Newt Gingrich to Juan Williams: Capitalism Is Not Racist
by AWR Hawkins
A funny thing happened in the GOP debate in South Carolina last night. FOX NEWS’ Juan Williams implied racism in Speaker Newt Gingrich’s defense of capitalism, and Gingrich did not back down:
Williams: Speaker Gingrich, you recently said, “Black Americans should demand jobs, not food stamps.” You also said, “Poor kids lack a strong work ethic,” and proposed having them work as janitors in their schools. Can’t you see that this is viewed, at a minimum, as insulting to all Americans, but particularly to black Americans?
After Williams asked this question, about three people applauded somewhat timidly, but there was mostly silence in anticipation of how Gingrich might dig himself out of this one. He had been put on the spot in front of the world by a media spokesperson who not only opposed Gingrich’s position, but who himself was black, and who views almost everything through the lenses of race.
But Gingrich did not fold. Instead he looked at Williams and responded: “No, I don’t see that.” In other words, Gingrich was saying “No, I don’t see how capitalism is racist nor do I see how a defense of capitalism is racist.” The venue exploded with applause and cheers.
Gingrich then continued by telling the audience his daughter’s first job had been as a janitor in a Baptist church in Georgia when she was thirteen. Said Gingrich: “She liked earning the money, she liked learning that if you worked you got paid, she liked being in charge of her own money, and she thought it was a good start.”
Amid applause, Gingrich continued
What I tried to say [is that] New York City pays their janitors an absurd amount of money because of the unions. You could…hire 30-some kids to work in the school for the price of one janitor and those 30 kids would be a lot less likely to drop out, they would actually have money in their pocket, they would learn to show up for work, they could do light janitorial duty, they could work in the cafeteria, they could work in the front office, and they could work in the library. They’d be getting money, which is a good thing if you’re poor. Only the elites despise earning money.
At this point, the audience rose to their feet and Gingrich received a standing ovation as Williams did everything he could to try to salvage some aspect of the exchange for the left. And the only way he could do this was to try once more to find racism in Gingrich’s words.
Said Williams:
The suggestion you made was about a lack of work ethic. And I’ve got to tell you, my email account and twitter account have been inundated by people of all races who are asking if your comments are not intended to belittle the poor and racial minorities…[People have asked] why you refer to President Obama as the “food stamp President.” It sounds like you’re trying to belittle people.
As the audience booed Williams, Gingrich responded:
Juan, the fact is that more people have been put on food stamps by Barack Obama than any President in American history. I know among the politically correct you are not supposed to use facts that are uncomfortable. Second, you are the one who earlier raised the key point. The area that ought to be I-73 was called by Barack Obama “a corridor of shame” because of unemployment. Has it improved in three years? No. They haven’t built a road, they haven’t helped the people, they haven’t done anything.
As the applause grew to unprecedented levels, Williams retreated. He literally just sat silently, staring straight ahead, while Gingrich rose above the applause to say:
One last thing…I believe every American of every background has been endowed by their Creator with the right to pursue happiness, and if that makes liberals unhappy, I’m going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn to get a better job and learn some day to own the job.
Bottom line: Capitalism is not racist, nor is the defense of capitalism racist. Conservatives needn’t be ashamed of offering the world a job instead of a government handout.
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123 Comments
It's been a long time since I watched Ronald Reagan in his debates, but I sure have missed those "Reagan Moments." Until last night, that is.
Putting Juan in his place was fantastic, but that was only one of about a dozen home runs from Newt. It was an absolutely Reaganesque performance.
Newt called a spade a spade.
Newt took Juan to the woodshed.
It is high time someone did.
This was one of the exchanges that has convinced me to vote for Gingrich this Saturday.
The next time Juan asks Newt a question you better believe Juan will set the trap better.
For the record, I do not like Newt. But I will tip my hat to him, he did put Juan in his place last night. I am still a bit baffled about his idea of "creating jobs for janitors"
Can someone clue me in on how that jives with a fiscally conservative small government type platform?
Hey Juan …..SMACK
I felt sorry for Mr. Williams when he was fired from NPR. Not anymore.
Juan Williams to Newt Gingrich: Everything Is Racist! (…and as long as sheeple cower from the accusation, the left will have the power to manipulate)
Hearing the crowd booing Juan was almost as good, followed by the standing O for Newt.
I know you hate all these guys, but you gotta admit, that was a sight to behold.
Great column by Mr. Sowell addressing this.
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2012/...
Yeah, Wiley Coyote always tried to set a better trap too. Newt will just do the Road Runner thing all over Juan's pitiful attempts.
Newt has his flaws. But he, Governor Christie and Ron Paul are the only Republicans that are willing to speak truth to liberal stupidity. Its high time the other Republicans retrieved their gonads from the PC jar that sits prominently on the media's desk. Tame the media shrew boys and girls or go home.
The left tries to paint everything with the Racial brush.
If you don't like GIVING things to those in need, you are racist.
If you prefer helping people learn what work is about, you are racist.
If you say the word "foodstamps" or "welfare", you are racist.
If you reject their Marxist agenda, you are racist.
If you want a "secure" voting process, you are racist.
If you believe a secure border is best for America, you are a racist.
I could go on and on but the Racist brush is getting a little dry.
Bravo Mr. G
Encouraging youth to learn responsibility is what will get them out of the poor house. Todays youth is obsessed with the glamor and fame of Hollywood. Their egos are inflated to nigh incalculable sizes. Having to clean a school bathroom will do much to humble them. This should be a mandatory class starting at Junior high level. Toilet Cleaning 101. I could start making numerous toilet related puns, but I'm not feeling particularly creative today.
On a side note: I wonder what he's pointing at?
It is good to see Newt get back to his old self. I was getting tired of the Bain bashing.
If Perry of Santorum would drop out, Newt would over take Mittens.
Then if Newt would take up Paul's stand on the Federal Reserve, we would have it sewn up.
As Capitalism is private ownership, I give you:
"To give a man his life but deny him his liberty, is to take from him all that makes his life worth living. To give him his liberty but take from him the property which is the fruit and badge of his liberty, is to still leave him a slave." – George Sutherland, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
"On a side note: I wonder what he's pointing at?"
Same thing that Babe Ruth might have done, pointing out where the next home run was going.
You know when he started talking about being a janitor I suddenly remembered that I once worked as a janitor. It was at George Mason. I was the Vice president of the student body, I worked for the school as the Chemistry lab asssistant, and I did some private tutoring in math. I made money from the lab and the tutoring but my biggest source of income was from being the school janitor.
Thanks Newt, I'd forgotten.
http://www.newt.org/solutions/jobs-economy
The jobs for janitors was about how much government-employed janitors make and how many high school students could be employed by eliminating some of those highly paid positions. That way, poor students could earn their own money. I love the idea. Being poor isn't scandalous – wanting to stay that way and live off someone else is scandalous.
Juan Williams is a very fine fellow. Don't give up on him.
He's said he's for auditing the Fed and he'd fire the Bernanke.
I hope this Newt is here to stay!
Williams never changed his spots. He is what he is, a liberal with a liberal's world-view. I don't understand how people fall for the likes of Williams or a Scott Brown, MA.
That was the highlight of the whole debate! I would use that I-73 corridor against Obama everyday!
Please…. like Newt believes in free markets.
Newt's been blasting the Fed all along. He's already said that he would move to force a yearly audit of the Fed, and to make it public.
That would be the first step toward eliminating the Fed system. As soon as the People became aware of what they've done, public outcry would rise up to totally change the system.
again, how does that jive with a fiscally conservative small government platform? Maybe if we got some of the friggin illegal aliens out of this country instead of trying to press the same ol amnesty carrot and stick routine, there would be some jobs for the kids in high school.
How exactly is Newt going to accomplish this task? Executive order? Or is he going to create another useless federal agency tasked with implementation and enforcement?
It all sounds really good in a soundbite, but highly vague on details.
Which again brings me back to my original question, HOW DOES THIS FIT INTO A FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE SMALL GOVERNMENT TYPE PLATFORM?!?!?!
I agree. And he gave Newt the chance to become President. The left will hate williams for that too.
I thought he explained it pretty well last night. But he really is addressing two or more points. First the union janitors in New York are overpaid. Secondly we are not socializing our youth.
The opposition here are the unions. Unions promote periodic minimum wage increases which result in the unemployment of teenagers. Those teens don't learn job skills and become discipline and/or crime problems. His little speech was very middle of the road conservative. The janitorial aspect was the only new twist.
I'll write this bumper sticker.
Capitalism good!
Obama baaaaad!
Juan Williams basically got verbally punched out.
I didn't receive any pay to do this, but when I was in middle school I earned my school lunch by cleaning the dishes at the cafeteria. My parents didn't take handouts and neither did their children.
No John.
It is not so much that I do not like them.
It is that I do not like US, for allowing them to convince US that we should settle for a field of losers.
I never was much for sloppy seconds.
If I'm black and you're white and you disagree with me, you're a racist. Plain and simple.
What you seem to miss is that Newt's approach is NOT top-down control, but national conversation. Using the power of the presidency, ideas like this can be spread throughout the country where the people can push for it, or not.
On this issue, Newt's proposal is he wants to all but eliminate the Dept of Education, end all federal mandates, and block grant funds back to the states so the people can decide how best to implement changes.
Here's a one-minute clip that explains part of this.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ngingrich?feature=g-a...
Told you he had sharp elbows and Juan should have expected Newt vastly more than capable of recalling the "teach a man to fish" meme as being unassailable.
Wish Sowell had kept on going to point out (as he has before) the importance of culture in disparity. In my opinion women's good choices for mates increase IQs. If one is married to the state, one does not need to make good choices in the mate department. Children suffer, then make more children……..
That is called "Knocking it out of the Park".
I have to give it to Newt. In the space of a few moments he destroyed the "GOP policy x cuts program y and is therefore racist" narrative. None of what Newt said was shocking or even out of character. Sooo…what was it exactly that Juan Williams was thinking again?
"Unions promote periodic minimum wage increases which result in the unemployment of teenagers."
This view completely ignore the ELEPHANT in the room,
The illegal ALIENS.
That part of the equation is conveniently NOT part of the discussion, coincidentally
He will be the next President unless the Republican leadership interferes, if they do, I will never forgive them.
I got my first job at the age of 8, for $2 an hour. It was helping a man clean up and salvage the scrap from a warehouse-on-pilings that had burned down in a harbor. I guess I must be a little slow, because 40 years later I STILL haven't figured out how that 'belittled' or 'oppressed' me.
Numbers….. work against Obama's claim of things are getting better narrative….. Backers of all things Barack will incite riots in our streets and claim the only thing that can calm the rage is four more years…… Dirty politics has never seen the kind of whirlys we are going to receive if we don't get the conservative base armed and ready to do serious battle with these Obamabots. Racist…… I keep thinking we've moved past this…..
So much money time and effort to convince a free(ed) people they no longer have chains….. Can someone please explain why if in fact we've been on Earth millions of years… and all manner of tribes and people and cultures have come and gone, that have been wronged, abused, killed, enslaved… why so much focus has been spent on the brief history of slavery in the US? Many White people went to battle to free the black man…… I am sick to death at hearing this drum beat. I am also tired of being blamed for something I haven't done too. People like Juan Williams need to stop being stuck on the racist stupid spot and move on.
Yeah, I know, CL. I was just baiting you on that "hate em all" comment. But I gotta tell you, as you probably know, I LIKE Newt.
And it's not like this is my first rodeo. I've been a political junkie most of my 48 years. I knew Newt before his days as Speaker. I know his warts as well as his accomplishments. I know his strengths and weaknesses. And I know that he holds a lifetime ranking of 90 from the American Conservative Union (not an easy thing to do). Ironically, that's about the same percentage of the time I agree with him.
The problem with Newt is he's spoken a billion words publicly, and that makes it very easy to pull clips out of context to form a smear. That's unfortunate, because it leaves people like me, who KNOW the context, trying to explain the complex to people who only hear the simple.
Present company excluded.
Nahh, I don't think so, Belad. Liberals aren't known for their trap making abilities. They have a play book. They don't deviate. Somewhat like Japanese bomber configuration during WW2 (low, six o'clock got them every time. Hey, I watch the History Channel!
Most everyone has read it. The GOP winner will be the one who retains it.
"They have a play book. They don't deviate."
Yeah. It's called Rules for Radicals.
Yes illegal aliens are another problem that keeps kids from those first jobs that they need so much. But I don't see any of this as a conspiracy. You are not taking into account the sad state of economic knowledge amongst the electorate. These economic connections may be obvious to you but most voters aren't anywhere as well tuned in.
"The only problem with that scenario is the media attacks such efforts"
Were you around during the Reagan years? The media was no less putrid than they are now. But this is how Reagan got things done. He went passed the media, used the bully pulpit, got the people to rally, and changes were made.
The alternative is NO national conversation, NO new ideas, NO returning power and money back to states and localities, and STILL have a media on the attack.
I prefer the Reagan model.
Not sure what to think about Newt. Not sure he really is the type of person he acts like or it is just an act. He has done so many stupid things like the Pelosi Global Warming spot. Now he dumps that chapter from his book. A true believer that there is no global warming would not have even considered it real. Looks like he was just bending to the political winds of the time and not having any convictions. He seems to do that a lot.
We are screwed there is not one good Redumblican candidate. If Romney wins he will do whatever the press tell him too. That is why the Marxist press attacked and destroyed any of the good candidates and hand picked Romney like they did McLaim. Sorry that is my take. Just buy food ammo and fuel you will need it soon enough.
I just wish it had been Bob Beckle not Jaun….lol.
I've seen the following honest-to-goodness Obamugabe smackdown on two bumpers recently:
My Kid May Be an Honors Student
But My President Is a Moron
I'm not sure what you are going on about, Sub.
Would you have felt better if Newt said some overpaid legal citizen janitors could be let go to allow some unemployed legal citizen teenagers pick up some folding cash and learn about work ethic?
Do you think schools are infested with illegal immigrant janitors? I'm not sure that would even be legal.
Are you worried that illegal immigrant teenagers would then be hired? I don't think that would be legal either.
What, exactly, is your point, that could have been covered in Newt's answer?
Illegal aliens are an entirely different topic, no? Just askin'.
Oh, I got to get me one of those.
It's interesting that Juan could be fired and complain that it was discrimination yet, would take this tack with his questions. Wouldn't that be considered a might hypocritical? Oh, wait, he is a liberal after all.
Well John.
You baited me.
(I'll omit the next line containing the age old joke).
I forced myself to watch the Debate with an open mind.
I even forced myself to listen intently to Romney. Granted I have said a lot here regarding Romney and his religion. A lot of things laced with sarcasm. A lot of tongue in cheek quips. A lot of things based on humor, satire and parody. I have said many times, that faced with the choice of voting for Romney as a candidate, I would either not vote, or write Ronald Reagan as a write in. Truthfully, all we can base our opinions on in life, are our first hand experiences, and to tell you the truth, every time I have dealt with one of those cultists in business, those son-of-a-bucks have skint me. Bearing that in mind, I told myself I needed to get serious and be a good conservative, and listen with an open mind, and start getting my head wrapped around the fact that I was going to have to override my gag reflex, and vote for Romney.
I can't.
Especially watching him slither around his tax return topic.
Newt, on the other hand, regained my attention.
You know my problems with Newt. He is like a woman, caught being unfaithful. Sure, you might take her back, but can you really ever trust her? I can never really trust Newt, but compared to Romney, Perry, Paul, and Santorum, he stands head and shoulders above the crowd.
Newt can out debate Obama, based solely on Obama's record, or lack thereof.
That's what I be gettin' at, John Boy.
Juan Williams is just another "Lap Dog" for the Obama regime, plain and simple. He would defend the liberal, food stamp ideology right to the sewer. Just another typical left wing smear merchant. He's a joke and it shows. Williams is still blaming GWB after more than 3 years in power. Juan……..socialism does NOT create jobs!
ok I accept a point well made
I saw one of those two weeks ago.
Hilarious!
What was really funny, it was on a Whoopty on an Indian Reservation.
Thank you for putting in print exactly why Newt is appealing to me, I couldn't really articulate it until I saw your post.
"Do you think schools are infested with illegal immigrant janitors? I'm not sure that would even be legal."
You would be surprised at things that occur that aren't legal.
My original point was, exactly how newt intends to push his " jobs for janitors initiative" Which going after high priced Union Janitors holds SOME merit, in regards to high schoolers not being able to find work, he neglects to touch another major contributing factor which is these traditionally low paying jobs used to be filled by high schoolers, are now filled with illegal aliens.
In regards to this issue of high school kids not being able to find the work they used to be able to find, the illegal alien problem is quite relevant
Wow you were really raking in the dough! I started out by selling tomatoes my mother and I had grown. The ones we didn't eat I would take door to door and sell for 5-10 cents each. Then I "graduated" to babysitting at 11 making 50 cents an hour. Made my own business cards on index cards and stuck them in mailboxes. It was really wonderful if 2 couples went somewhere together and I got all their kids and made a whole $1 an hour. And that wasn't too long ago – late 60s.
Newt's response was brilliant! Period!
A little background on the "global warming" thing, and I've heard Newt talk about this before; that he believes you can't win a fight unless you climb into the ring. His position on the GW issue was that the left had a near LOCK on the narrative. That is, the Conservative side of the argument wasn't being put forth strong enough. So he jumped into the debate.
The left's side of this is that man is causing GW, and we need cap and trade, regulations, etc. But there is a Conserative side to the issue, and that is that it's far more likely that any rise in global temperatures, if they're real, are most likely a natural occurrence, and we might want to think of some long-term plans for how to deal with it. If it's going to affect growing seasons, we might figure out how to take advantage of that for increasing food production. If it's going to affect sea levels, we may want to deal with cities like New Orleans that are built below sea level, etc.
The point is, if we let the left own an issue, they'll use it as a way to propel the progressive agenda. Newt's intention was to get us into the discussion as a way to cut the legs out from the left.
(Of course, the nancy pelosi image was NOT the best way to get that point across)
And if Gingrich felt more along the lines of "The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help," he'd probably find himself with a lot more support.
My college age son pays his tuition, works full time, and is starting his own production company with his college mates! He started working and earning his own money at the age of 8, pumping gas, detailing cars, sweeping up…He still had time for comics and football. He tells me how at the university those OWS clowns are all over he campus with their hate speech, he just yells back at them… GET A JOB!! On his way to one of his many endeavors.
I myself am schizophrenic on Newt. He is a conservative hero at the debates. The only one who can successfully rebute the liberal media.
Yet, his "King of Bain" video was a far left hit piece worthy of Micheal Moore.
Four Pinocchios from the Wash post…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/...
Oh, I get ya', Sub, but, if it's illegal to hire them in the private sector do you think schools would hire them? I know SEIU doesn't care but, there would be some huge backlash from the public if they found out illegal aliens were working in public schools! Do you know of any evidence of this?
Like I said, illegal aliens are another subject and it's a debate, with some time limitations and I think Newt said what he had to say within those constraints.
I had the same sense. Why other candidates are afraid to be passionate is beyond me. Newt is back to his old form. He has found his inner Reagan. This election is supposed to be about who we are as a nation – a prosperous constitutional republic or a mediocre European socialist country.
In EVERY GOP debate, gingrich has knocked AT LEAST ONE out of the park – and usually several. NOBODY can beat him in a debate, nobody is better prepared, nobody speaks more clearly and effectively, nobody has a better understanding of the issues and nobody has better knowledge of history. The debate between OBOZO and gingrich will be historic in its one-sidedness and newt will show OBOZO for all that he is: a massively arrogant, pompous, insubstantial, boorish, incompetent, rude and nasty clown.
Trust, but verify.
I sure hope, after last night,,……
enough Americans start to realize that,……..
Newt is the answer.
Glad to see someone take on Juan Williams. It is an easy way out for Juan to take this route, but it quickly backfired on him when he tried to push Newt. Newt is a very smart man and Juan has no match… Great answers Newt.
He may be a decent fellow on a personal level, but he's a Liberal through and through.
Mindless talking points focused on false accusations of racism, anti-capitalism, and always promoting more government as the solution to everything. An of course, he's an economic illiterate.
Guess he did not learn his lesson from NPR firing. Can't teach an old Donkey new tricks.
The unions are behind the push to legalize the illegals as are those on the right. Unfortunately the illegals have infiltrated the trade unions, the only trade union that seems to protect the jobs of their workers is the electricians unions.
I dont have any evidence other than what I see myself in the building trades. The odds are probably pretty good if they have infiltrated the food service industry, the trade unions, the hospitality industry, there is a good chance there are illegal alien janitors, whether or not they are employed in a government funded capacity is anyone's guess. If they are prevalent among government contractors, it is probably a safe assumption they may very well be employed in certain government funded operations.
After all, there is an army of lawyers out there making it all possible
When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Would that Newt would realize that one stands on principles, and espouses those principles. He needs to get his act out of the dirt throwing gutter and get back to first principles of good governance; limited Constitutional government, fiscal responsibility, free markets and individual liberty. Wait! Where have I heard that before? Could it be (GASP) the evil Tea Parties? Oh no, say it ain't so!
Juan is an embarrassment to thinking. How anyone pays that man millions to talk stupidly only shows how FOX News is run by morons anymore.
I do not watch much as I used to. I will not watch these debates and could care less about what "journalist" think about anything.
FOX is becoming just another elitist liberal news outlet. They will lose and still not get the respect from the liberal establishment.
With people like the racist Juan, Holmes and Shep on the air, FOX news is becirrelevantelvant.
Depending on the results, I expect Perry to drop out. It wouldn't surprise me to see Santorum continue and I could see a convention where Gingrich and Santorum come together as a ticket with their vote totals together beat Romney.
However, Obama will only agree to a very limited debate with strict rules, hosted by ABC/CBS/NBC, who will protect and promote him every step of the way.
It's a nice fantasy believing Obama will go mano a mano against Newt, but it will never happen.
That's not a bad tack to take. Executive order requiring a yearly audit of the Fed which would force Congress to action, one way or another. Simple, direct method to "out" those that do/do not oppose the current Fed system.
Good valor for Newt
However his putting out the talking points, especially in a format where a response is required, provided the opportunity to display their absurdity on national television. Even a clueless lemming could see the difference provided by Newt's well reasoned, racially neutral, and income neutral response.
Newt Gingrich to Juan Williams: You appear to suffer from CRIS (Cranial-Rectal Inversion Syndrome), allow me to apply the correction needed to pull your head out so you can see the light!
Getting a little dry? I think it's more like a cow patty that's been sitting out for too long in the Texas plains!
The times have changed. I say, distrust, and then verify.
You're right, I thought I was in tall cotton! Candy bars were 10 cents then (and twice as big as now). Next I sold the 'Grit' newspaper door to door, and then vegetable seeds. At 11 I started picking berrys at a $1 a flat, strawberries and rasberries.(thought the world was coming to an end when Levi 501's got up to $11!) 14 and 15 helped my Dad logging some, and 16 started in a country grocery store at $2.35 an hour and stayed till I graduated HS. It wasnt till many years later, that thanks to smart people of the Juan Williams ilk that I found out just how 'victimized' I was….that evil private sector taught me how fend for myself! The horror!
I felt sorry for Juan in that exchange. He is a liberal, but he is one of the few tolerable ones. He is usually very reasonable in his liberal comments. I was surprised at his line of questionning last night. It did not match my experience with Juan. He is normally a more reasonable person on race matters. Perhaps, he was trying to make a splash at Gingrich's expense. If so, it blew up in his face.
See,that's IT right there!Next will be the big fold,capitulation,mea culpa,and absolute asshanding back to Newt from the dhimms,mark my words.I'm still not over newt vs clinton.There was no second to second internet coverage at the time,like now,though I searched endlessly over days,on a 14.4kbs modem and the Spry Mosaic browser,on a 486 system.
He has a job on Fox representing the liberal viewpoint. He can't be criticized for that. Doing his job. If he agreed with either you or me they'd have to fire him and find another liberal.
Most of the TV liberal talking heads are obnoxious. Keith Olberman, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Alan Combs, etc… Williams is always polite.
I don't very often find myself agreeing with him on anything but he's a very sweet and good natured TV presence. In fact that's why PBS got into so much trouble when they fired him. He was always a liberal voice so when they dumped him for ideological reasons they looked like fools – nasty fools.
"Newt can out debate Obama, based solely on Obama's record, or lack thereof."
Yeah, I'm…..ah…..NOT very "trusting" when it comes to politics. I take everything as a negative, until I can prove the positive. At least to some degree. When it comes to Newt, he can go off on some intellectual tangents from time to time, but when I want to evaluate him, I go straight to his actual accomplishments. If he didn't come through with a majority of his best ideas, I'd drop him like a hot rock. Truth is, though, that he's been pretty effective in enacting a lot of good changes. That's where I grade him.
As for his ability to out debate obama, it's more than just obama's record (or lack thereof), it's that Newt can recite chapter and verse of American constitutionalism in ways that no other candidate can do.
So I look at this from a political perspective. Imagining a presidential race between barack and Newt, we will FORCE a debate between constitutionalism and socialism. What comes out of that will be Newt wildly defending the Constitution in order to defeat obama. THAT is what will become the "mandate," if in fact he can win in the general election.
And once we can define Newt within the argument for constitutionally restricted government, he'll have almost no choice but to follow through on the mandate we've sent him up with. After that, it's all about us; pressuring everyone from our representatives and senators, to our community action committees, that we will not put up with pressures on our liberty.
That is how I see the the coming political argument coming down.
It DOESN'T. He's pushing a new GOVERNMENT JOBS PROGRAM.
Sounds too much like Obama's National Service Corps repackaged…
Bottom line Juan, we as a nation are sick of devisive politics. The nation as a whole is in a mess, we know who caused it and we are tired of being told that because we can identify who the culprit is that we are racist. We are not racist, we are educated.
Newt is full-on in spin mode, and the Newt supporters are either completely ignorant of the policy positions Newt has articulated in the past OR are enabling his lies about his position.
One speech does not erase an entire history of support for TARP, lobbying, and other forms of crony capitalism; support for CARBON taxes; and support for Obamacare and the individual mandate. It is ALL an act. Please don't allow yourself to be hoodwinked.
Newt's economic program is a GOVERNMENT JOBS PROGRAM, and sounds way too similar to Obama's civilian service corps. Moreover, Newt's rhetoric in the last quote on "owning the job" sounds very suspicious coming from someone confirmed to be a Progressive.
I'm sorry that you've had bad buisness deals with Mormons in the past, but as one I like to say that lying, cheating, or misleading anyone is against our beliefs. Please don't take Romney as an example of Mormons as a whole. I personally agree with you and won't vote for him even if he's the only one. I don't like him, his lies, or his flip flops. If there was a way to bring Regan back I would in a second, we need a real conservative and lover of the Republic to get us forward. And we also arn't a cult, really don't understand why people keep saying that. I beleive in Jesus and that he's our only savior. If people are going to attack Romney do it cause of his policies and history, not cause of his religion. Not saying you did Cowboy, but many others on this forum have.
Newt needs to train Romney.
That is what is referred to as, having your hat handed to you… Juan-mo-time-Williams got part of what he deserves.
Why? What is a "jobs program" about using money spent on union scale janitors to teach kids the value of money and a work ethic? I actually attended, for 3 years, a school that did precisely that. For most, it was the first job they ever had that earned them a dime. There were teacher's assistants, janitors, groundskeepers, maintenance crew, etc, at high school age. It was the best part of the whole education, in my book.
Great article!!!!!!!!!!
Thats the Newt I want to see running for President!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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