"There you go again" (with that whole, "Revisionist History" attempt)
On Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 1:43 PM, plainolamerican <[email protected]>wrote: > reason enough to ignore him > > On Jan 26, 5:49 pm, Keith In Tampa <[email protected]> wrote: > > "*Anyone who covered Gingrich in the 1990s knew he held Reagan in high > > regard* " Major Garrett > > > > On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 6:47 PM, Keith In Tampa <[email protected] > >wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Dole vs. Gingrich: The GOP Empire Strikes Back > > > > > < > http://cdn-media.nationaljournal.com/?controllerName=image&action=get...> > > > AP Photo/Matt Rourke > > > > > Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich > > > speaks at the University of North Florida, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, in > > > Jacksonville, Fla. > > > The Republican establishment mobilizes to prevent the nomination of > Newt. > > > > > < > http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/dole-vs-gin...>< > http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/dole-vs-gin...>< > http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/dole-vs-gin...>< > http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/dole-vs-gin...>< > http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/dole-vs-gin...> > > > > > By Major Garrett <http://www.nationaljournal.com/reporters/bio/40> > > > Updated: January 26, 2012 | 6:29 p.m. > > > January 26, 2012 | 4:52 p.m. > > > > > After arriving in Florida like a rolling ball of butcher knives, former > > > House Speaker Newt Gingrich is looking less edgy and more flabby by the > > > hour. The last four polls in Florida now show Mitt Romney back ahead > (the > > > previous four had Gingrich up). > > > > > That's at least in part because Republicans-–some conservative, some > > > semiconservative, and some conveniently conservative–-are attacking > > > Gingrich as a walking, talking party menace; a flu-like contagion who > will > > > lose the presidency and contaminate down-ballot Republicans with > erratic > > > extremism. > > > > > While voters in South Carolina found Gingrich’s condemnation of the > news > > > media and braggadocio about “big ideas” infectious, an increasing > number of > > > Republicans now describe Gingrich as something akin to political > plague. > > > > > ”If Gingrich is the nominee, it will have an adverse impact on > Republican > > > candidates running for county, state, and federal offices,” said Bob > Dole, > > > the GOP’s 1996 nominee and former Senate majority leader. Dole > released a > > > letter denouncing Gingrich on Thursday that Romney’s campaign quickly > > > distributed. “Hardly anyone who served with Newt in Congress has > endorsed > > > him, and that fact speaks for itself. He was a one-man band who rarely > took > > > advice. It was his way or the highway.” > > > > > Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, who served as the No. > 3 > > > Republican in the House when Gingrich was speaker, told Houston TV > station > > > KTRH that Gingrich was “not really a conservative.” Conservative > > > commentator Ann Coulter has said that a Gingrich nomination would > guarantee > > > President Obama’s reelection. Peter Wehner, a former Reagan aide, calls > > > Gingrich "intemperate and erratic." > > > > > Dole remains an important figure in the party, although his attachment > to > > > it has waned in recent years and he has no links to the tea > party-inspired > > > segment of the party responsible for propelling Republicans to a House > > > majority and Senate gains in 2010. Dole’s message, however, is not > unlike > > > the warnings that GOP veterans issued in 2010 when tea party activists > > > nominated Sharron Angle in Nevada and Christine O’Donnell in > > > Delaware–-hard-line conservatives who turned jump-ball Senate races > into > > > slam-dunk Democratic victories. > > > > > Dole and Gingrich have a history, and it bears a quick summary. When > Dole > > > was a member of the Senate Finance Committee and urged then-President > > > Reagan to raise taxes to cope with rising budget deficits, Gingrich > > > memorably branded him a “tax collector for the welfare state.” > > > > > When Dole challenged President Clinton in 1996, Gingrich negotiated the > > > deal with Clinton over welfare reform-–removing a potent issue of > contrast > > > from Dole's campaign quiver. Dole told me later that when he heard > welfare > > > reform would be signed before his nominating convention, he knew his > > > campaign had no chance. > > > > > It probably didn’t anyway, but Dole viewed Gingrich’s decision to get > > > welfare reform signed into law–-allowing Clinton to campaign on it as > he > > > did in his convention renomination speech–-as a political and personal > > > affront. Dole also knew he would face an onslaught of Clinton ads > linking > > > him to the unpopular Gingrich. He did. Vice President Al Gore put a > cap on > > > this at his convention speech, when he declared “Americans will reject > this > > > Dole-Gingrich approach and all this déjà voodoo.” > > > > > In that summer of 1996, Gingrich was terrified that Republicans would > lose > > > their majority-–in part because of two government shutdowns that > Gingrich > > > engineered in pursuit of a balanced budget (which was, it bears saying, > > > eventually achieved). In that atmosphere of panic, Gingrich pointedly > > > advised swing-district Republicans to leave conservatism aside and do > > > whatever it took to hold their seats. > > > > > “For the marginal members, being speaker of the House, I’d say to them: > > > Talk to your pollsters, do what gets you reelected, and call home > > > afterward,” Gingrich told *The New York Times* editorial board. > > > > > Dole and other Republicans are now telling GOP primary voters to avoid > > > what Gingrich was forced to advise when he led the party as speaker–-a > mad > > > race toward political expediency created by an agenda that had grown > > > unpopular and threatening to the party’s long-term health. > > > > > This is not the only line of attack Gingrich has had to confront. Now > > > brought into question is Gingrich’s fidelity to Reagan. There are > several > > > print and video examples of Gingrich trafficking in allegedly > anti-Reagan > > > apostasy. Some are contrived. For instance, a 1988 clip of Gingrich > > > predicting that then-Vice President George H. W. Bush would lose if he > ran > > > like Reagan was actually advice for Bush to develop an authentic > > > conservative platform of his own and distinguish himself as a new > leader > > > for a new time. In fact, Gingrich in that clip-–circulated by the > Romney > > > campaign to suggest Gingrich was abandoning Reaganism–-specifically > praises > > > Bush for his “no new taxes” pledge. He made that pledge while > campaigning > > > for the New Hampshire primary–-in which he defeated Dole. > > > > > Former State Department official Elliott Abrams wrote in *National > Review*this week that during the Reagan administration, Gingrich "often > spewed > > > insulting rhetoric at Reagan, his top aides, and his policies to defeat > > > Communism." But anyone who covered Gingrich in the 1990s knew he held > > > Reagan in high regard and developed much of his Contract With America > > > agenda along the lines of what he considered Reagan’s unfinished > domestic > > > agenda, which could be carried out only with a GOP-led House and > Senate. > > > And any student of history knows it was not uncommon during Reagan’s > > > presidency for Hill Republicans to question the day-to-day tactics and > > > strategy of the Reagan White House. Criticism was common and sometimes > done > > > as an act of sell-preservation (Reagan had severe popularity ups and > downs). > > > > > And Gingrich spurned the George H.W. Bush White House and John Sununu > > > (Bush the elder's chief of staff, who is now an aggressive Romney > promoter) > > > by refusing to cooperate in raising taxes as part of the 1990 > bipartisan > > > budget compromise. Gingrich savaged Bush’s decision to increase taxes > and > > > used his position as party whip –- chief vote-counter -– to defeat the > > > first version of the deal. > > > > > That decision paid significant political dividends for House > Republicans > > > who followed Gingrich – because they maintained unblemished purity on > the > > > tax issue. As a matter of governing, however, it forced the Bush White > > > House to negotiate a budget deal with more taxes and fewer spending > cuts > > > because Bush had to seek Democratic votes to pass it. To the degree > this > > > actual history is debated and dissected in Florida or any subsequent > > > primary state, GOP voters can decide for themselves which approach is > more > > > “conservative.” > > > > > As ever in politics, there is a lot of history here. Some of it is > deeply > > > personal. Some of it is philosophical. Some of it is tactical. All of > it is > > > about how to position and unite the party as the campaign against Obama > > > comes into focus. > > > > > While defined broadly as the establishment versus the insurgents, the > > > uprising against Gingrich isn’t really that monochromatic. Gingrich is > a > > > Washington figure through-and-through. Romney is backed by Republicans > of > > > established political success in Washington, but is not a Washington > figure > > > at all. > > > > > While this is advertised as a fight over conservatism, it’s really a > fight > > > over winning or what the party decides winning is about or what > winning is > > > meant to pursue. Gingrich wants to win to bring about “radical change.” > > > Romney and the new wave of party critics contend the only thing radical > > > about a 2012 campaign with Gingrich as nominee would be the radical > loss of > > > political clout in Congress and state legislatures across the land, > along > > > with the White House itself. > > > > > So, in essence, Gingrich is right about something. This is all about > > > winning the future. > > > > > *Want to stay ahead of the curve? Sign up for National Journal’s AM & > PM > > > Must Reads <http://www.nationaljournal.com/newsletters>. News and > > > analysis to ensure you don’t miss a thing.* > > > < > http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/dole-vs-gin...>< > http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/dole-vs-gin...> > > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ > * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. > * Read the latest breaking news, and more. > -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
