by Jack Lee
Newt Gingrich is now the GOP frontrunner in terms of delegates. But, in the latest polling Gingrich show almost a 60% unfavorable rating and that makes it looks like he unelectable. So, it’s safe to say Newt will have a lot of work ahead if he is going to convince America he can win. Republican Congressional and Senate members are looking at his current lead and thinking, if he win’s, the GOP is not only going to lose the presidency, but he could take a lot of them down in the process. This is unacceptable by the party hierarchy.
How bad are Gingrich’s unfavorable rating with the average voter compared to Obama and Romney?
Fox News, 1/12-1/14:
Obama, fav/unfav, 51%/46%, +5
Romney, fav/unfav, 45%/38%, +7
Gingrich, fav/unfav, 27%/56%, -29
CBS/NYT, 1/12-1/17:
Obama, fav/unfav, 38%/45%, -7
Romney, fav/unfav, 21%/35%, -14
Gingrich, fav/unfav, 17%/49%, -32
PPP, 1/13-1/17:
Obama, app/dis, 47%/50%, -3
Romney, fav/unfav, 35%/53%, -18
Gingrich, fav/unfav, 26%/60%, -34
Newt is a regional 1st place contender, but polling last place on the national scoreboard. He’s going to have to really work some magic in order to avoid an in-house assassination, figuratively speaking.
I believe Newt Gingrich is the only Speaker of the House to resign over ethics violations. He was also fined $300,000. He also wants us to think he is a Washington outsider, when he has been a lobbyist for years.
It will come down to a choice we will have to make. We can choose our social values in which case Mitt Romney is the obvious choice. Or it will come down to our financial/economic values in which case Newt Gingrich is the obvious choice.
I do not like Newt Gingrich. At all. But I don’t think Romney is pristine with all of the shady stuff he did with his computers after he left the Governor’s office in Massachusetts. I hope that we don’t end up voting for a guy to run America just because he is married to the same wife. I think we might need to put our social values aside and just get the job done.
There is a long time to go before the election, Newt better get his stuff together and start convincing us he is the guy that can get this done. I don’t want another person in that office who thinks we need more bank bailouts.
I am one of those that cannot forget Newt’s past. For me as with many of my friends, he is the one candidate that does not invoke images of trust. Additionally, although I commend him for his response to John King, he demonstrates a short temper and an incredible ego.
Here is a good article by Rush Limbough that expresses better than I ever could why I and a lot of others think Gingrich can win against Obama.
I’m sick of our republican leaders not representing us and being a part of the problem. Gingrich even with his problems is willing to stand up and fight for us instead of just trying to stay in office to control the money. He’s coming across as anti-establishment and gaining the Tea Party support too. How’s that for in your face?
If Carl Rove hadn’t come out against Christine O’Donnel we would have had control of the Senate. But, as a good-ole-boy he constantly attacked her and said what he needed to do to make sure she lost and she did. A far left gay activist won instead. Was he really better in Rove’s opinion than O’Donnel? How and why?!!!
Carl Rove represents the republican establishment and I don’t trust or believe anything he says.
Limbough says the republican establishemt is in a panic, I agree and say good they should be. We need to clean house and get more TP patriots and others that will fight for us. Go for it Newt if you’re willing to fight for us, you have my vote and support.
Here is the Limbough article in full:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/limbaugh-on-gingrich-sc-victory-the-republican-establishment-is-in-full-blown-panic/
“I believe Newt Gingrich is the only Speaker of the House to resign over ethics violations” Princess
Hmmm…well, without researching this, I recall a guy by the name of Jim Wright-D who resigned over ethics violations and he was the Speaker of the House. I’m sure there were others, but I don’t recall them.
(5 minutes later) Just did an internet search…19 of the 20 expulsions from the Senate and Congress involved a member of the Democratic Party, this does not count resignations. There were a lot more reprimanded.
According to Wikipedia Gingrich did not resign for ethics violations.
“House speaker, the House enacted welfare reform, passed a capital gains tax cut in 1997, and in 1998 passed the first balanced budget since 1969. As House speaker, his popularity within Congress gradually diminished as he was increasingly seen as a lightning rod for controversy.[3] He was disciplined in January 1997 by the House of Representatives for an ethics violation, although a full hearing was avoided. Following a poor Republican showing in the 1998 Congressional election, Gingrich announced his resignation (taking effect on January 3, 1999) from the House on November 5, 1998, under pressure from his Republican colleagues.”
Full article below:
Newt Gingrich
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is part of a series about
Newt Gingrich
2012 presidential campaign
Political positions
Contract with America
Newton Leroy “Newt” Gingrich ( /nut rt/; born Newton Leroy McPherson; June 17, 1943) is an American politician, author, and political consultant who served as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. He represented Georgia’s 6th congressional district as a Republican from 1979 until his resignation in 1999. He is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.
Born in south central Pennsylvania to a teenage mother, Gingrich was adopted in infancy by his stepfather, a career soldier. Gingrich attended Emory University and received his Ph.D. from Tulane University. In the 1970s he taught history and geography at West Georgia College. During this period he mounted several campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, before winning the election of November 1978. He served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995.
A co-author and architect of the “Contract with America”, Gingrich was at the forefront of Republican Party success in the 1994 congressional election. In 1995, Time named him “Man of the Year” for his role in ending 40 years of majority control by the Democratic Party. While he was House speaker, the House enacted welfare reform, passed a capital gains tax cut in 1997, and in 1998 passed the first balanced budget since 1969. As House speaker, his popularity within Congress gradually diminished as he was increasingly seen as a lightning rod for controversy.[3] He was disciplined in January 1997 by the House of Representatives for an ethics violation, although a full hearing was avoided. Following a poor Republican showing in the 1998 Congressional election, Gingrich announced his resignation (taking effect on January 3, 1999) from the House on November 5, 1998, under pressure from his Republican colleagues.
Since resigning from the House, Gingrich has remained active in public policy debates by working as a political consultant. He founded and chaired several policy think tanks including American Solutions for Winning the Future and the Center for Health Transformation. He has written or co-authored 27 books. In May 2011, he announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination to run for the U.S. presidency.
Personal details
Born:
Newton Leroy McPherson
June 17, 1943 (age 68)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Political party:
Republican
Spouse(s)
Jackie Battley (19621981)
Marianne Ginther (19812000)
Callista Bisek (2000present)
Children:
Kathy Gingrich Lubbers (born 1963)
Jackie Gingrich Cushman (born 1966)
Residence:
Carrollton, Georgia (19791993, while in office)
Marietta, Georgia (19931999, while in office)
McLean, Virginia (1999present)[1]
Alma mater:
Emory University (B.A.)
Tulane University (M.A./PhD)
Occupation:
Politician
Author
Assistant Professor
Religion:
Roman Catholic[2] (formerly Baptist, Lutheran)
I thought it best just to copy and paste verse paraphrase about Newt’s charges on THE ONLY ‘1’ of the 84 charges for which he was sanctioned:
Eighty four politically motivated ethics charges were filed against Newt when he was Speaker of the House regarding the use of tax exempt funds for a college course he taught titled Renewing American Civilization. Eighty-three of the eighty-four charges were found to be without merit and dropped. The remaining charge had to do with contradictory documents prepared by Newts lawyer supplied during the course of the investigation. Newt took responsibility for the error and agreed to reimburse the committee the cost of the investigation into that discrepancy. In 1999, after a 3 year investigation, the Internal Revenue Service (under President Bill Clinton, nonetheless) concluded that Gingrich did not violate any tax laws, leading renowned CNN Investigative Reporter Brooks Jackson to remark on air it turns out [Gingrich] was right and those who accused him of tax fraud were wrong.
Hope this helps some open a blind eye and get a true perspective of what going to be one of the dirtiest Presidential campaigns ever, and we haven’t even heard from the POTUS yet. It is going to get ugly, with lots of 30 second sound bites crafted to cause doubt.
When Newt came under a cloud of ethics violations, even though as Harold has shown he was found not to be in violation, media coverage made it unworkable for him to continue. He stepped down for the good of the nation and the party. Contrast that with Charlie Rangle or Maxine Waters. Rangle was reelected after being convicted of 13 ethics charges and maxine Waters has been able to force a delay of any decision for several years.
How about convicted felons? There are a number of them and most are Democrats including Barney Frank, accessory to a male prostitute running a brothel in their shared townhouse:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_US_senators_and_congressmen_are_convicted_felons
Like it or not it is THE game right now, in this moment, the only moment you have. Instead of accepting the reality of the day, you criticize me instead of educating to your ideal. Criticism and derision just don’t cut it, Q.
Lets say you could wave a magic wand and get a nonpartisan elected. They would still have to work with other partisan legislators and the president within the confines of the two congressional bodies and the presidents veto pen. If you think electing people with different designations behind their names would result in something better you don’t know, or are unwilling to acknowledge, the basic nature of human beings.
Somebody is a fool; I’d say its the guy who thinks some humans are different (better) (more special) (smarter)than others. That is straight out of the Marxist pig elitist line of thinking. If ONLY we had the right guy in there we could create that peaceful utopia where nobody suffers and everyone has his fair share.
It’s BUNK!
Within our brilliant republican system of checks and balances our representatives consider legisaltion. They have two avenues to pursue. One leads to bigger government and the other to smaller government. They can vote yes or no (or they can abstain which only means they opt out of the decision). So basically they have two choices…two responses…yes or no. Thus the two party system naturally takes shape. The battle in government is nothing more than a tug of war and unless the proposed legislation has wide support, which is rare, the result will be bigger government or smaller government.
The battle that matters is out here in the electorate. It is the people that must choose whether big government that creates dependency or small government that empowers individuals is a better system. In the past half century or more the people have drifted toward big government to the point of creating too many dependent on government programs and not enough private sector wealth to support it. We will die if the people don’t get smarter about how freedom and opportunity work…and there are only two basic choices.
Will you be someone who educates toward model you prefer or will you continue with your hateful personal attacks?
Washington reflects the will of the people. We each compete for the ear and the trust of those who read this blog. Your senseless rants about how stupid we are do NOTHING to advance your position. If you want to make a difference, I would suggest you reconsider the emotional criticism…you have an opportunity to educate and inform and you are blowing it 99.9 percent of the time. How smart is that?
One debate between Newt and Obama is all it will take to “educate” 99% of the people. It will be a thing of beauty!
Thanks Harold Ey for the information. Getting to the truth is like peeling an onion. The hard part is finding the truth under layers of lies and half-truths.
I found the same with Palin and the charges she was reported to be guilty of against her highway patrol relative. If my memory is right she was found guilty only of not controlling things Todd said. (Tell me how many wives can control what their husbands do and say?)
The truth is out there, finding it is the challange. The attacks and lies are going to get worse with each passing day and the news will cover it and repeat it until people believe it.
Q: The next time you flush YOUR toilet stick your head in it. You have nothing of interest to contribute that anyone with an IQ above 40 cares to read. Go back to your blog where I’m sure your reader would love to hear from you.
Does anyone care about Romney and the Big Dig? You wouldn’t think so seeing how no one not even Romney is talking about it. I am betting Obama and his MSM have very nasty hit pieces lined up for Romney if he gets the nomination. Time will tell.
I am well aware that many, many, many corrupt Democrats have resigned from congress in disgrace. I thought that Gingrich was the only Speaker of the House to do so. I didn’t claim to have all the facts, I’m just not willing to suddenly love Newt Gingrich because Rush Limbaugh tells me to do it. Ann Coulter says nominating him would be throwing out the baby and keeping the bathwater. I think Coulter and Limbaugh are both paid a lot of money to say whatever they think Republican voters want to hear. I’m looking for the truth.
I am sick and tired of being told by the RNC who to support. Every candidate up there stinks and we all know it. I am the only person I know who supported Jon Huntsman and the whole country got screwed when he dropped out. If Newt wins Florida watch the RNC pee all over themselves. And they deserve it for giving us Romney. These candidates make Republicans look stupid, insensitive and corrupt. The Republican party is not like that and these people do not represent the Republicans I know and work with every day. We are better than these people. A lot better. And I’m not going to pick a candidate because Rush Limbaugh says so. No thanks.
I will also say that the debates need to stop. This is ridiculous. All they do is make us look bad. And why not? It is set up to ask “gotcha” questions that no one cares about, and the networks get to sell tons of ads, and the media doesn’t have to do any work because the candidates are right up there saying what they think about things.
One thing Obama did during the 2008 election that I respected was he stopped these debates (and I think there were like 7). After he got asked about stupid flag pins, he didn’t do another one. Americans are worried about the economy, not stupid flag pins.
These debates are set up to pit candidates against each other and then they will be expected to endorse each other after this. I wish they would just refuse to show up for them. Every single question has been asked over and over and over again. I don’t know who looks more pathetic, the candidates or the questioners.
So do not listen to Rush and vote for who you want to. People act like a gun is being held to their heads and forced to listen to Rush. Hearing people bitch about Rush gets old to the point of just ignoring those people. As far as I know, Rush has not backed anyone but he seems to be leaning toward Romney.
Princess Rush talks about all of the candidates. He hasn’t endorced Newt Gingrich or any other candidate. He has not told anyone who to vote for in the primaries. He doesn’t endorse candidates because he thinks you and I are smart people and we should figure it out for ourselves. His position so far is that any of our candidates would be an improvement over the current occupant and he will support whomever it is that wins the Republican primary.
The only people paying Rush Limbaugh, or Ann Colter, are the millions of people who support them becuase they enjoy hearing them speak or reading their books.
I don’t know why John Huntsman didn’t do better but I do know that he didn’t do much to make himself visable.
Talk radio is doing an excellent job of covering the candidates and exposing what hey think are flas as well as applauding them when they think they do well.
Good point Toby. I’m not aware of Rush telling his audience to vote for any particular candidate.
As for Princess saying the debates making the republicans look bad. Yes, there is this long established process where they are all trying to knock out the front runner in order to take over the lead. I don’t care much for this because it does make the candidates look bad. I wish there was a better way.
“am well aware that many, many, many corrupt Democrats have resigned from congress in disgrace. I thought that Gingrich was the only Speaker of the House to do so. I didn’t claim to have all the facts, …” Princess
Princess, I get the impression that you were possibly responding to something you thought was directed at you when it was actually for our pal Quentin. It does get a little confusing around here at times! lol
Princess: Just to clarify I’m not a fan or follower of Limbough. In fact I’ve never listened to him on the radio for a whole show. I have seen clips of him on YouTube and the article I posted came from The Blaze news website.
What I was stating was I agreed with his theory that people are supporting Gingrich because he is standing up and showing a strong backbone against his attackers. Republicans have been on the defense for so long we don’t know how to act from an offensive position, and if we do we are accused of being a racist, a bigot or having some other negative character flaw.
Newt is showing he’s willing to debate and express his views without a hint of feeling he should apologize for them. I prefer a candidate who is coming from a position of strength instead of weakness as McCain did and Romney is also doing. Romney’s him-hawing and dodging about his tax return was terrible. He earned the money and should have been proud of it and used it to promote what is possible for everyone, instead of acting like he’s ashamed of what he’s accomplished.
To be very clear I also like Santorum who is closer to my social beliefs, but his poll ratings are so low unless he can work them higher I don’t see him as a viable opponent against Obama. So, as of today Im going with Gingrich unless something comes up that changes my mind against him or for Santorum or Romney. Whoever ends up being our candidate, I will support.
Also, the toilet comment was directed at Quentin in response to his comments toward me. I apologize if you thought my response was for you.
“One thing Obama did during the 2008 election that I respected was he stopped these debates (and I think there were like 7). After he got asked about stupid flag pins, he didn’t do another one. Americans are worried about the economy, not stupid flag pins.”
Amen.
But I’m hoping that Obama and Romney do have a chat. Romney seems to be so very much the embodiment of the problem. Did you hear the latest?
“Why should rich people pony up more than the law requires?”
Here we are, a hair’s breadth from The Second Great Depression … up to our armpits in public debt, and citizens with the where-with-all to make a dent tell us: “Bugger Bloody Off. My money is much happier in the Caymans.”
It’s all a body can do to keep from ripping the man’s face off.
Maybe I will end up liking Newt because Romney disgusts me. He needs to shut up because every time he opens his mouth I dislike him even more. When America finds out he makes $57,000 a day, he hasn’t had a job in years and he is telling us to work harder to make money? Forget it. I work with God-loving, conservative men every day and they work on their feet, in all kinds of weather doing hard work for not a ton of money. Every person at my company makes less in a year than Romney makes in a day on interest. Romney has never in his life worked as hard as the Republicans I work with so I don’t want to hear a bunch of lectures from him about getting a work ethic. We had to lay people off in 2008 and are just now starting to rehire. The people we laid off who ended up on unemployment had a fine work ethic. They just didn’t have any work. And Obama didn’t exactly do much to help us out with that. Most of the people I know who work in construction are conservative Republicans and they aren’t big fans of Romney telling us all to work hard when he doesn’t work.
Princess–here, here! You are absolutely right about Romney. Here is a guy who pays a smaller percentage in taxes than many middle class workers…and yet he has the nerve to argue that the tax system is too lenient on the poor and too hard on the rich!
However, if you think Newt is any better, you’re sadly mistaken. He too blames the poor for not finding work, claiming that the problem is a lack of work ethic, rather than a lack of jobs. It’s absurd.
Anyone interested in what happened during the Newt Gingrich ethics mess can read all about it in this in-depth article by Rich Lowry who covered it at the time:
http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/article/what-really-happened-gingrich-ethics-case/336051
Romney paid all of his taxes in full according to current tax laws; to look down on him because he followed the law is really dumb. I dont know anyone except airheaded celebrities and Warren Buffet who would suggest he do otherwisenone of them has written fat checks to the government over the years and all of them take advantage of the same kind of trusts and shelters that he has.
I keep thinking about the people who complain about huge bonuses for CEOs and how terrible that is. Heres a man that could, but doesnt, take a big salary/bonus simply because what he makes from his investments is more than he needs already. When you have the kind of money he has investment gains are unavoidable. He pay the lower cap gains rate but the federal bill alone was $3 million dollars. That isnt a one shot deal; he pays a similar amount in most years. He also pays state and local taxes on the same each year. His property tax bill is likely quite high. Also, give the man credit for his sense of civic duty; he also gave 16% to charity. One tax attorney said that his returns were squeaky clean and that he didnt take a lot of deductions he probably could have, travel expenses and such.
Given the record of Tim Geitner and others in government that have failed to file or pay taxes, or the First Ladies habits of traveling ahead of her husband even though it costs taxpayers a lot more, I think this mans ethical tax position is pretty high.
And by the way he and his wife did not inherit their wealth. Romney worked to earn what he has. To suggest otherwise is both petty and mean. In his career he helped a lot of failing businesses to survive and make a go of it. Those businesses and the people that worked for them can be thankful that there are people in the world with both the means and the know how to help a company turn around when it is failing. Without his expertise and investment they would have all been out of a job.
Everyone should have a stake in America. Capital gains are taxed at the lower rate for a reason and it isnt to make the rich richer. It is to encourage investment in business so that Americans will have more opportunity (jobs). Also, the number of people that benefit as Romney does, the very wealthy, are a small percentage of Americans who make money from capital gains. A lot of retired people make extra money this way to supplement their retirement income. A lot of working people with investments for retirement benefit from capital gains in their 401 Ks or defined benefit plans. The more money those plans have the more they can make. It gives all americans an opportunity to grow richer. If we taught about these things in school more Americans would grow in wealth. Making money is just another skill that can be learned.
The reason wealthy people dont just give government more of their money to help us out’ of this mess is because all of their combined wealth wouldnt even pay the interest on what we owe for a year never mind the debt. Who would invest in American business when the welthy no longer exist because government swallowed up all of the money? THINK!!! The wealthy put their money in things that earn money…those things CREATE JOBS AND OPPORTUNITY!
Another reason is because government doesnt spend efficiently or wellit wastes money terriblyit would be a very BAD investment.
Romney probably does more for people in need with his charitable donations than his money given to government would do.
We have a spending problem in DC not a revenue problem. And Obama is the master spendster of all time!
ANY REPUBLICAN…OR LIBERTAIRIAN…CANDIDATE WOULD BE A VAST IMPROVEMENT!!!!!
Chris how many of those middle class workers pay several million in taxes and give a similar amount to charity year after year? How many of them risk their own money to help failing businesses, and the people they employ, to survive?
This business of judging a persons contribution on a single narrow point instead of the total contribution they make is absurd and childish. The point is when you punishing the successful with higher rates the loss in the private sector will be felt most by the little people who benefit from the wealthy persons investment. Government redistributes. Redistribution does not create wealth or a thriving economy with plenty of jobs.
The upside of all this campaigning is what we learn about the guys. I am all for it, because pretty soon we will know all the dirt on them and that will really deflate plans by the Left to spring anything. I think the issue of Romney and his tax rate will help him in the end. I am still a fan of Newt but really admire Romney for his stand on his tax payments and his charitable contributions. Oh and this admiration for Romney is all because of the stink about his returns. I bet I am not alone.