The GOP would be smart to listen to Newt. He was a bit nutty as speaker, but his post-House agenda and commentary has been consistently pretty damn smart.
I didn't even notice that thread. I met Woody Jenkins, he's a genuinely good guy, and seemed really honest. No clue about the Blue Dog that beat him, but it's a shame to me that Woody didn't get it. (Of course, being a good guy and honest doesn't get you far in Louisiana.)
This is what scares me about November. If the Dems blast the GOP in congressional elections, I'm very concerned about handing them the White House too.
and then the US will lean far far left. whatever happened to balance? the repubs would have been in better shape had they not run the country according to "its my way or the highway" during this administration. then they could actually spread the blame around. but now its squarely on their shoulders. good luck this november repubs.
I hope the Dems learned a lesson from the Republicans and use moderation when they take control! Oh and competency is a must!
I don't think Republicans failed in their leadership over the past eight years because of a lack of moderation.
Hilarious. One of the prime architects of the current GOP groupthink is now saying the path to electoral glory depends on: 1. A gimmick that is not supported by one economist. 2. Robbing our emergency supply of fuel for short-term political gain. 3. Declaring energy prices a product of politicians when everyone suspects that already... and where were Republicans when the politicians were creating this? Oh, silly me... stupid question. 4. Earmarks. Hah, good luck. Every Republican Congressman is going to do their damndest to bring the bacon back home because they can't run on national issues. Not to mention the trajectory of earmarks during the Repub rule and how they were used as political bludgeons. 5. The Census. Are you kidding me? War and economy playing out against a background of constitutional issues and civil liberties and one of Newt's top priorities is reforming the Census Bureau? This guy is out of touch. 6. A space-based, GPS-style air traffic control system. See #5. And I wonder if he's lobbying for any firm that stands a good chance of getting that contract. 7. English. Please do. Repubs really need to lose more of the hispanic vote, not to mention the Tex-Mex vote. Mmmm cheesy enchiladas with refritos. 8. Union elections... yet another bogeyman from the far right and really, this issue is one of the top nine that will pull Repubs out of one of the deepest holes in modern political history? I don't see it. 9. Judges. Well, that shores up the base, but beyond that, I don't see how to make this an issue unless Repubs resort to an "anti" campaign, which Newt says he's against in the earlier paragraphs. Newt is just pathetic.
Well said. These were my thoughts as well. It seems like all repubs do lately is try to direct people's attention away from their massive and undeniable failures. Newt is a textbook example of this in his own life.
That wasn't really the point of the letter, but I want to address this. This is coming directly from complaints from small business owners. The Census Bureau has become another horribly bloated, ineffective bureaucracy. The Census Bureau doesn't just count people anymore, they take surveys on all sorts of things, and then attempt to sell the data for cheaper than it could be obtained by free market survey companes. And they generally do an awful job. Small business owners have bought Census Bureau data, mostly because the Census Bureau is supposed to be reliable, and found out after the fact that it was horribly inaccurate and they've wasted their money. It's a scam, and one paid for by our tax dollars. It needs reform.
Man I hope the Republicans are desperate enough to follow Newt's lead because that is about the most tone deaf list of policy proposals I have ever seen. Not a word about weeding out corruption in the party? The Republicans best bet of appealing beyond the non-wingnut base is a massive high profile show of becoming the squeaky clean party and trying to paint the Democrats as typical corrupt politicians. Not that the Republican would actually substantively change, that's impossible given the party's make up. But they could put on a good show.
totally agree...I have some family that work for the Census Bureau in Maryland (although they refer to it as the "senseless"). Bloated is a perfect word to describe it. I think Newt raises a good point in the article. The fact is that many Americans believe the Democratic Party is better equipped to lead the nation, and I think that number is growing. Regardless of why, the Republicans need to recognize that perception exists and work to change it. I think voters are looking for more than just an "Anti-whoever the democrat is" campaign. People need to know why they should vote for a republican, not why they shouldn't vote for the democrat. I want to hear my party tell me why candidate is the best candidate for the job, not why Obama or Hillary isn't.
Complaining about the census beureau after creating the DHS seems like a really hypocritical approach for the republicans. DHS is 100x the wasteful beureaucratic nonsense of the census people.
I agree. They should listen to him on this, because I think he's right. Happily for my Democratic Party, I doubt that the GOP will. Impeach Bush.
Newt lost any credibility he had left when he jumped on the "man made global warming" bandwagon with that stupid TV ad he did with Pelosi. Thanks to Al Gore and his cronies, we now have a worldwide food crisis on our hands. Here's an idea for the GOP if they wanna become relevant again: STICK TO YOUR DAMN CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES!!! That's why your voters are abandoning you. It ain't because the country is shifting leftward(despite what the media would love everyone to believe). This means you try to stop illegal immigration instead of supporting amnesty bills. You limit government spending instead of increasing it. You don't let Ted Kennedy write the education bill. You force the Dems' hands on drilling in ANWR, using coal, and building nuclear plants and refineries. And you force a debate on this global warming nonsense once and for all. The problem is there is no leadership whatsoever in the GOP. Bush was never a leader, and he certainly can't become one now. Newt is ancient history. McCain is busy running for President and seems to have it in for his own party. The House and Senate minority leaders are nowhere to be found. Maybe heavy losses this fall are for the best. Let the Dems run D.C. into the ground(their leadership is just as big of a joke). Let Obama be the disaster-in-the-making that he is. And clean up in 2010 and 2012.
Yep, this is the recipe for winning... become more conservative, global warming is nonsense, get tougher on immigration, and try to put the toothpaste of fiscal irresponsibility back in the tube. Good luck with that.
