Newt Gingrich: Latest in the long line of “conservative” frauds.

Once the American people come to understand the nature of McCain-Feingold’s assault on liberty, there is no doubt that the final outcome will be the same today as it was for the Sedition Act: repeal. Those skeptical of seeking this reform should consider the words of Ronald Reagan: “If you’re afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. The people of this country are ready to move again.”

-Newt Gingrich, 06/01/2006

MANCHESTER – Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich yesterday said the country will be forced to reexamine freedom of speech to meet the threat of terrorism.

Gingrich, speaking at a Manchester awards banquet, said a “different set of rules” may be needed to reduce terrorists’ ability to use the Internet and free speech to recruit and get out their message.

“We need to get ahead of the curve before we actually lose a city, which I think could happen in the next decade,” said Gingrich, a Republican who helped engineer the GOP’s takeover of Congress in 1994.

-yesterday

You know, it’s funny. Not more than three weeks ago, during a dinner table conversation with my father, I placed Gingrich at the vanguard of potential Republican ‘08 presidential candidates. “Well”, I posited, “Giuliani loses the base because of his social liberalism on issues like gay marriage and abortion. McCain is hated by the base for the McCain-Feingold incumbent protection act which is seen as a direct congressional assault on free speech rights by purist conservatives. Romney is easily painted as a local lightweight and pretty easily tarnished by the Big Dig fiasco (among a plethora of Mass political fiascos). Condi is identified too closely with ‘Neoconservatives’, who’ve used up and thrown away any political capital they’d accrued from ‘00 - ‘03. Nobody else has the name recognition. No, if there’s an electorate out there longing for a Reagan-esque figure, it will be the architect of the Contract. He’s the closest thing we have to a Regan-era conservative that has a prayer in ‘08. He’s articulate, intellectual, educated and above all, the base sees him as a “true conservative.”

My, how little I know.

Curious to see whether any conservative blogs will be picking this up and running with it.

Note to Newt: the battle against Islamism and other poisonous idealogies will be won with more free speech - not less.

3 Responses to “ Newt Gingrich: Latest in the long line of “conservative” frauds. ”

Comments:

Brent says:
December 1st, 2006 at 8:34 am

As we draw closer to the election and the Red states get a taste of what it’s like having a Democratic controlled legislative branch, even “the base” will be willing to look more closely at “electibility” than at who represents a face for the majority of their issues. Newt has no cross-over appeal what-so-ever. I’d honestly vote for either McCain or Giuliani depending on who the Dem nominee is and I shudder at the thought of Gingrich getting anywhere near the White House for anything other than a public tour… The ‘06 election cycle put it to “the base” pretty strongly, they can’t do it alone and if they’re all they have their candidates lose handily.

Nate says:
December 4th, 2006 at 1:48 pm

The ‘06 election cycle put it to “the base” pretty strongly, they can’t do it alone and if they’re all they have their candidates lose handily.

I’m not sure the conservative base sees it the way you do. For several years now, conservatives have been feeling progressively more betrayed by the representatives they elected; there’s a strong current of belief out there that it’s those betrayals of core conservative principles (like limited government and rule of law) that doomed the Republicans. Not their lack of centrist appeal.

That current runs more strongly among the people who are most likely to vote in primaries.

As such, I’m not sold yet on the idea of the Republican base going helter skelter for centrists, at this point. After all, centrism isn’t what won the House in ‘94; it was a combination of Clinton-fatigue (possibly in play again for ‘08), Democratic scandals and the popularity of “The Contract With America” - a document crafted in large part by Newt Gingrich.

The feeling is still that getting back to core, conservative issues that appeal to heartland Americans will win elections. Whether that’s borne out or not, I have no idea.

Brent says:
December 4th, 2006 at 6:07 pm

I guess it all depends on what you call and/or consider “the base”. My reference is comprised of those 30 +/- percent of the nation that resolutely stand by the Republicans, including but not limited to this President. At the moment, they represent the President’s popularity numbers. They vote as a block, always for Republicans, and wouldn’t consider voting any other way regardlss of the consequences. I give them credit enough and believe they’re smart enough to see that a centrist Republican is better to their root issues than a centrist Democratic and their best chance of seeing the nation NOT move further away from their goals is to go with who can win a general election from their own party. I think that’s the nature of politics today… power=potential not power=performance. Go with the potential and hope for performance…

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