Posted on 11/18/2011 8:15:13 PM PST by Fred
AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- As Newt Gingrich attempts to shrug off his political baggage, the former House speaker is under new scrutiny for having close ties to health care giants and flip-flopping on his statements on health care.
The Center for Health Transformation, which Gingrich founded, raked in millions of dollars from heavy hitters like GE Healthcare and Wellpoint, as first reported by the Washington Post. The group says it does not lobby, but on its website, it touts its ability to build bridges between the federal government and private sector. Among its strengths, the think tank lists its unparalleled “network of allies” in the federal government, states, corporations and hospitals; “coalition building capabilities,” and “media visibility.”
Gingrich no longer owns the company and left when he decided to run for president. But his work with the group shows that the former congressman from Georgia has yet to overcome the challenge of reconciling his two roles of businessman and politician.
He has blasted the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act, saying in a video that he is “completely opposed to the Obamacare mandate on individuals,” and that he “fought it for two and half years at the Center for Health Transformation.” But the group, which Gingrich founded, actually supported imposing a mandate on those who made more than $50,000 per year
(Excerpt) Read more at klpw.com ...
the establishment is growing concerned that their comrade romney may not be the nominee,
so they are coalescing around rino neutered-by-the-clintons.
let the rino lovers split their vote between the two Rino’s, us conservatives need to stick with our man Cain and ignore the media bs
I don’t know. Cain’s a little wishy -washy on the whole baby killing thing. That to me is not conservative.
No way God will continue to bless a Nation that murders one million of his precious children every year.
Newt Gingrich—Staunchly pro-life from day one.
I think you got it backwards. Newt got a balanced budget past Clinton, forged a Republican takeover, forced welform reform down the sleazeball’s throat, helped write the defense of marriage act, and did more than most conservatives ever have to advance the cause.
Maybe you could hit up the DNC for some new talking points?
Gotta agree with you on Sarah. Wish she was running. I don’t think we’d have so many skirmishes around here.
Wishy washy on abortion? Where are you getting your info? He’s as pro-life as one can be.
lol!
I am extremely vigilant to the healthcare debate. I firmly believe the purpose and the outcome of Obamacare is to bankrupt the US private healthcare industry resulting in widespread financial collapse of the entire US economic system. I have watched the “Center of Health Transformation” and Mr Gingrich’s role in this entity.
Quite frankly, its a fly on an elephant’s ass. Its a very small organization, with very vague goals and has played almost no role in the healthcare debate. Mr Gingrich as an “advisor” was probably no more than paying him a decent salary to be a recognizable name for a floundering company.
They have played virtually no role in shaping the healthcare debate. Their mission statement has been to protect privatized medicine and keep patient accountability in play. They have discussed and promoted widespread integrated systems and reduced cost of care, which if you are aware of any of the environment of healthcare today, is a standard, entry level talking point.
I have said on this website I am now strongly in support of Gingrich, so I dont want to hide that position on this thread.
That being said, no one is more critical of government’s role in healthcare than myself. I am a doctor in private healthcare and the business of private healthcare is in serious jeapordy. The collapse of private medicine in the US will make the housing collapse look like pocket change.
And from this perspective, I see no problem whatsoever with Gingrich’s participation with this healthcare advisory company.
They have not demonstrated any anti-private healthcare positions, and have not done anything to jeapordize private healthcare in any way that I can see. Gingrich has been clear in his campaign about the repeal of Obamacare which imo is essential, necessary for any semblence of future US financial viability. The US cannot survive full implementation of Obamacare.
The argument of Gingrich’s participation in this company as somehow showing him to have a liberal, statist stance on healthcare, and /or supportive of Obamacare has no basis in fact for me. Please tell me where I am wrong.
A recent TV interview. Sorry, no link. said he was against abortion, but it was a decision a family must make. Kind of equivocated on the whole question, and while I hope you’re right, I thought he came off as a bit unclear, as he does on many issues.
I do like the guy, and I’ll vote for his toenail clippings before I vote for Obama or Romney, but I don’t really think he’s a serious candidate.
Very nice post. I tend to shoot from the hip, so it’s nice to hear opinions based on personal expertise and experience.
Most of the problems folks around here have with Newt’s positions have to do with things he did in the private sector as an advisor and idea man after he left public office. I think his his conservative record while he was in office is very strong, if not perfect, certainly different from some of his more “exotic” positions while in private life.
And yes, his personal history is deeply flawed, but he has been man enough to admit it and ask forgiveness. As a deeply flawed human being myself, I can relate to that.
For some FReepers, that is apparently too much to ask. So be it.
Thanks again for your post.
Thank you swingdoc.
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Continue, and started spending like a drunk sailor, which resulted in getting the republicans fired and 10 plus trillion in debt, today it is 15 trillion.
Newt has always been in favor of the mandate, forcing people to buy health care, he remained that way through may of this year. He switched sides when he was forced to. In other words while we had states filling, in court over the mandate, and obummer care, newt was out speaking for the mandate and he was on the record as supporting Romney care as well.
Yup. I think many here are too young to know about or remember Gingrich's accomplishments in the mid '90s. All the MSM reports is his "baggage," some of which is untrue but is still perpetuated here, unfortunately.
Other people simply have not bothered to go to his web site and watch videos of his past debate performances, speeches, and presentations to the Heritage Foundation, for instance.
Gingrich is the Romney antidote.
I've been following him on and off for almost 30 years and recently started compiling this list:
If Gingrich is elected, we have to get him off the ethanol kool-aid. He's still bragging about his involvement in "gasahol," the precursor to ethanol.
When Newt came into office, there was a massive deficit; when he left, a massive surplus and a balanced budget.
The man took all of the blame for a government shutdown in order to force Bill Clinton to sign onto a balanced budget. He wore that blame like a badge of honor.
The drunken-sailor spending happened after McCain, Graham, and several of their Moderate allies over in the House used a small election loss in Clinton’s sixth year (GOP Still was in charge, though) as an excuse to force a coup. Newt stepped down rather than have the party implode over a Leadership battle that he couldn’t win because he didn’t have the votes anymore - the porkers on both sides wanted their pork back. The Moderates, finally rid of the man with the tight purse strings, immediately started their excess again.
Newt was the only reason we ever had a balanced budget and spending restraints. He killed a sacred cow with Welfare Reform, and was well into a battle to take on the bloated Social Security system when the porkers decided they had had enough.
Nobody in generations did more to get us to fiscal solvency than Newt Gingrich, and he was branded “The Grinch” for doing so, and to this day is despised by the porkers in the GOP.
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