Newt Gingrich and the Left

Originally posted at Maggie's Notebook

For several years Newt Gingrich has been my choice for President in 2008, but I changed my mind several months ago. While Gingrich is an exceptional thinker, creative and civil in thought and speech, and most certainly wants the best for America, he is deeply entrenched in Congressional friendships.

Thursday, Newt was interviewed by Paul W. Smith, sitting in for Rush Limbaugh. The news is next Tuesday’s debate on climate and environmental issues between Newt and John Kerry. When I first learned of this debate my reaction was, this is a very good thing. Newt has long been immersed in environmental issues and no one puts conflicting thought into succinct words better than Gingrich.

So, I'm listening to Gingrich and Smith, and liking the prospect of this debate, until...Newt emphasizes that the debate will not be a verbal “Wrestlemania,” points out his “long relationship” with Kerry, and then really rubs it in with “he’s a smart guy.” I am nauseous from hearing conservatives tout their civil accord with Democrats.

Smith pushes on and cuts to the chase, asking what all of conservative America wants to know:

"Honestly, you can take Kerry can't you?"

Newt's immediate, and defensive, response is,

"It's not a question of taking him."

You see, Newt wants to have "interesting dialog;" he wants to discuss "market oriented science," and that's all well and good – it’s a discussion this country needs to have, but the Left intends to bring America to its knees on this issue, fueled by the elite's quest for even more wealth, by manipulating the everyday habits of industrious Americans. They have no interest in entrepreneurial-endeavors that expose the folly of carbon credits and such.

Newt, we watch you on talk shows, read your books - listen to your every word. You tamp-down Democrat strategists with the ease of picking lint. You are tough and calmly aggressive until...until...you pair up with an elected politician. Those leading, shaping and interpreting public policy should not shine a light on personal friendships. When you do, we angst over it, for recent history has not been kind to trusting Republicans who, daily, watch the unthinkable parade in front of us.

We are not asking you to abandon the fine art of gentlemanship, but we are asking you to be fearless in revealing the absurd; for instance, a worthy debate might be Sandy Berger's appalling behavior, or William Jefferson's $100,000.00 bribe. Ask the sitting-Senator Kerry to make a public statement on these issues, and when the statement is veiled and lukewarm, keep after it until you get the answers we all deserve. Do us a favor and put the elected on the hot seat, and encourage other conservative leaders to do the same. America will enthusiastically support you. Let Kerry find other avenues to promote his book, as you introduce your new, A Contract with the Earth, in a more respected forum where you need not let down your guard to friendship.

We want our finest conservatives to take-on "taking" the Left. We want our conservative leaders to call them out, one-by-one, these rude, mean-spirited, and dishonest politicians. If you personally like the Left, fine - just don't tell us about your buddyship until today’s dire issues have the opportunity to be settled by conservative measures.

Then you can tell us how fine Senator John Kerry and his cohorts may be. On a personal level, I concede that you think John Kerry is a swell guy, but when you “speak” such validation – out-loud, it hurts the conservative movement because the fence-sitter moderates look for the easy way out, and the Democrat strategists quote you, just as they did when you personally validated Hillary Clinton a few years ago. It only makes sense that we need every honest advantage, and praising the Left, when it’s not necessary, is to put your debate at risk. The problem is, conservative debate is just too proper and vulnerable when up against political friendships.

My message to all conservatives in the public arena today: Taking pride in the conservative nature of accord just gets us into trouble. It doesn't work anymore. Don't even think of telling us that you cannot bring yourself "down" to their level - that you will not stoop that low. Find a way to deal with these people. You're either the person for the job or you’re not. We want you to "take" Kerry, Pelosi, Reid, Durbin, Kennedy, Murtha, as well as Specter and Hagel and the other Republican liberals. They will eat us alive if you, and other Republican leaders, do not.

Ending Note: As I finish the above, Newt is on Fox News Sunday suggesting that it's best that Gonzales step-down, and Chuck Schumer is thrilled with Newt's conclusion. Tomorrow, I'm sure, Schumer will be in front of a mic and a camera, somewhere, with: Even Newt Gingrich agrees that Gonzales needs to resign.

Now, Newt is commenting that "his good friends on the Senate-side" will tie-up the Gonzalez investigation for months. I do not advocate Newt or any politician misrepresenting their own criticisms of any branch of government, but I do advocate turning the conversation to an advantage for the conservative side - always.

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What About Fred? What About Tom?

Well it’s good to see that conservative op ed columnists and bloggers are finally starting to write about conservative candidates and potential candidates for the Presidency instead of just reacting to the disastrous Democratic menu.

I’m not about to endorse any candidate at this point, but I can say what I’m looking for in a conservative candidate. I suspect that many conservatives are looking for the same qualities.

1. I want a candidate who is strong on traditional/conservative American values. I will not vote for a compromised candidate who is a Republican in name only.

Chris Ademo said it best in his article “Why Fred Thompson’s Day Has Arrived”

Throughout 2006, Republican compromise and capitulation to the big-spending, morally bankrupt agenda of the Democrats left the public largely disillusioned and demoralized. And that public sentiment was clearly reflected in the upheaval of the midterm elections, which shifted the country decidedly into the dominion of the Democrats.

Yet the GOP hardly recognized the lesson of last November, and instead has all too frequently appeared to concede to the guiding philosophies of the political left. While Americans grow increasingly outraged by the Democrats’ “cut and run” response to an ever encroaching Islamist malignancy, Republican reaction to the elections have, until recently, been excessively conciliatory and accommodating. . .

2. I want a candidate who can galvanize the majority of conservatives into one strong voting block. Nothing could be more dangerous to the fate of this nation than to have a Democratic President and a Democratic dominated Congress. It’s highly doubtful that I would vote for an independent candidate because history has proven that this would only serve to dilute the conservative vote.

A Rasmussen poll conducted 4/3/07: Giuliani 26%, McCain 16%, Fred Thompson 14%, Gingrich 11%, and Romney 8%.

Cook Political Report/RT Strategies Poll. March 29-April 1, 200: Giuliani 34%, McCain 17%, Fred Thompson 10%, Gingrich 9%, Romney 6%, and Tancredo 0%.

Republican Fundraising Leaders from YourHub.com

Romney $23, Giuliani $15, McCain $12.5, Brownback $2, Tancredo $1.4 million.

3. I want a candidate who is strong on enforcing a much stricter immigration policy! From my point of view, controlling immigration is the key to every other issue – especially how we conduct the War on Terrorism.

A nation that cannot even keep count of the number of potential terrorists on its own soil cannot successfully conduct a War on Terrorism abroad.

A nation that cannot control its own borders is not a sovereign nation.

A nation of immigrants, who have no desire to assimilate, is just a piece of “up for grabs” balkanized land.

That means that we need a candidate who is not afraid to demand that we seal the borders and slap hefty fines on companies that hire illegals. That means we need a candidate who will not sell out America’s sovereignty to corporate globalization. That means we need a candidate who isn’t afraid to call illegals – ILLEGAL! That means we need a candidate who will not back down from red herring debates about nationalism and xenophobia.

Americans for Better Immigration Congressional Career Grade Cards

Tom Tancredo A+
Fred Thompson C
Newt Gingrich D
John McCain D
Sam Brownback D
Giuliani N/A
Romney N/A

Giuliani is pro-immigration

According to Jason Horowitz in the NY Observer . . .

Giuliani strongly supported a guest worker program supported by President Bush and said during a newly interesting appearance on Meet the Press the following: "There isn't a mayor or a public official in this country that's more strongly pro-immigrant than I am, including disagreeing with President Clinton when he signed an anti-immigration legislation about two or three years ago, which we got some amendments of to protect the rights of immigrants.

Mitt Romney ??? Does anyone really know?

Here’s some of what Romney says today about immigration reform.

Here’s a short excerpt from a recent O’Reilly interview with Romney:

O'REILLY: Would you build a wall between Mexico and the United States and would you put the National Guard on the border?

ROMNEY: Absolutely. We'd put the National Guard there because we don't have the wall yet. You have to have a wall or a fence or electronic surveillance. And you have to have a tamper-proof document to make sure that people who are here are aliens are identified and registered, and people can not hire them unless they're here legally.





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