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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is warning conservative activists that their support for a third-party candidate in a key upcoming New York special election is a "mistake."The idea that the backroom boys at GOP-HQ can nominate anybody -- even an ACORN-endorsed liberal like Scozzafava -- and that Republican voters just have to hold their nose and vote for the "R," is the antithesis of a meaningful strategy of conservative reform. Being an unprincipled partisan hack may work for Newt Gingrich's 2012 presidential ambitions, but it simply will not do for grassroots activists.
In a video captured last week and posted on YouTube Friday, Gingrich told tea party organizer Lisa Miller at a book-signing event that conservatives are inadvertently hindering the cause by backing Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman over Dede Scozzafava, the Republican Party's nominee.
Pragmatism, I understand. But there is a line across which no plea for pragmatism can cause a conservative to step, and Newt's on the other side of that line.
(Via Memeorandum.)
Newt Gingrich from his most recent appearance on C-SPAN:
ReplyDeleteC-SPAN: If you were to run [in 2012], what factors would you take into account? What would lead you to think about running?
GINGRICH: Callista and I are going to think about this in February 2011. And we are going to reach out to all of our friends around the country. And we'll decide, if there's a requirement as citizens that we run, I suspect we probably will. And if there's not a requirement, if other people have filled the vacuum, I suspect we won't.
Excuse me while I nail my own head to the floor. [hammering] I feel better now...One might say that Newt is the James Otis of the conservative revival. In 1993 and 1994, he led the conservative charge to retake control of the Congress, and he won. But like Founder Otis, he went full-on mad shortly thereafter. Mr. Otis was a brilliant thinker and speaker who fought British tyrannies in the 1760's with strength and vigor, but his eccentricities were well under control. At some point however, they came to the forefront as did his ego, and he went mad. The same has happened to Newt. Thank you Mr. Gingrich for your service in the early 1990's; you served your country well. But now, you have stayed too long on the scene and you have let your ego become monstrous in size and in effect. For the love of God, go!
There's more at: WE CONSERVATIVES GOT BETTER
'Cuda 1, Newt 0
ReplyDeleteAnd where's Romney?
Pawlenty?
The Huckster?
We need a LEADER in this country... not lickspittles like these guys.
Funny... Sarah's the only one with a full set!
I've not held the Speaker in ANY kind of esteem for some time now. This tears it for sure.
ReplyDeleteI didn't drive 1300 miles to DC on my dime and my vacation time for this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSVyFJdaGAI
Hey, I was a Newt, but I got better!
ReplyDeleteI miss the Old Newt, the Reagan Newt. Or at least, the Newt that made sounds like a genuine Conservative back in the day. This Newt, though... nope.
Pramatism...I wish I had your understanding of that!
ReplyDeleteSpell check on the other hand...
:-)
Everytime he says "Calista and I",I throw up a little in my mouth...Seriously, this RINO,and serial marital cheat, has no chance at the WH.
ReplyDeleteHe is NOT a conservative so he should quit speaking for the cause or join the justice brothers... Maybe O'Keefe will let Newt borrow his pimp suit.
Twitter says he is on Cavuto now and I cannot even push the remote to turn him on.
With Gingrich & Co, it's all about power, not principle.
ReplyDeleteNewt in 2012? Highly unlikely IMO. Why would someone like him who already has a comforatble niche want to give it all up just to be President? There certainly doesn't appear to be any shortage of empty rhetoric on either side of the aisle these days ... BTW if you can find the time to vote in my global warming poll or for my submissions on Digg I would sincerely appreciate it since I don't have any friends in the world of media.
ReplyDeleteVote for a liberal to save conservatism.
ReplyDeleteRiiiiight. Kinda like how Bush had to piss all over the free market system in order to save it? How'd that work out?
Here's a thought, Newt. How about we take all of your money so you can't get robbed?
And NRO is reporting (with youtube link) that Scozzafava won a Margaret Sanger award. And for some reason the youtube comments have been disabled.
ReplyDeleteandycanuck
Armageddon quote alert re: Newt 2012!!!
ReplyDelete"Talk about the wrong stuff"!!
Neutra is on the wrong side of history. Sux to be him!!
And Pawlenty is right behind tossing his salad.
I read something online yesterday ( I believe it was a response on some site or another - I have searched, but was unable to locate it today) about the strategy for re-building a majority of conservatives in congress, and why the correct route is to elect the most conservatively PRINCIPLED candidate. PERIOD. The reasoning ( and I so wish I could credit the original poster here ) was that democrats have done this and look what they are able to do now because of it... When out of majority power, they elect the most leftist (strongest) candidate(s). As time goes on, they achieve senority and status, then when they have the majority, guess who is in the seats of all the power? Idealogues that won their first seat years ago. They make all the decisions for their party's interests. If conservatives ever stand a chance of winning (congressional) control, they must select their strongest idealogical candidate(s).
ReplyDeleteMaybe this post will ring a bell with somone who can identify the original poster.
Go Hoffman!
"He is NOT a conservative"
ReplyDeleteBzzzt. Lifetime ACU rating of 90%.
hey guys
ReplyDeleteas Mr mccain is showing, we need to fight!
so here is a song to help pump you up>
The Warrior Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTs6a0ORdQU
Gingrich has been terminally irrelevant since he pissed on the "contract with America">
ReplyDeleteI've listened to countless hours of Newt lectures (largely courtesy of the excellent American Conservative University podcast).
ReplyDeleteHe has many brilliant ideas (FedEx v. Bureaucracy, Drill Here-Drill Now, finding issues based on conservatism that majority support from Republicans, Independents, AND Democrats, etc.)
And I continue to look back fondly on his 180-kungfu-flip-on-MSNBC-gotcha-journalism (re: Palin @ the RNC).
But I've always gotten the impression he favors what I think he'd term "smart government" over "small government." The two often overlap but aren't the same thing.
I also think he makes a better policy wonk than he would a President.
In any event, I think Hoffman is becoming an excellent touchstone for determining who's in it for principled Conservatism and who's just in it for Republican-power-ism (and to the later, let's all agree: Not one red cent. (And where is all this RNC money going to Dede coming from? Does the RNC have some deep pool of moderates supporting it?)
Finally, while granting that "the person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally - not a 20 percent traitor" is as true as ever, we should take Margaret Sanger awards are a strong indicator that their recipients are with you a lot less than 80% of the time.
Also: http://twitpic.com/n36jt.
ReplyDeleteAh, the irony.
Perhaps I should have expanded the crop a bit -- Newt's sitting down there at the bottom of this post right smack dab next to that Smirking Bobo David Brooks. Good grief.
Newter was on Medved today beclowning himself in the space of three minutes by decrying "politics for politics' sake and then insisting conservatives back Scubbaflippa.
ReplyDeleteNo greater example of political expediency springs to mind than the choice of Scoffeeflava.
Quoted from and Linked to at:
ReplyDelete23 SKIDOO VII
Also to Ran's comment.