Gingrich hits the panic button

Posted: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 3:17 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Congress, Republicans

From NBC's Mark Murray
Former GOP Speaker Newt Gingrich sounds the alarm after Republicans lost a second-straight special election in a GOP-held seat. "The Republican loss in the special election for Louisiana's Sixth Congressional District last Saturday should be a sharp wake up call for Republicans: Either Congressional Republicans are going to chart a bold course of real change or they are going to suffer decisive losses this November."

"The facts are clear and compelling. Saturday's loss was in a district that President Bush carried by 19 percentage points in 2004 and that the Republicans have held since 1975. This defeat follows on the loss of Speaker Hastert's seat in Illinois. That seat had been held by a Republican for 76 years with the single exception of the 1974 Watergate election when the Democrats held it for one term. That same seat had been carried by President Bush 55-44% in 2004."

Gingrich offers some suggestions for the GOP leadership -- like repealing the gas tax and paying for it by cutting discretionary spending; overhauling the Census Bureau (?); establishing a one-year moratorium on earmarks; and making English the official language of the US government -- and he concludes:

"No Republicans should kid themselves. It's time to face up to a stark choice. Without change we could face a catastrophic election this fall. Without change the Republican Party in the House could revert to the permanent minority status it had from 1930 to 1994... It's time for real change to avoid a real disaster."

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Comments

Overhauling the Census Bureau?! Finally, that smoldering hot-button topic has a champion. My friends and I sit around talking how the Census Bureau is ruining American - getting us involved in costly foreign wars, giving breaks to pharmacutical companies and all of that. We've often thought of protesting at the Census Bureau, but we could never find it (sneaky bastards.) And we always lie when they come to our doors (I pretend I'm an Asian woman with Scottish parents and that I'm part of a cult.)

What is he talking about? Put out the pipe?

At least he's right on with two solid, non-pandering issues, that will really help us out of a recession - English first and the gas tax! Doh. That's a fraud too.

Obama really is the only one who will talk to us like adults... I just hope there are still enough adults out there.

Kevin, Austin Texas (Sent Tuesday, May 06, 2008 4:23 PM)

So Gingrich's solution is to continue playing divisive politics and to offer empty promises.

Even Gingrich doesn't get it.

a voice of reason (Sent Tuesday, May 06, 2008 4:25 PM)

These victories for Democrats clearly are due the insurgence generated by Barack Obama. SD should be taking note. Support Obama and good things will happen for Democrats.
I am maxed out on Obama for the primaries, but only when he is the nominee will I give a penny to any other Democrat as I did frequently in 2006.

Jerry, PA (Sent Tuesday, May 06, 2008 4:27 PM)

ummm.... were those two Dem candidates backing Obama?

Obama, the GOP worst nightmare!

Obama '08!

Karen, NYC (Sent Tuesday, May 06, 2008 4:29 PM)

Hey Newt!!!! We've already HAD our "Disaster"...

and its calledd "The GW Bush Years"!

Jorge UU Boosh (Sent Tuesday, May 06, 2008 4:29 PM)

Could it be that the district didn't like the job that this guy was doing? Was he not bringing enough money back the district?

Some of the items that Gingrich called for are just plain silly. The repeal of the gasoline tax is wrong, and most experts think so because there is no way to make up the money that would be missing from that tax. To think that you could make it up with cutting money from other places is just a dream.

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ (Sent Tuesday, May 06, 2008 4:31 PM)

ho wabout republicans first abandoning "trickle down so are friends get wealthy (er) economics. Back off on trying to tell what people what their morals should be and stop spending so much damn money on the military start spending it on education.

The unsilent majority (Sent Tuesday, May 06, 2008 4:33 PM)

Newt is willing to admit that the Republicans are going to get spanked in the fall...however, his ideas for solutions aren't going to help.

There's a reason the Republicans have almost always been in the minority and why they will be there again soon.

Geoffrey Smith, Clovis, CA (Sent Tuesday, May 06, 2008 4:38 PM)

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