Overview for newt-gingrich

Romney's Worst Debate

Tuesday was a bad night for Mitt Romney, maybe the very worst of any of these debates. It started badly with the joke about Mitt being his real first name, when it was not--and ended badly with a weak answer about "unexpected threats" that did not play at all to Romney's strengths on international …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday November 22, 2011

That's a Lot of History!

It wasn't $300,000 that Freddie Mac paid Gingrich for his work supposedly as a non-lobbyist " historian ." It was between $1.6 million and $1.8 million. Gingrich says that all he did for that money was tell Freddie that their business model was "insane." Anybody find that believeable?

Written by David Frum on Wednesday November 16, 2011

How Gingrich (Literally) Cleaned Up Congress

Newt Gingrich’s surge in the polls raises at least an outside chance that the former House Speaker is going to end up topping the GOP ticket next November. Nobody disputes that Gingrich is very smart and a good debater. He also has the sort of high-level political experience (including foreign …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Tuesday November 15, 2011

Admit it, it Could be Newt

I note with smug satisfaction the growing buzz for Newt Gingrich. For months now, I’ve felt like the Prophet Jeremiah, prophesying destruction to people who won't listen or believe me. Yes, Newt has a staggering number of very ugly skeletons in his closet. Yes, his campaign stumbled badly out of …

Written by Jamie McFadden on Friday November 11, 2011

Freddie Mac Didn't Pay $300K for History Lectures

In the obsequies over the Perry candidacy, let's not overlook this audacious moment from the debate: Newt Gingrich's breathtaking assertion that Freddie Mac paid him $300,000 for a lecture he gave "as a historian" about how they should forthwith cease their business practices. Turns out, that's …

Written by David Frum on Thursday November 10, 2011

What if the Cain Story Came from...Gingrich!

After watching the Herman Cain-Newt Gingrich debate last night, I got to thinking (as I'm sure you did as well): What would Agatha Christie's great detective, Hercule Poirot, think of the last week in news, and the Mystery of Who Tipped Off the Cain Story? What follows is what I think he would …

Written by Thomas J. Marier on Sunday November 6, 2011

Mitt Romney: Constitutionalist

On the Las Vegas stage, Anderson Cooper asked the candidates about the role of faith generally and then specifically to the disparaging comments about Romney's Mormonism by the pastor who introduced Rick Perry at the Values Voters Summit. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich used the opportunity to …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday October 19, 2011

The Jerk Party

I’m not the first to make this comment , but the current debt limit debate shows what the Tea Party movement (which I once basically supported) really values: being a jerk. Speaker Boehner has a close-to-perfect voting record on conservative issues, is not terribly warm in person (heck, Newt …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Friday July 29, 2011

Newt Stays Sane on the Balanced Budget Amendment

Newt Gingrich's campaign may be struggling, but he is staking a surprisingly smart position on the Balanced Budget Amendment. As the debt ceiling talks drag on, many Republicans are suggesting a new condition for raising the amount that the federal government can borrow: the passage of a …

Written by Ajay Ravichandran on Friday July 15, 2011

Gingrich Was Right About Ryan Plan

The elderly and large numbers of independents oppose the Ryan Plan, meaning GOP presidential hopefuls touting its proposals could be driven out of contention. Americans want the deficit reduced, but they aren’t so keen on Paul Ryan’s medicare plan. A new Bloomberg Poll finds that Americans by …

Written by Jeb Golinkin on Friday June 24, 2011

Gingrich: Good Punditry, Bad Politics

Conservatives cannot recognize that non-conservatives do not share their disdain for President Obama. They are not impressed by the right's overblown criticisms. You know what? That sounds like an interesting speech that Newt Gingrich gave the Maryland Republican party last night. "No …

Written by David Frum on Friday June 24, 2011

"I Knew Ronald Reagan: You're No Reagan, Newt"

Former Reagan campaign staffer Richard V. Allen dismisses Newt Gingrich's claims his faltering presidential bid can be compared to The Gipper's 1980 run. GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich this week attempted to compare his troubled campaign's recent upheavals to those experienced by Ronald …

Written by FrumForum Exclusive on Thursday June 23, 2011

Fanatics' Actions Don't Define U.S. Muslims

Gingrich defended his Muslims-as-Nazis stance by citing a Pakistani American who tried to bomb Times Square. What about the heroic Pakistani American killed on 9/11? On the stage at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire Monday night, Tim Pawlenty offered a definition of religious freedom: "The …

Written by Kapil Komireddi on Wednesday June 15, 2011

Newt's Loss, Perry's Gain

The resignation of Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign staff might turn out to be an epic win for Texas Governor Rick Perry. The big political news on Thursday involved the en masse resignation of Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign staff. It goes without saying that this isn't good news …

Written by Mark R. Yzaguirre on Thursday June 9, 2011

Newt's Implosion

Newt's campaign has collapsed so rapidly, abruptly, and seemingly hopelessly that it seems incredible anybody could ever have thought of his as a serious candidate. The Gingrich campaign has collapsed so rapidly, so abruptly, and so seemingly hopelessly that it seems incredible that anybody could …

Written by David Frum on Thursday June 9, 2011

Where Do GOP Candidates Stand on Ryan's Budget?

In the wake of the NY-26 special election results, which Republican presidential candidates will prove most vulnerable to the challenges that will come with running on the Paul Ryan budget proposal? In the wake of the NY-26 special election results, which Republican presidential candidates will …

Written by Tim Mak on Wednesday May 25, 2011

You Read It First at FrumForum

The Washington Post fact-checks the story about Newt's Tiffany's account and finds it lacking. F F readers though knew it didn't bling true. WaPo fact-checks the story about Newt Gingrich's Tiffany credit card account today and finds it lacking . Or you could have read it on Frum Forum …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 24, 2011

Newt Gets It: Ryan Plan is Toxic to Voters

The trigger for the Journal’s attack on Newt’s long history of overstatement was actually a wise statement: a caution against a huge rework of Medicare. So now we know how to prod the Wall Street Journal into protesting Obama-Hitler comparisons: join those comparisons to a word of criticism of …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 17, 2011

Newt's Challenge: What's His Selling Point?

Conservatives look to character and ideology when picking a president. As Newt Gingrich seeks the GOP nomination, these traditional grounds are unavailable to him. What's the most important quality in a president? Over the past 15 years, conservatives have often emphasized character. The …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday May 11, 2011

Newt Stumbles Out of the Starting Gate

Newt Gingrich's campaign infrastructure was much vaunted in the run up to his announcement this afternoon, but it appears to hobbling at the moment. Newt Gingrich's campaign infrastructure might have been much vaunted in the run up to his presidential campaign announcement this afternoon, but it …

Written by Tim Mak on Wednesday May 11, 2011