What Was Newt Thinking?

Whether one loves or hates the guy, most would agree that former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, is a truly brilliant man. So when I heard that Gingrich appeared on Meet the Press this past Sunday and seemed to characterize Rep Paul Ryan’s budget reduction proposals as right-wing social engineering, I was dumbfounded. I immediately thought, what was he thinking? Not because he was breaking Ronald Reagan’s 11^th Commandment: Thou shall not criticize a fellow Republican but because in an effort to appear to be “fair” by criticizing his own side, he committed a rookie error and was factually incorrect to boot!

By definition, social engineering is a proactive measure where, through the use of laws, taxes, regulations, etc., the government tries to manipulate the behavior of individuals or the population. Therefore, budget cuts that reduce the size, scope and influence of the government cannot legitimately be labeled social engineering.

By bobbling this routine “political ground ball to second”, Speaker Gingrich handed the Democrats a juicy “Two for” – he damaged his own presidential campaign and provided them with a powerful weapon to use against conservative ideas in the future. To be sure, we will see this clip of Gingrich on Meet the Press again and liberals will say, “See! Even Mr. Conservatism himself, Newt Gingrich, calls these cuts right-wing social engineering.”  

Right now the race for the Republican nomination is wide open and there is still a long way to go. The candidates need to avoid future, self-inflicted, gunshot wounds to the foot and concentrate on promoting a positive, pro-growth agenda. They should contrast their proven ideas against President Obama’s failed liberal ideology. And when given the opportunity, they should praise their fellow Republican candidates and point out that any one of them will make a better president than Barack Obama. The nomination will take care of itself!

Whether or not Newt Gingrich’s campaign for the Republican nomination is irrevocably damaged remains to be seen. One thing that is certain is that back-biting among the Republican candidates will leave any potential nominee bloodied and weakened and return the profoundly beatable, Barack Obama, to the White House where he can continue his mission to shepherd the decline of America.

Representative Ryan had it right when asked about his friend Newt’s comment and said, “With friends like that, who needs liberals.”