Standing on top of his soapbox in cyberspace, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich officially announced on Facebook and Twitter Wednesday his intention to seek the Republican nomination for President in 2012.
To this we simply say, "LOL."
It's not that we find his method of announcing his political intentions jocular. In fact, we see the former Georgia congressman's use of social networking sites to launch his presidential campaign as an ingenious strategy. It's the character behind the text characters that we have trouble taking seriously.
In a field that is likely include two reality TV stars and a woman who was told by God she needed to run for Congress, Gingrich looks like Lincoln.
Yet regardless of how languid the crop of GOP presidential candidates has become, it is insulting to the American voter that he could be considered a legitimate candidate from a mainline party given his unflattering past.
There's no question about his ability to wage a formidable challenge to a Democratic president in a general election, especially given the resurgence of right-wing fervor seen within this country in the last few years. His political moxie and swordsmanship make him an attractive candidate for many conservatives, Republicans and those who have felt scorned by the Obama administration's inability to deliver its banner message of "Hope and Change." As a House Speaker, he was able to lead a Republican charge on Capitol Hill that saw his party take control of both legislative houses in 1994, a feat that hadn't been seen since the 1950s. With the right amount of momentum and financial cannon fire, he could get the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
For the United States, such a development would be a scary thing.
While on Capitol Hill, Gingrich went out of his way to thumb his nose at Democrats. At times, he did it in the pursuit of Republican policy. Most times, however, he did so for no other reason than to politically grandstand, to show the White House who exactly controlled the lower house. His unwillingness to work with the Clinton White House during the federal government shutdown crisis of 1995 shifted the tides of public opinion against his party as Americans saw the Speaker as nothing more than a glorified politibrat throwing a toy store temper tantrum. Given the country's current political climate, a Gingrich presidency would act as nothing more than a blustery tornado of hot air descending upon a burning trash heap.
If there is one thing that can out-slug his political vanity in a street fight of sleaze, it's his ethical flexibility. History will remember Gingrich as the first Speaker to be formally reprimanded by the House by a vote of 395-28 for his complete disregard for legislative procedure. As one Republican congressman put it, "Newt has done some things that have embarrassed House Republicans and have embarrassed the House. If [the voters] see more of that, they will question our judgment."
Ya think?
We now call upon the Party of Lincoln to do the right thing and not give this charlatan of a candidate any more ammunition. You have a qualified candidate who has a sound fiscal mind and does not try to cater to extremism. Please do not let him fall into the jaws of party cannibals who look to feast on him because of where he worships on Sunday.
Otherwise it will be a huge :( for America.
