Newt Gingrich: Socialist???
In the last week or so, several high profile conservatives have called Republican Presidential non-Mitt Romney co-frontrunner-of-the-month Newt Gingrich a “socialist” or worse:
Michelle Bachmann, in response to a question from Glenn Beck, “Did you just say that Newt Gingrich is a socialist?”:I suspect that Gingrich won’t accept the description, having recently called the Congressional Budget Office a “reactionary socialist institution“, and called President Obama a “natural secular European socialist“, neither in a positive way.
MB: “I’m saying a frugal socialist, yes. Because you’re looking at proposals and programs that are in effect redistribution of wealth and socialism based. And are we going to have real change in the country or are we going to have frugal socialists?”
George Will, in his December 2 Washington Post column: “Gingrich, who would have made a marvelous Marxist, believes everything is related to everything else and only he understands how”.
So let me throw this out to Anchor Rising’s comments section, where folks were unafraid to call George W. Bush a socialist (“evangelical socialist” was the most interesting term that was used) before it became cool to do so during the few months when we were being told that capitalism was dead, in the wake of the orignal TARP program: Is the charge that Newt Gingrich is a socialist a debateable point, or does it stretch the term beyond meaning?
With Hussein Obama in the WH socialism is all the rage. Newt is Obama lite in some ways. He looks to big govt.to solve problems such as a health care mandate. Newt has also bought in to non-existent man made global warming…and tried to recant. He’s a “big idea” guy who unfortunately looks to big mama govt. for implementation and funding. The ultimate solution is for Big DC to get out of the way. I don’t think either party is ready for that to happen.
Hahahahaha! You guys crack me up. Hey, let’s discuss if Mitt Romney is a fascist next.
Has it really become this dichotomous that George Will really thinks Gingrich is a socialist/Marxist? Everyone needs to step back and reassess their views. Gingrich is an unelectable jerk, in my opinion. But he is far from being a Marxist.
The serial adulterer , Gingrich comes into this campaign with so much baggage he’s going to need a convoy of trucks to carry it all around with him. Do we really need a President who’s been married three times, dumped one of his wives while she was in the hospital having cancer treatments, and, after leaving politics, was on the dole for $30,000 a month to shill on Capitol Hill for Freddie Mac’s legislative interests.
On January 21, 1997, the House voted 395 to 28 to reprimand Gingrich for ethics violations dating back to September 1994. The House ordered Gingrich to pay a $300,000 penalty, the first time in the House’s 208-year history it had disciplined a Speaker for ethical wrongdoing.
Of all the millions of people in the country, this current group of lame Presidential contenders is the best the Republicans have to offer???
Bill Clinton’s rapes and sexual harrasments, which earned slavish support from Progressives, closed the barn door on simple adultery being a bar to the White House.
At least he didn’t smoke crack like Obama.
I hate to say it,but Sammy isn’t wrong-Gingrich has too much vulnerability to the media sleaze merchants to win.
It would be nice to see him debate a Telprompter-deprived Obama,but the media Obama asskissers would make up for Gingrich’s superior knowledge and experience.
Anyway,Gingrich had his chance and blew it.
Romney probably has no real bad skeletons in the closet.
He isn’t personable,but he does have a record of competence and no history of fiscal dishonesty.
He’s not perfect but he can probably edge out Obama in a general election,provided Ron Paul doesn’t pull a third party stunt.
I hate to say it,but Sammy isn’t wrong-Gingrich has too much vulnerability to the media sleaze merchants to win.
You got that right. It was interesting to watch the sparkle in Robert Gibbs eye on CBS the other day, “I think a lot of people inside the Beltway and outside the Beltway woke up today to a very different political environment – and one in which Newt Gingrich is very much for real.”
Are you kidding? The left is loving this. They’re so scared of Romney that it should be no surprise they would pump Gingrich’s tires.
Would never vote for Newt Gingrich – a truly despicable man. He is everything that is wrong with the Republican Party personified in single human being.
Don B,
I agree with you almost completely (though I might quibble about whether Gingrich is absolutely unelectable). Some hyperbole, maybe, is to be expected coming from a Presidential competitor like Bachmann, but it’s a little disconcerting to see it coming from George Will, and the “he believes everything is related to everything else” doesn’t really make sense as a conservative criticism. It is a conservative traditionalist belief that you can’t make a big chance to one part of a social/political/economic system without risk big, unintended changes throughout.
I’m curious if Will represents a larger trend in conservative thought here, of if he’s into the cranky older columnist phase of his career.
BTW, at the moment, I have no idea whom I voting for in the Republican primary.
Sammy
“On January 21, 1997, the House voted 395 to 28 to reprimand Gingrich for ethics violations dating back to September 1994. The House ordered Gingrich to pay a $300,000 penalty, the first time in the House’s 208-year history it had disciplined a Speaker for ethical wrongdoing.”
I am reasonably sure that was reversed.
There is an interesting comparison between Newt and W. Churchill on NR.
I think of Gingrich as a “big government” man. Although he did have some iteresting ideas on reducing it. He “did” manage to produce a balanced budget.
It is not that Obama is without baggage if anyone choses to see it. The guy who gave Obama his house, Resko, just went to jail last month (10 years).
I worry that Romney is just too dull.
Now, brass tacks. In an Obama/Gingrich race, what choice do I have?
The Obama baggage is concealed/ignored by the media.
No one ever discusses why Michelle Obama gave up her law license in 1993.
The details are hidden better than the ancient city of Troy was.
of course,she holds no office,but the President’s college records at occidental are sealed.????
I’m not a “birther” and never have been one,but he’s hiding somethng.He might have been scamming-how bad can it be he still needs to hide it.
The coverups are often more trouble than the underlying “scandal”.Watergate.
I worry that Romney is just too dull.
I think the left is worried that disappointed Obama voters and more independents would flip to Romney. Romney’s problem is getting by other Republicans.
Posted by Max D
“I worry that Romney is just too dull.
I think the left is worried that disappointed Obama voters and more independents would flip to Romney. Romney’s problem is getting by other Republicans.”
A very good point. Asking disaffected Democrats and Independents to vote for Gingrich might be quite a reach.