The Gingrich Who Stole Christmas

Notes of Concern…
…Jack Blair


The Gingrich Who Stole Christmas

Many years ago a young Newt Gingrich captured America’s attention with his “Contract for America.” He was a dynamic young congressman from a southern state who had managed to group his colleagues under a new banner and enthusiastically appeal to the changes Americans seemed to want.

Not only did Congressman Gingrich have a good gift of gab but he was clearly quite smart. Intellectually, his command of the issues and ability to express his ideas made him a media darling. He looked smart and sincere. He sounded smart and bold.

We all know that the revolution in Washington that occurred at that time was both historical and a launching pad for Gingrich’s ambitions.

He was Speaker of the House. He loved the job.

And then it all came crashing down when we learned he might have been very smart intellectually but was devoid of common sense. While he attacked President Clinton for moral foibles Gingrich was engaged in his own tryst. The most that can be said for both these fellows would be that they were not deserving of trust. The worst that could be said, well, you know what that would be.

Gingrich disappointed many. He let down his supporters. He failed to live up to his resume. Like the Grinch, he stole “Christmas” from us in that the architect of taking back our country turned out to be, well, a hypocrite.

After a tour in the dessert, like Moses, Gingrich returned to reclaim leadership. As I have said so often in my columns, Americans are a forgiving people. The best example is the continued popularity of William Jefferson Clinton. So I was not surprised that Newt was on the come back trail.

Actually, I did not expect him to win his party’s nomination or to become president but I did think a well organized and executed campaign would elevate him to the list of “cabinet potential” Republicans and that if a Republican defeated President Obama Newt might well find himself in a major policy making role.

However, a lack of common sense has sunk more than one man’s boat and the “old Newt” reappeared. I am not referring here to any moral deficiencies but rather to a sense of hubris or entitlement that alienated his own presidential staff. Whatever he said or whatever he did almost all of them jumped ship. I cannot imagine what it would take to get a large number of people who signed on with your campaign and believed in what you were saying to take a hike en masse. But that is what they did.

No matter what Gingrich says and no matter what the press might write, he is done as a serious presidential candidate.

Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice, shame on me.

Newt better dust off whatever other skills he has because he is going nowhere politically.