I find Newt's claim to be a "Reagan conservative" more than problematic. I turned 40 in the middle of the Reagan years. In 1987, Reagan vetoed the Fairness in Broadcasting Act of 1987, a bill co-sponsored by Newt. After Reagan vetoed the bill, Newt joined an effort to over-ride the veto. Newt, a conservative? Yes, of course. A Reagan conservative? Not really.
In a related article written by one who was a part of the Reagan Administration, we have this testimony, setting the record straight in more exacting terms: http://www.creators.com/opinion/mark-shields/newt-rewrites-his-reagan-connection.html
And, there is my article here: http://meetsarahpalin.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-case-against-newt-i-announced-my.html
The point? Newt's claim to being a Reagan conservative is not accurate. I hasten to add that despite his "journey off the reservation" from time to time, his four-plus years as Speaker, were all about a marked conservatism that is without debate.
Here are eight points that were foundational to his "contract with America." You cannot review them without realizing Newt's conservative heart. "Reagan" is a buzz word. Newt was a young, conservative Representative during the Reagan days, with no more claim to the 16 million Reagan jobs created and the defeat of the Soviet Union than I; we were both "there" and that seems to be Newt's only reason for making the claim.
But look at his "contract with America" ----
It was intended to
But look at his "contract with America" ----
It was intended to
- require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply to Congress;
- select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
- cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
- limit the terms of all committee chairs;
- ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
- require committee meetings to be open to the public;
- require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
- guarantee an honest accounting of the Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting.
The fact of the matter is this: Newt did more for the conservative cause in the 1990's than anyone in this primary contest. Wish he didn't feel the need to embellish the record.
Update: Regardless of what is being said about Newt by me and others, understand that there have been two conservative revolutions . . . . . well, threerevolutions counting the TEA party movement. The first and granddaddy of all, was the Reagan revolution. The second was the Gingrich revolution in the 1990's. And now, we have the TEA party grassroots revolution.
I do not understand why Gingrich does not run solely on his own merits. He is clearly attaching himself to Reagan's successes, specifically the fall of the Soviet Union and the creation of 16 million jobs during the Reagan years. While he was there, during the Reagan time, his vision of conservatism was different from that of Reagan's. He believed that Reagan's Soviet strategy was a failed strategy and was quite vocal in his opposition, BUT, he was a conservative, nonetheless. Reagan did not need the freshman congressman, Newt Gingrich, to make his points and run his conservative agenda. Did Newt help draft Reagan's speech or help chart his campaigns for president? Was it Newt's vision that brought the Kipper into the foreground? "No" to all of the above.
Newt should run on his own big government conservative agenda and stop with the "It was me and Ronnie" crap. That would be much closer to the truth.
Update: Regardless of what is being said about Newt by me and others, understand that there have been two conservative revolutions . . . . . well, threerevolutions counting the TEA party movement. The first and granddaddy of all, was the Reagan revolution. The second was the Gingrich revolution in the 1990's. And now, we have the TEA party grassroots revolution.
I do not understand why Gingrich does not run solely on his own merits. He is clearly attaching himself to Reagan's successes, specifically the fall of the Soviet Union and the creation of 16 million jobs during the Reagan years. While he was there, during the Reagan time, his vision of conservatism was different from that of Reagan's. He believed that Reagan's Soviet strategy was a failed strategy and was quite vocal in his opposition, BUT, he was a conservative, nonetheless. Reagan did not need the freshman congressman, Newt Gingrich, to make his points and run his conservative agenda. Did Newt help draft Reagan's speech or help chart his campaigns for president? Was it Newt's vision that brought the Kipper into the foreground? "No" to all of the above.
Newt should run on his own big government conservative agenda and stop with the "It was me and Ronnie" crap. That would be much closer to the truth.