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Subscribe to RSSNewt Gingrich has taken some heat in the past 48 hours from conservatives for his comments on Meet the Press on Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) fiscal plan.
But Gingrich's camp isn't backing away. Gingrich spokesman Rick Tyler told First Read that Gingrich, who is seeking the Republican 2012 nomination for president, was "inartful" in his response to NBC's David Gregory on Meet the Press. But Tyler noted that Ryan's plan was "absent a political plan."
And he said that Gingrich will likely "help Republicans design a Medicare reform plan that Americans support."
"Newt had an inartful phrase in answer to a specific question by David Gregory," Tyler said in a phone interview. "The leader who designed the campaign to bring Republicans into power after 40 years, the person who designed the political strategy to implement welfare reform with a liberal Democratic president, with half the Democratic caucus voting for it, and who designed the strategy to get to a balanced budget, when that person, with that large-scale change achievements, offers you advice, I’d take it.
"A large-scale policy absent a political plan is a nice idea on a piece of paper. I’d like to see Newt Gingrich help Republicans design a Medicare reform plan that Americans can support.”
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In-artful answer?
Seriously? Last time I checked it was called a BLUNDER!
Regular readers know, I'm NO fan of Gotcha Gregory although, in this case the responsibility clearly falls on Newt's inability to keep his stories straight!
Darn and blast those inartful responses. Apparently he is as eloquent as he is loyal.
Yep feisty, I agree.......he did pull an Obama! lol!
It appears there is a Republican 12th commandment to the 11th commandment (the 11th not to "criticize their own"). Newt is not in trouble with the GOP/TPers for morals, ethics, shopping sprees for bling, but for publicly criticizing Ryan Hood's arse-backward plan to take from the poor and give to the rich. Sure, most Republicans dislike Ryan's extreme-right social engineering too, but that's beside to the point. Any infighting is to be done secretly within the Party, and not aired in public.
Except...when a presidential hopeful, in this case Rick Santorum criticized John McCain, saying McCain doesn't understand how "enhanced interrogation works." John McCain who was tortured as a POW, does not know how interrogation works, but Rick Sanctimonious Santorum does!? No apologies coming from Rick Santorum--No because it's okay to criticize "their own" when the fellow Republican does not stick to the right-wing propaganda and FOX/Hate Radio talking points.
The GOP/TP playbook is more complex than I thought. I'd be impressed if it wasn't so disgusting.
Newt the new 'Artful Dodger'.
This is who many conservatives consider to be the 'Ideas Man'. I think he has a touch of dementia, he's not all there.
In-artful answer?
You know the straightfoward kind of answer that makes it clear as to what you think.
I'd give more leeway to politicians if they spoke their minds more often instead of constantly spouting talking points.
I'm sick of sound bites; I want some truth, regardless of how inartful - or callow - it might be.
A rare moment of truth telling from Newt Gingrich ends up deep sixing his presidential hopes. Blame the so-called "liberal media" for asking the questions rather than the honest answers he, himself, gave.
How about Mitt Romney having to back-pedal on Massachusetts' health care plan because its similarity to Obama's HCR is more than GOP leadership can handle?
In blasing Ryan's plan, Gingrich got it right. For once.
newts plane landed at the airport of reality,The ryan plan is more of the same beatup the little guy.THE ONLY REASON the republicans want less government is because the well-to-do dont want to pay their fair share of taxes.they say let business police itself,well all we need to do is look at the gulf oil spill.BP put profits before personnel,it took thePrez to twist 20 billion out of them to save the fishing&tourist industries.They want to privatize medi-care and caid into market driven entities.Well just remember if social security had been done like that,people that worked all their lives would have lost it all in the stock market equity crash.
Did he come up with a Plan to pay Tiffany's?
Yup! Calista's going to be working it off! *wink wink*
Actually, I thought the single payer system Obama proposed was a good plan the country could get behind until the GOP made it was sound like it formulated by the devil and staffed with Death Panel members out of the movie Soylent Green.
Although single-payer would be cheaper for the everyone and the government and provide more folks better medical care, it is socialism so it just has to be evil.
Full disclosure: I'm only pissed off about HCR because I wasn't hired on to drive a people-scooping riot truck, Ira.
Newt knows he will in no way win the 2012 Republican nomination for President. However, he has a very good chance of becoming a running mate. If Joe Biden can be 'straightened-up' so can Newt. He would be a very effective Congressional negotiator; much like Joe.
Looking at the statements in this article, it sounds like Mr. Tyler is talking about something called...
...COMPROMISE!!!
Apparently these folks did not get the memo from the Tea Partiers...compromise is not allowed. They want "True Believers".
Shhhhhhhh. You said the "C" word.
....crapshoot?
So how are things going for old "Nutty Newt" at the Alzheimer's Wing of the Mental Hospital?? Now it is called artful for an answer. It still sounds very pitiful to most of America.
He's only "nutty" in that he believes there're still Republicans who are serious about solving the nation's problems in a bipartisan way. He's only "nutty" in that he doesn't fall in line with the Tea Party rhetoric. I say, good for him.
"A large-scale policy absent a political plan is a nice idea on a piece of paper. I’d like to see Newt Gingrich help Republicans design a Medicare reform plan that Americans can support.”
They had a plan, they voted for it to a man, then they patted themselves on the back for making the tough choice of preserving tax breaks for billionaires and oil companies, and transferring tax payer funds directly into the pockets of insurance executives, while telling people 55 and under they will receive a voucher and they will be (get this) empowered to battle it out with insurance companies for the best deal which then causes the free market to reform medicare into a solvent well oiled machine. When they were done patting each other on the back they went home and did the old "how do you like me now " town halls. We all know how that went it was a disaster, even Newt is on the right side of the 80-20 split on this issue. He just trashed their plan, and now he says he can fix their plan. Come on Newt you can do it, tell the republican party where they went wrong on this thing, I can't wait to hear whats next. Hey Newt here is an idea for you copy Romney's and Obama's plan add a public option say you thought of it, call it anything but Obama-care, and you will be the hero. But maybe a monkey (wearing a tiara from Tiffany's) will jump out of your ass and dance a jig, while you fornicate to the National Anthem, that would not surprise us at this point.
I can belch most of "Texas, Our Texas." Do I win anything now? State comptroller, maybe?
Thank you Mr. comptroller for that beautiful rendition of "Texas, Our Texas". You have the job until Donald Trump fires you.
What if? Could Newt the Gingrich change the conversation towards something that could lead to a solution for Medicare? I have been hoping that somebody from the Rightwingistan would be the first to stand up against what their party has come to represent.
One can only dream.
Even if it's a pipe dream.
Nobody told Newt Gingrich that he is supposed to attack Obama, not one of our own heroes -- Ryan of Wisconsin. The budget is the big -- the only -- issue worth discussing right now. What do we do about 14 trillion dollars of shortfall? Maybe no one has the answer...one that will pass both Houses...but I think Ryan deserves to try his suggestions, and see if they might be good for the United States. Is Michele Bachmann working on any solutions to the budget shortfall? No. Well, maybe she is and I would like to hear from her. Meanwhile, the Golden Rule has some relevance here: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you, Mr. former speaker of the House Gingrich. Further meanwhile: don't raise the ceiling on the deficit, as that is a scheme devised by Satan himself.
Satan probably is a good buddy of the Republican party. The Republicans caused this big steaming pile of dung. Check out what the debt was when George W. Bush stole into office and what the debt was when Barack Obama came into office. Something like a 7 trillion dollars difference. That is some serious change! And then the recession happened! Deeper and deeper into a hole. This hole was largely dug by Bush and the Republicans congress.
Bush was horrible Obama is worse!!!!!Dems had both the House and Senate in 2006 up til 2010 it PROGRESSIVELY got worse. I can't believe how many people really think one party is to blame here. Politics in America is at an all time low both parties people. I know it's more fun to blame everyone else but WE need to wake up VOTERS.
The left used to be center left and the right used to be center right,now we've moved so far left and right there is no meeting in the middle. Good for the politicians BAD for the voters. This is NOT what our forefathers had in mind.
Newt was really nasty in the 1990s, so it's hard to feel sympathy. But I just watched a clip in which a conservative is shaking Newt's hand as if in support, then starts to rip Newt a new hole about cutting Ryan off at the knees. Newt probably deserves a taste of his own medicine, but he never thought the "mean girls" attack would come from his own Party. Welcome to the GOP/TP politics of the 21st century Newt, where the teabaggers will turn on leaders in a heartbeat if those leaders don't pass the daily litmus test. Good luck.
@ time4truth above, enough with the "you're rubber, well I'm glue" fallacious argumentation. The right has moved to the far right, forcing the left to move to the center. That's why Republicans from a decade ago like Newt, or Specter, or Boehner are struggling--they didn't leave the GOP, the GOP/TP left them and went off a cliff.
I don't think we've seen the next President yet. There was alot of progress in 2010 electing people who want to do what is right--not what they need to do to get re-elected. I listened in to Scott Walker on CNBC this :AM. It's refreshing to listen to a guy talk about what is right regardless of how it infuriates the grass hoppers in his state. I think there are alot more people like him who would give up 1 term of thier life to do what is right......
UAW Pleeeeeeeease
The Republicans in my state have the majority and recently passed a healthcare insurance reform bill you would like. The Republicans are banking on increased competition and repealing regulations to drive down the cost of insurance, and get more people insured. Ironically, they are also imposing a $4.00 a month tax to generate funds to insure the sickest Mainers (it's OK to impose a tax if you are a Republican, BTW.)
We will see if the Republican plan works. They have control, the ball is in their court, so let them try their experiment, I say. But, if premiums triple for seniors (as the Democrats argue they will), and rural folks lose their insurance, as it looks like they might, then I want the Republicans to take responsibility for the results. Not say "you shouldn't have let us do that," like they did after the invasion of Iraq. Personally, I am not in favor of market solutions for healthcare, any more than I would be in favor of privatizing the fire department, or the police. Especially when privatizing military supply services under Bush was such a catastrophe.
Amy, I'm not sure a "Maine Republican" really qualifys for a common sense politician. (ie- Is Olympia Snowe really a Republican?) But you are probably right about health Insurance. So many people confuse health insurance with health care costs. We need common sense people who can do something about healthcare costs. ie produce more Doctors, fewer lawyers and for God sake put some form of the patient's pocket book in the negotiation when paying the health care bill. The reason healthcare costs are so high isnt because of insurance it's because the person getting the service doesnt give a crap how much he's being charged---Why should he care he's not paying the bill anyway that's someone elses problem. Adding more free loaders to the system with out increasing the supply of Dr's is just going to drive up the cost further. Obamacare did nothing to address healthcare costs. VOTE FOR COMMONSENSE IN 2012. Our country really needs you.....