Gingrich 2012 Prez Run Now Plausible

Unless or until he announces at some point that he is not running, I am coming out two years early in support of Newt Gingrich for President in 2012. Here is the first of a series of articles regarding this potential Republican hopeful, a true Conservative who, if he really wants it, is the best person for the job in this man's opinion.

Let me first do what some in this business fail to do: Reveal a potential conflict of interest and remind readers that I served as Newt Gingrich's political chairman before and while he was speaker of the House. I've known him 30 years. But those who follow this column, including Gingrich, have not always enjoyed my views on some of his words or actions.


Newt knows I am an independent thinker, and while I'm not on his level of political genius, I might be a bit more in touch with the daily grind that faces most Americans every day.

So what's my take on this week's disclosure from Newt that he might run for president in 2012? First comes an initial, perhaps superficial reaction: Mitt Romney seems more charismatic, better organized and hungrier for the job than any other potential 2012 candidate. Sarah Palin is attractive, also charismatic and an ambitious potential candidate. Even Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is not well known, has a lot of "curb appeal" as a young candidate on the rise.

But I don't discount a Gingrich run. The presidential campaign of 2008 was about style over content. John McCain won GOP the nomination because Mike Huckabee, who shocked the Republicans by winning in Iowa, was viewed as perhaps too socially conservative. Romney seemed stiffer and "slicker" that year. He was too closely aligned with the unpopular George W. Bush camp. The GOP voters went for the image of "the maverick" in John McCain. It didn't work.

As for the Democrats and ultimately the nation, the elegant, charming and oratorically gifted Barack Obama represented a "change" as much in style as in substance. Oh, yes, there ultimately was plenty of substance in the change Obama brought to the nation as president. It just has not been the kind of change that many independent voters who supported him were expecting.

I have seen Newt Gingrich reinvent -- or perhaps better to say, "evolve" -- many times in his career. First, he was the bright new Republican conservative thinker in an overwhelmingly majority Democratic House in the late 1970s and the 1980s. By the early 1990s, he was the bomb-throwing, take-no-prisoners fighter who helped oust Speaker Jim Wright from power. By the mid-1990s, he was still a "revolutionary," but one with a detailed plan of action and a band of Republican "brothers and sisters" in the House willing to follow his lead to a huge 1994 electoral takeover of that chamber.

Then there were the years in the "wilderness," a term once used to describe Winston Churchill after his having led his nation through World War II, only to be later tossed out of power, at least for a while. Gingrich resigned after much internal GOP fighting. Yes, there is always the "he has baggage" argument. But years have passed, and Americans have short memories and forgiving hearts.

Now we see Newt Gingrich the "elder statesman." When Gingrich speaks, not only do cable news, talk radio and conservative popular news and opinion sites take note, so too does the "media establishment" that once ruled the airwaves and print journalism in America.

No, Gingrich will never match a Palin or Romney in a contest of style or youthful appearance. But in 2012, he will be the same age as Ronald Reagan was when he won the presidency for the first time. In that contest, the dashing John Connally and the elegant George H.W. Bush were viewed as the early frontrunners in the GOP race, along with other younger stars like Howard Baker.

Remember how Reagan moved from being viewed as an elder conservative also-ran to frontrunner status. It was one debate held in New Hampshire where the establishment GOP tried to keep Reagan from speaking. "I paid for this microphone," Reagan blasted as the moderator attempted to have him silenced.

And while I often discount the power of debates, it was the CNN/YouTube debate late in 2007 that catapulted Mike Huckabee toward a win in Iowa. And if you really want to reach back in time, I can name several presidential contests in which the debates turned the tide and the outcome of the election.

I can see Gingrich potentially playing roles like these. He is not an unappealing man. His grey hair and the calm manner in which he analyses issues gives those who view him a sense that there is still around at least this one bright, able -- and stable -- statesman. Do you really think any of the Republican contenders -- to say nothing of Barack Obama -- would want to debate Newt Gingrich?

A Gingrich run is more plausible than many think. Depending on an assortment of factors, it could just work for the Republican Party.

WRITTEN BY: Matt Towery at Human Events with the original article available by clicking on the title of this entry

Talent on Loan from God

On issues of politics and culture, there is little doubt that the leading voice of the revolutionary revival in talk radio during the past decade and a half has been one Rush Limbaugh. Michael Harrison, the editor of Talkers Magazine has been quoted: "Before Rush Limbaugh, there was nothing like talk radio. He's been to talk what Elvis was to rock-n-roll. He saved the AM dial..." Former White House aid Karl Rove has said: "He's a leader. If Rush engages on an issue, it give others courage to engage." This year, Rush is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his highly successful "Rush Limbaugh Show", a syndicated radio program which can be found in the Philly area airwaves at The Big Talker, 1210am, every weekday from noon to 3pm. Limbaugh blends an incredible mind with a sharp wit and a sometimes biting, often humorous tongue to spread the conservative gospel to the converted masses (as well as any of the opposition who want to read the true pulse on the other side.) Rush takes on all of the important issues both political and cultural, brings their key points into sharp clarity, and tells you why you should not only agree with him, but should actively engage yourself in supporting these positions. The force of his will as spread through the popularity of his show was no doubt a key ingredient in Republicans taking over the US Congress in 1994 for the first time in 40 years, helping usher in the Newt Gingrich-led 'Republican Revolution', the backbone of which was the 'Contract With America'. Rush also was a huge Bush supporter in 2000, and certainly played a key role in galvanizing the conservative base to get out and vote, helping President Bush to the most narrow win in the history of the American political process involving the Presidency. During breaks, Rush's plugs for the show include his voice announcing that you are listening to the Rush Limbaugh Show, and stating that what you are hearing is "Talent on loan from God!" When he says that, he is not being at all disrespectful, though certainly be a bit boastful (though honest). He is announcing that he has talent, a point supported by his immense popularity and the respect afforded him by leading politicians, pundits, journalists, and other broadcasters. And he is letting us know that this talent was loaned out to him by his God, a fact that we all should embrace about ourselves and our own abilities on a more regular basis. Rush began his career as a Top 40 radio DJ in Pittsburgh during the 1970's, a time when the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers were a Super Bowl-winning powerhouse. Limbaugh became a big Steelers fan then, and remains so to this day. In 1979, Rush set aside the music to become the director of promotions for the Kansas City Royals baseball team during a period when the Royals were one of baseball's top teams (Royals' Hall of Famer George Brett remains one of his best friends.) After five years in KC, Rush moved on to Sacramento, taking over a talk radio job there, and in 1987 the alleged 'Fairness Doctrine' was removed from the radio industry by the FCC. This idiotic piece of junk basically shackled talk radio, saying that in order to express any political views a station had to give equal time to opposing views. With the television industry becoming dominated by politically liberal viewpoints and commentary, the radio restriction was certainly anything but 'fair', and its removal changed the talk radio landscape forever. The Wall Street Journal described it in outstanding terms when they said that "Ronald Reagan tore down the wall (the Fairness Doctrine) and Rush Limbaugh was the first man to proclaim himself liberated from the East Germany of liberal media domination." On August 1st, 1988, Rush moved across country to New York, and began his now-famous self-named radio program on the ABC network. His radio home there at WABC-AM (770 on the NY dials) remains his flagship station two decades later. His listeners have become affectionately known as 'dittoheads', signifying that they agree with Rush on the issues. His style has been said to bounce between "earnest lecturer and political vaudevillian". In his personal life, Rush has often fallen short of being the conservative values man that he talks up on-air. He has been married and divorced three times, has no children, and had to win a very public battle with an addiction to pain killers. He has also had professional controversies, including criticisms received for mocking the effects of Parkinson's disease on actor Michael J. Fox, and on support for Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb as being largely media-created because there was a desire there to see a black quarterback succeed at a high level. But despite personal and professional setbacks and challenges, Limbaugh has never shied away from voicing his valid cultural and political opinion in an honest, straight-forward manner, and he has been a true leader in the conservative movement in the United States. He openly and regularly advocates for conservatism: "We conservatives are unapologetic about our ideals. We believe in individual liberty, limited government, capitalism, the rule of law, faith, a color-blind society and national security. We support school choice, enterprise zones, tax cuts, welfare reform, faith-based initiatives, political speech, homeowner rights and the War on Terrorism." No one articulates the conservative positions more succinctly. Current Republican party candidate for President, John McCain, has been quoted: "I respect Rush Limbaugh." A plain and simple statement that I can easily say that I would echo. Rush Limbaugh most certainly has what he says that he has: talent on loan from God. Give his radio program a listen-to for a week. If you have that courage, I can almost guarantee that you will be hooked, and perhaps, if need be, politically and culturally converted.

Winning the Future With Real Change

Some of the biggest influences on me in recent years have been the ideas and writings of Newt Gingrich. The man is simply the single most eloquent spokesperson for the Conservative cause since Ronald Reagan himself. In fact, blasphemy acknowledged, he may actually be an even stronger advocate for the cause. Three of his books, "To Renew America" (1995), "Winning the Future", and now "Real Change" (2008) are absolute must-reads, particularly "Real Change", which was just released this year and is much more updated in scope and time. Gingrich is a college history professor, historian and novelist who has written outstanding works of living-history fiction on both the Civil War and Pearl Harbor as well. In the concept of 'living history', you take known historical events and people and 'adjust' the facts/results to show 'what might have happened' had certain things gone a different way. In the real world, Gingrich was first elected to Congress from Georgia back in 1978. He was re-elected 10 times, and eventually became the architect of the 'Republican Revolution', which saw the Republican Party take control of Congress in 1994 for the first time in 40 years thanks largely to an effort that he led called the 'Contract With America'. Gingrich became the Speaker of the House, leading numerous Republican challenges to President Bill Clinton's liberal Democratic agenda, and was named by Time magazine as the Person of the Year in 1995. Newt Gingrich is now 65, and may have seen his opportunities to lead the party as a Presidential candidate pass him by, but he remains a leading Conservative activist, thinker, and teacher. In a year when the Democratic nominee, Barrack Obama, talks incessantly about "change" to a taxing, weakening, liberal agenda, 'Real Change' is well worth your reading time, and in future Blog entries I am going to talk about some of the particular ideas that it puts forth on various topics of importance to our families and to the nation.