marriage in a church from a legal document issued by the state,” with the latter being acceptable, according to the Web site. The publication indicated that...

Republicans are in danger of losing their power and Democrats could become a near-permanent majority if the GOP doesn’t conduct a major overhaul on its party operations, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has warned. … Gingrich said there are 25 issues the party should address, including more work to include minority communities, a push for the party to compete in big cities and a refusal to ignore parts of the country that lean Democratic. …

<p>Newt Gingrich said that conservatives will have to accept marriage equality after three more states this year voted to allow same sex marriage and more will likely do the same in the 2014 election.</p> <p>The former Speaker of the House said he didn’t expect gay rights to become the “wave” issue it has, but that he can accept the difference between a marriage in a church and a legal document, reported Huffington Post.</p>

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says President Barack Obama should nominate Colin Powell as secretary of state as a “bipartisan” gesture toward mending fences with Republican senators who rejected U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice for the post. “I actually think it would not be a bad idea for President Obama to seriously consider seeing if Colin Powell would come back out of retirement because Colin did endorse him,” Gingrich told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Thursday night. “That might be a bipartisan step that would move us in a direction of a different kind of dialogue,” he said, suggesting that Powell’s moderate...

Former House Speaker and Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said the current GOP would be “incapable of competing” against Hillary Clinton should she run in 2016. Gingrich on NBC’s “Meet the Press” called Clinton a “very formidable” person who is married to “the most popular Democrat in the country.” “If [the Republicans'] competitor in ’16 is going to be Hillary Clinton, supported by Bill Clinton and presumably, a still relatively popular President Barack Obama, trying to win that will be truly the Super Bowl. And the Republican Party today is incapable of competing at that level,” Gingrich said.

President Barack Obama “guarantees a permanent war” with Republicans by forcing the party’s hand on the issue of income-tax hikes on top earners, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday. “The president won,” Gingrich said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “The president has a very clear, simple position. He wants to prove he can dominate, and he proves he can dominate by getting the rates up, and he has a veto pen.” …

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says it would be better for Republicans to take that dive off the so-called fiscal cliff on Dec. 31, rather than “cave in” to President Barack Obama on tax increases. The Georgia Republican also suggested that GOP leaders in Congress “should be prepared” if necessary to force a government shutdown to get the deep spending cuts they want. “I think it’s a huge mistake for House Republicans to cave in and try to find some kind of desperate solution that doesn't work,” Gingrich told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Wednesday night. …

On Wednesday, November 28, 2012, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich spoke to a sold-out crowd at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, calling the “so-called fiscal cliff” a “fantasy being used as an excuse to panic.” Speaker Gingrich went on to discuss House Republicans, telling them to not form a “Surrender Caucus” by stating, “They are the majority. They are not the minority.”

Fiscal Policy: Talk of Clinton-era tax rates ignores the fact that the former president, working with a GOP Congress, cut spending as a share of GDP and produced four balanced budgets by focusing on growth, not spending. Even as he pushes $150 billion in new "stimulus" spending, President Obama argues that to avoid the fiscal cliff we must return to Clinton-era tax rates for wealthy households, with a top marginal rate of 39.6% vs. the Bush-era 35%. Clinton's was an age of balanced budgets and economic growth. But it was also an era of budgetary restraint in which both parties,...

Fiscal Policy: Talk of Clinton-era tax rates ignores the fact that the former president, working with a GOP Congress, cut spending as a share of GDP and produced four balanced budgets by focusing on growth, not spending. Even as he pushes $150 billion in new "stimulus" spending, President Obama argues that to avoid the fiscal cliff we must return to Clinton-era tax rates for wealthy households, with a top marginal rate of 39.6% vs. the Bush-era 35%. Clinton's was an age of balanced budgets and economic growth. But it was also an era of budgetary restraint in which both parties,...

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that House Republicans should stop negotiating with President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats on the fiscal cliff, saying that by doing so, they give Obama all of the leverage in the talks. “One of the things I would say to House Republicans is to get a grip,” Gingrich said in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. “They are the majority. They’re not the minority,” he said, enunciating the words as if explaining the concept to someone who did not understand it. “They don’t need to...

The key 'R' word is Republican, not Romney With all the efforts to understand the recent election defeat, a lot of the focus has been on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his campaign. That is exactly the wrong way to begin analyzing the outcome of the 2012 campaign. The focus on Romney as a candidate is profoundly misleading for those who want to prepare for future Republican victories. Any analysis of recent Republican presidential results will reveal a systemic failure which can’t be ascribed to Romney. The last clear Republican presidential victory was in 1988 when Vice President George...

Every person who talks and writes about politics gets stuff wrong. I’ve gotten my fair share wrong. But what I think I got most wrong in Campaign 2012 was the damage Mitt Romney’s “47%” remark would do to him. It may seem obvious, but bear with me. Mitt Romney was talking off the cuff to a supposedly off the record group of donors and muddled several data points together, ultimately telling the tale of the 47% who won’t vote for him for any reason. He was referencing the 47% who don’t pay taxes and interwove it with a 47% of...

"It's nuts," Gingrich told guest host Martha Raddatz on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday. "First of all, it's insulting. This would be like Wal-Mart having a bad week and going, 'The customers have really been unruly.' I mean, the job of a political leader in part is to understand the people. If we can't offer a better future that is believable to more people, we're not going to win."

Republicans in Congress should be putting options on the table to raise government revenues as part of fiscal cliff negotiations, but raising taxes should not be one of those options, Newt Gingrich said in an exclusive interview with Newsmax TV. The GOP has given up on about 40 percent of the electorate in the last couple of elections, he also said, and needs to focus on inclusion of not just immigrants, but on states where Democrats automatically expect to win. Every time Democrats negotiate a budget deal that includes tax increases and spending cuts, taxes go up but in most...

GO AWAY already It's over dude... As you've most likely already heard, the TEA Party right has declared all-out war on Karl 'Boss Hogg' Rove in the wake of numerous recent (expen$ive) GOP disasters in which 'The Architect' played an inglorious starring role. The final straw was likely his lack of willingness to take responsibility for an almost complete lack of success in the 2012 election cycle, instead pointing fingers and making excuses like an Italian cruise ship captain. Rove's flat-out whiffing in almost every race he backed -on top of improbable Romney defeat- would be enough for any sensible...

Gotta love Louis Gohmert. He stuck his neck out and nominated former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to replace Boehner as Speaker of the House today. Sadly, not a single Republican seconded the motion and it died. And so did our hopes of ousting Boehner: THE HILL – Former Speaker and failed presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was nominated for the position of Speaker on Wednesday by conservative Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas). There was no second. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) was nominated for another term by sometime-rival Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). Boehner in turn nominated Cantor.

Add Newt Gingrich to the list of Republicans coming to terms with the loss of the presidential election. On Monday, the former speaker of the House sounded reflective on the "Today" show, saying, "We need to stop, take a deep breath and learn." He added, "The president won an extraordinary victory. And the fact is, we owe him the respect of trying to understand what they did and how they did it." Gingrich said, "But if you had said to me three weeks ago Mitt Romney would get fewer votes than John McCain and it looks like he'll be 2...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that Missouri voters can send a powerful signal to "the moneyed Republican establishment" by electing congressman Todd Akin over Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich criticized two major Republican campaign organizations for not continuing to back Republican candidate Todd Akin in the Missouri Senate race. In an interview with The Daily Caller’s Ginni Thomas, Gingrich called out GOP “establishment types” — Crossroads GPS super PAC and the National Republican Senatorial Committee — for pulling funding from Akin, a congressman whose comments about “legitimate rape” caused a national uproar. “If you applied the Todd Akin rule to Joe Biden, he’d be resigning the vice presidency once a week,” Gingrich said in Akin’s defense. “You have this bizarre double standard where Biden...

Newt says: 53/47 Romney Over 300 EVs Republicans take the Senate (including VA and WI) NC is in the bag for Romney...VA and FL coming next MI and PA starting to be in play "Pretty optimistic" that OH is coming together in the right kind of way...war on coal has alienated segments of the state...he believes Romney will carry OH and Republicans will win the Senate race in OH Greta chimes in, thinks WI will go for Romney Obama is rattled, flashing back to loss to Bobby Rush, uncomfortable with thought of being an ex-President Obama didn't show up in...

Video at link... While CBS This Morning asked only one tough question on the Obama administration and Libya on Friday, guest Newt Gingrich came out swinging and dismantled Democratic guest Jennifer Granholm's defense of the administration. CBS has at times been friendly to the administration over the fiasco. "I think with regard to the debate and the election, I don't think people are going to be voting on Benghazi. I think they are going to be voting on who do you trust," Granholm ridiculously argued. "You want to talk about trust? Having an American ambassador and three other Americans killed...

Newt was on CNN earlier today and said that he believes Romney hasn’t found a theme that really resonates with people yet, which is why he isn’t doing better ins states like Florida and Ohio, both of which have Republican governors. Bu he doesn’t believe it’s the candidate or anything else for that matter, he simply believes that it is message, that Romney needs to draw sharper lines between he and Obama and really hammer the differences in a way that makes sense to people. He was also critical of an ad Romney released this morning, where Romney said that...

The upcoming Presidential debate on October 3 is the most important single event in Mitt Romney’s political career. The elite news media is doing everything they can to convince Romney’s supporters that the election is lost. Americans will be tuning in that evening to see if Governor Romney turns this media narrative on its head. This will be the first time Americans will see President Obama and his challenger side by side. This will be the largest audience to watch the two men side by side without editing or distortion by the media. If Romney wins this debate, the next...

Appearing today at a fundraiser in Kirkwood, Missouri for Senate candidate Todd Akin, former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich offered the support and encouragement that few others in his party have dared give. Abandoned by the GOP after his infamous “legitimate rape” comments, and crucified by the liberal and conservative media alike, Akin vowed to remain in the Senate race for the “long haul” and emerge victorious. After sharing his toxic views on women’s health, Akin’s conservative donors and supporters pulled out in droves, denouncing the candidate’s statements. This despite the fact that in 2011 Akin had co-authored a bill...

Written off by many in his own party a mere month ago, Republican Rep. Todd Akin has been slowly rebuilding his Senate campaign after apologizing for inflammatory remarks about pregnancy and rape. Now Akin is approaching a critical week that could determine whether his re-emerging campaign can gain enough momentum to put Missouri back in the battleground column as Republicans attempt to win control of the Senate from Democrats. Tuesday is the deadline for Akin to get a court order to drop his challenge of Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. But Akin says he won't do so. Instead, Akin plans to...