Gingrich Warns of GOP Catastrophe

NewsMax
February 11, 2008
By: Newsmax Staff

In a rousing speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called for a conservative “declaration of independence” from the Republican Party.

He also warned that Republicans face a “catastrophic” election this year unless the GOP changes course.

Gingrich pointed out that on Super Tuesday, 14.6 million voters took part in the Democratic races, compared to 8.3 million Republicans.

“There were 14.6 million Democrats who thought the presidential nomination was worth voting for, and there were 8.3 million Republicans on Super Tuesday,” Gingrich said.

“That is a warning of a catastrophic election. I was in Idaho this last week, and Barack Obama on last Saturday had 16,000 people in Boise. The idea [of] the most liberal Democratic Senator getting 16,000 people in Boise was inconceivable.

“And every person who cares about the conservative movement and every person who cares about the Republican Party had better stop and say to themselves, ‘There is something big happening in this country. We don’t understand it. We’re not responding to it. And we’re currently not competitive. And if we want to get to be competitive, we had better change and we had better change now.”

Gingrich stressed that he was not commenting on any of the current candidates for president.

Rather, he said, “this is a comment about the conservative movement, and it's a comment about the Republican Party, and all the candidates currently running fit within those two phrases. But it is about all of us. It is about our Congressman, our Senator, our governors, our county commissioners, our school board members.

“And let me make this very clear, I believe we have to change or expect defeat.

“And I believe that this is a time for the conservative movement to issue a declaration of independence…

“First of all, I think we need to get independent from a Washington fixation. There are 513,000 elected officials in the United States and the conservative movement should believe in a decentralized United States, where every elected official has real responsibility, and we should be developing a conservative action plan, at every level of this country, and not simply focused over and over again on arguments about the White House…

“I also think that we need to declare our independence from trying to protect and defend failed bureaucracies that magically become ours as soon as we are in charge of them. We appoint solid conservatives to a department and within three weeks they are defending and protecting the very department that they would have been attacking before they got appointed.”

Tag |

Email |

Comments

By Freddo @ Sunday, February 24, 2008 8:16 AM

The Republican Party is dead, or rather, the Party of the Republic is dead and all the conservatives in it are irrelevant. Republicans are a relic of the past, not having stuck to the tenets of the GOP, having divurged and trying always to out-democrat the Democrats. The Founders and Framers would be ashamed to see we, the people have allowed to happen and for the Republicans who have facilitated our own downfall. As a father of four, I have encouraged my children to not be in a hurry to make me a Grandfather. My country bears only a remote resemblance of the great republic it used to be and I do not sleep well knowing that we are headed down the very same that led to the destruction of other empires. Unless we have a Second American Revolution, this country will simply cease to exist and become something else, horribly disfigured.

By Red @ Saturday, February 23, 2008 4:57 PM

Newt, why is it, that those of us who can't and won't vote for McCain, are the bad guys? We didn't pick our candidate, the liberal news media did. Because of the fact that we stand on the principles of conservatism, instead of just being loyal to the Republican party, who of late is not, we're being maligned as some sort of traitors. John McCain broke his word in Viet Nam, in four days, while he was a prisoner of war. He broke his word, when he got involved in the Keating five. He broke his word, when he violated the United States Constitution i.e. McCain-Feingold. He broke his word, McCain-Kennedy and of course McCain-Lieberman. He violated the United States Code of Military of Justice and now he wants me and those that believe that one's word, is their bond, to believe him today, when he says that he's a conservative? No, this veteran can't and won't support or vote for him. Today, when I pass a cemetery, I ask how many vets buried there, did John McCain's actions, put them there. And I've given my last dime to the Republican Party, until it gets back to the ideals and beliefs that made it such a great party, in the first place.

By BDALLEN @ Wednesday, February 20, 2008 8:52 PM

About 40 years ago the Democratic Party became what it is today. I don't know why they don't just change their name to the Democratic People's Socialist Party of America. Of greater concern is the Republican party has obviously lost it's way as well. Folks if we don't get a handle on this situation soon we will become just another has been like Britain, France or any other European country. In other words much bigger government more taxes and apathy towards global terrorism. As a Grandfather I don't think I've ever been more worried about what kind of world my Grandkids will inherit. Obama and the air heads who have no idea what the real world is about are smell blood in the water.

By Darvin Dowdy @ Wednesday, February 20, 2008 8:02 PM

Newt
I want to commend you on your continued and steadfast support of our friend and ally Israel. And thank you for steering clear of the closet anti-semites and holocaust deniers that have supported and are a huge part of the Ron Paul campaign. DD

By vjklander @ Wednesday, February 20, 2008 8:16 AM

Newt,
You had the opportunity to stand tall and do the right thing by voicing strong support for Ron Paul from the beginning. Dr. Paul is the only true conservative and the only true Republican in the race. You had the chance and failed. Now live with the consequences.

By Darvin Dowdy @ Saturday, February 16, 2008 6:00 PM

The GOP has been hijacked by globalists. Open borders globalists. All in the name of "free trade". They believe the concept of sovereign borders is an antiquated and obsolete. Their attention is focused on the international community. They view the American voter as secondary [or less] and in much the same way an employer views his employees. A certain amount of feedback from the employee is ok but too much will not be accepted or tolerated. What GOP politicians forget is that "they" are the employee. It is their job to keep the electorate "electrified". And when the electorate gets dis'd, ignored, insulted and de-prioritized, well they simply become exasperated and drop out of the process. The "Stay at Home" crowd. Thats whats happening. Thats what Newt is describing here. And thats what will allow a bungling, inept democrat party to take power probably with 43% of the vote. Again. Darvin Dowdy

By CHOGAN @ Thursday, February 14, 2008 5:27 PM

Conservatives do get it. It's the Republican Party that doesn't and hasn't responded to those who have been shouting it from the rooftops.

By pjmoore @ Wednesday, February 13, 2008 10:58 PM

We need to take this grassroots movement to the McCain staff and push for the Platform of the American People. I pray every night that Sen. McCain will welcome Newt (with his wise advice) into his circle of advisers and do the best thing for this country.

By concepts2 @ Wednesday, February 13, 2008 7:05 PM

I think the author covered the salient points very well, but if your article has more words from quotes in it than you typed yourself, then you should ask yourself why you're writing it.

Then again, maybe not. Perhaps that's just "reporting the facts" and "letting the reader decide"? Maybe that's good journalism, and it's so difficult to recognize because it's been so long since I've seen it?

Click Here to post a comment