Newt Gingrich, outsider?
posted at 4:30 pm on January 22, 2012 by Tina Korbe
This morning, in his appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Newt Gingrich continued to develop a theme he hinted at last night: That he represents neither Washington nor Wall Street, but the American people.
Toward the end of his appearance, Gingrich positioned himself as an outsider candidate, willing to cut spending and take on the establishment, much like, he said, former President Ronald Reagan. It was a tricky move, considering Gingrich’s long-time residency in Washington and his former leadership role in Congress.
“I represent the largest amount of change of any candidate,” he said. “I’m not representing Wall Street or the politicians in Washington.”
Will voters buy it? Given his high unfavorable ratings nationwide, it seems doubtful. Better for GOP voters to face it: None of the remaining contenders are “outsiders.” Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have all spent their careers in politics. Mitt Romney gladly would have, and, at any rate, has run for president long enough to have polished away any raw taint of “outsider” he might once have had. The “outsider” shtick didn’t even work for Rick Perry, who has never been in Washington but who has been a career politician nevertheless.
It’s insulting to voters’ intelligence when these men claim to approach political problems as one unfamiliar with the behind-the-scenes realities of politics would. At the same time, though, it’s a mystery to me why none of them can find a way to turn their “insider” status to their own advantage. Yes, the nation has been in an anti-incumbent mood since at least 2008 and wary of political “insiders” who look to their own advantage ahead of the good of the American people, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want our representatives in Washington to possess the strategic savvy to thwart unwanted legislation and advance desired legislation. Why doesn’t Gingrich (or any one of the others) just say plainly, “I’ve spent enough time in Washington [or politics] to know the ins and outs of business there — but I’ve been out of Washington [or politics] long enough to remember to keep my finger on the pulse of the people. I’ll take XYZ steps to ensure that I’m listening to at least as many ‘ordinary’ Americans outside of Washington as ‘experts’ inside of Washington.” It would come across as a far more honest self-assessment and reassure anxious listeners far more.
Blowback
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I could not care less how the candidates want to label themselves. Insider, outsider or upside-downer. When considering their past experience, it’s up to me to figure out if I trust them to use that experience in a positive way. I view Newt’s “inside” experience to be a plus in his case. And, I don’t see the “outsider” claim that Romney wants to make as being a reliable indicator of anything. Just silly buzz words…
lynncgb on January 22, 2012 at 6:43 PM
Is this the best Mittbots can do? Obama is destroying this country as we speak and we’re supposed to be worried about what happened 30 years ago. Get a fricking’ grip. Romney will NOT challenge Obama in any meaningful way. Do NOT underestimate the power of Newt challenging Obama. His skill in oratory carries a lot of weight (see S.C.). My problem with Mitt, nice man though he may be, is he can’t (or won’t) take the wood to Obama. [I know it, you know it, and C.S. Devin knows it (but he won't admit it)].
second digit on January 22, 2012 at 6:43 PM
Palin has been sending sekrit signals to Newt through the television.
/buydanish
SparkPlug on January 22, 2012 at 6:43 PM
Conspiring about what?
I believe that to be impossible.
Cindy Munford on January 22, 2012 at 6:44 PM
LoL. Romney is the establishment insider.
SparkPlug on January 22, 2012 at 6:45 PM
I’ve left the link 3 times proven that the tax issue was sent to the IRS and not a part of the sanction. Gingrich admits lying.
Now, it’s time for you to prove the corruption by Santorum and Romney.
csdeven on January 22, 2012 at 6:46 PM
Every candidate says they are outsiders. It’s not goign to be a factor for most people.
Our primary is a referendum on ROmney. You ever want the serial flip flopper b/c you think his good looks and bland persoanlity won’t scare the moderates away, or you want somebody else who didn’t implement RomneyCare and still stands by it as a great idea.
Dr. Tesla on January 22, 2012 at 6:48 PM
So corruption has a statute of limitations? You have three candidates who have honored their promise to the public and you’re defending the corrupt Gingrich? Good gravy! You as corrupt as he is!
And BTW, 1997 was not 30 years ago.
csdeven on January 22, 2012 at 6:49 PM
Ack! It’s a conspracy, tinfoil STAT!
And y’all left sheryl and jenfidel off the nutball list.
cozmo on January 22, 2012 at 6:50 PM
You are right. (:
SparkPlug on January 22, 2012 at 6:50 PM
Chew on that scumbags. I’m going to watch football.
csdeven on January 22, 2012 at 6:51 PM
To all of you who keep trying to drag Gingrich’s personal life into the primaries:
HELLO! Haven’t you been paying attention at all?
Newt has explained several times that his tomcatting was caused by working to hard for American and the American people.
Adultery/Patriotism. Synonyms. Didn’t we all learn that in civic class in high school?
Horace on January 22, 2012 at 6:51 PM
Good point, maybe Paul is a secret insider. Which is why the establishment is pulling so hard for him. Good catch, I wouldn’t have seen that one coming.
thirtyandseven on January 22, 2012 at 6:51 PM
Sent equals conviction in your little fluffin’ mind.
Bless your heart.
cozmo on January 22, 2012 at 6:52 PM
Working too hard? Was that a Freudian slip by Horace or a jest?
SparkPlug on January 22, 2012 at 6:53 PM
Chew on what? More of your delusional BS?
Sorry, that’s even less than light popcorn.
And real popcorn is what is needed with the meltdown you are having.
cozmo on January 22, 2012 at 6:54 PM
Insider, Outsider, who give a flip. I want someone who will kick Obama’s fricking “arse,” to borrow a phrase from Palin. From what I’ve seen Paul will complain about the Fed, Santorum about abortion, and Romney will challenge the jovial fellow in the White House, to no avail. Newt, on the other hand, will hand the jovial fellow in the White House his arse. It might not be pretty but it will be better than four more years of the current disaster.
second digit on January 22, 2012 at 6:55 PM
You can’t be a female.
SparkPlug on January 22, 2012 at 6:55 PM
You are exactly right because everyone knows that Palin is too dumb to know how to text on a cell phone.
bgibbs1000 on January 22, 2012 at 6:55 PM
Palin has been sending sekrit signals to Newt through the television.
/buydanish
SparkPlug on January 22, 2012 at 6:43 PM
Hey! Someone else got it, too!
I did an experiment the other night and starting counting her winks.
It was Morse Code, man! Effin’ Morse Code!
“Wink-wink-wink, Wink-wink, Wink…(silent period)…Wink.
Works out to “Vote for Newt!” Amazin’! Great Palin tactic!
Horace on January 22, 2012 at 6:55 PM
Dang, then sense the clue bat knocked into you finally took root.
Hope its not temporary.
cozmo on January 22, 2012 at 6:56 PM
Yep. If you play her blinks backwards is sounds like the Beatles White Album.
SparkPlug on January 22, 2012 at 6:57 PM
SparkPlug
Re: “hard”
I would like to claim it was a great jest, but it was just a slip.
Anyway, good for me!
Horace on January 22, 2012 at 6:58 PM
Of course not. A woman is better than that.
cozmo on January 22, 2012 at 6:59 PM
It gets similarly apoplectic at any perceived slight to Mormonism, so yes, it’s probably religious.
Which is not the same thing as saying “religious” == “unhinged.” A lot of the Romney supporters are Mormon, while still having a grasp on their
spittlesanity.didymus on January 22, 2012 at 7:00 PM
Yep. If you play her blinks backwards is sounds like the Beatles White Album.
SparkPlug on January 22, 2012 at 6:57 PM
HaHaHaHaHa! Good one!
How very “Mansonish” of you to figure that out.
Horace on January 22, 2012 at 7:01 PM
Gingrich is hated by the go-along-to-get-along establishment. That is his outsider credential.
Grames on January 22, 2012 at 7:01 PM
“There’s no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate.
JPeterman on January 22, 2012 at 7:04 PM
Many have observed what you speak of.
SparkPlug on January 22, 2012 at 7:05 PM
Uh, yes, as a matter of fact,corruption (as codified) has a statute of limitations. But setting that aside, whatever lalaland you currently dwell in does not have any relation to reality. And I’m as “corrupt as he is.”? So you now draw conclusions outta your arse? My argument is not that Newt is clean (although I think he is much cleaner than you paint him) but that all politicians are to a lesser or greater degree dirty. Right now, I DON’T CARE. I know that the archangel Gabriel is not running. OBAMA is destroying this country and if re-elected will finish the job. My point has consistently been that Romney will not take the fight to Obama but Gingrich will. Gingrich was not my first choice but I will settle for him if it means Obama will say “adios” in November. If Romney gets the “fire in his belly” (that apparently Fred Thompson did not have last election)then I’ll support him. In fact, I’ll support him in the general even if his belly ain’t on fire ’cause mine is. Still, I don’t see anything that shows me he’ll beat the hell outta Obama. None of your posts have come to grips with that salient point.
second digit on January 22, 2012 at 7:09 PM
“There’s no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate.
JPeterman on January 22, 2012 at 7:04 PM
Good Lord! Validation! Thanks, JP.
I’m starting to think, after supporting Palin, Cain and Bachamnn, I’m going to go with Ron Paul.
He is accurately described in at least four chapters of the DSM-IV.
Now THERE is the REAL outsider! Paul/Cindy Sheehan 2012 Go for the gold!
Horace on January 22, 2012 at 7:11 PM
That’s what they said about FDR, Kennedy and Clinton.
Cindy Munford on January 22, 2012 at 7:11 PM
didymus
He/she/it, csdeven, said he/she/it was Mormon many, many months ago.
Still undetermined is sex.
Oh, and number of sons fighting in the Middle East. Has been fairly narrowed down to somewhere between 7 and 14, but jury still out on that, too.
Horace on January 22, 2012 at 7:15 PM
Cindy Munford
“So he strangles puppies in his spare time? His private life has no bearing on his ability to work with Congress and get things done.”
Yeah, that too.
Horace on January 22, 2012 at 7:17 PM
Strangling puppies is a whole different story.
Cindy Munford on January 22, 2012 at 7:21 PM
Newt screwing around on his wife, I don’t care. Strangling puppies, that’s where I draw the line. No Newt for me. Only puppy breath, soft puppy tummies, and Obama in my future. mmmmhh.
second digit on January 22, 2012 at 7:27 PM
Romney’s supporters are as nuts and as mentally unstable as their candidate, sadly. :-(
Punchenko on January 22, 2012 at 7:29 PM
Is there some confusion about the meaning of various and sundry forms of “bot” as it relates to politics???
A “bot” in this usage would be someone who goes around the internet spreading a candidate’s message. Sometimes they’re paid, sometimes they do it on a volunteer basis, but what they don’t do, is join a forum for years on end and then spend their time conversing on a variety of other subjects. Their function is to spread a message… so that’s what they do.
IOW, long-standing members of a given forum, who (whether they advocate for a particular candidate regularly or not) continue to participate in myriad topics of discussion, are NOT, by definition… “bots”.
Murf76 on January 22, 2012 at 7:31 PM
If you can’t vote for Newt, don’t.
Cindy Munford on January 22, 2012 at 7:33 PM
And you.
cozmo on January 22, 2012 at 7:35 PM
1. Gingrich is not an outsider.
2. Gingrich is not a conservative.
When you understand these two truths, you understand why the majority of conservatives will not vote for this guy.
Please read his books. They are full of progressive policies and just plain kooky ideas.
fight like a girl on January 22, 2012 at 8:32 PM
This post non issue.
Sherman1864 on January 22, 2012 at 8:34 PM
Mitt is on the inside like Gordon Gekko.
SparkPlug on January 22, 2012 at 8:39 PM
Less than Romney, about as much as Rick Santorum, more than Ron Paul.
rukiddingme on January 22, 2012 at 10:09 PM
Gingrich is no outsider. What I think about in regards to the remaining candidates is “Who do you owe?” Gingrich owes no one and he has enough of a chip on his shoulder to tell the establishment to take a hike. Gingrich should make that case:
“Romney already has his ambassadors picked out, I don’t because I don’t owe anybody. Romney is business as usual a moderate that will seek to appeal to the center instead of solutions he’ll pass what he can even if it won’t work. I’m not that type of candidate.”
Theworldisnotenough on January 22, 2012 at 10:31 PM
The guy who helped bring you the Department of Education, NAFTA, GATT, and the World Trade O is an outsider?
Rockshine on January 23, 2012 at 12:44 AM
Gingrich is no outsider. What I think about in regards to the remaining candidates is “Who do you owe?” Gingrich owes no one and he has enough of a chip on his shoulder to tell the establishment to take a hike. Gingrich should make that case:
“Romney already has his ambassadors picked out, I don’t because I don’t owe anybody. Romney is business as usual a moderate that will seek to appeal to the center instead of solutions he’ll pass what he can even if it won’t work. I’m not that type of candidate.”
Theworldisnotenough on January 22, 2012 at 10:31 PM
Gingrich may not owe anyone, but he can be bought by anyone i.e. Freddie Mac, Al Gore, Mexico, Canada, Al Sharpton…etc.
Rockshine on January 23, 2012 at 12:48 AM
This Gingrich movement has to be stopped. I get that it is emotionally satisfying to watch him “slay” the media with those awesome soundbites–I love them as much as the next guy. But lets not kid ourselves–I wholly feel this is a “scratch mine-I’ll scratch yours” relationship, as evidenced by Newts palling around with them after hours. They will keep lofting him softball after softball “sacrificing” themselves temporarily to his voluminous ego, so they can try to ensure he gets the nomination. The lame stream media knows exactly what it is doing, and they are playing to Newt’s oversized ego and sense of self-entitlement TO THE HILT. What plays well in SC and with the flipper-clapping seals here will NOT PLAY AS WELL IN THE GENERAL. Newt’s has more baggage–ethically, morally, personally, politically, then all the remaining candidates combined. He’d be a disaster in the general and would lose on the scale of Goldwater in the 60′s, only without Goldwater’s integrity.
Sure sure, Goldwater’s valiant effort might have set the stage for Reagan, but in the meantime LBJ saddled us with Medicare and Medicaid, and a second Obama term will be far more disastrous than LBJ’s 4 years in office…
I’ll pull the level for Gingrich, distasteful and repugnant as I find him, but he’ll sink our ship. I don’t want to sacrifice the country just to possibly enjoy a couple of fire-work filled debates.
AttilaTheHun on January 23, 2012 at 6:26 AM
It should be apparent, but obviously isn’t, that as the NE in olden years raped, murdered, killed, and pillaged their way from village to village across England, it took a strong leader to band together enough people to inflict some hardship on the NE marauders. As is typical of marauders, when the going gets tough they run home with their tails between their legs. America has been under attack by marauders for at least a Century and both the Democrats and Republicans have been going from city to city raping, murdering, killing, and pillaging the people of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Will a leader emerge strong enough to put up any resistance to these D and R marauders? Paul himself, in the last debate, said his regret in the campaign was he wished he could articulate his message better because the message was so immensely important to America’s survival (I paraphrased this.) I also regret the Paul message/warning is not getting more popular support but in a two Party system designed for the two Parties to fight not for Liberty for the people, but for the control over the spoils left by the marauders of the most prosperous form of Government ever in World History–America’s Constitutional Republic.
aposematic on January 23, 2012 at 7:50 AM
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