Newt Gingrich’s meltdown on the launch pad
By Eugene Robinson,
WashPost
Published: May 19
“I want to make sure every House Republican is protected from some kind of dishonest Democratic ad. So let me say on the record, any ad which quotes what I said on Sunday is a falsehood, because I have publicly said those words were inaccurate and unfortunate.”
A grateful nation thanks you, Newt Gingrich. The presidential campaign is just starting, and already you’ve given us a passage that will live in infamy — forever — in the annals of American political speech. Your delightful quotation shall be filed under “fiascos” and flagged with a cross-reference to “utter nonsense.”
I can’t remember when we’ve heard a politician plead so desperately to take back something he said. Then again, naked desperation is clearly in order. The favorite parlor game in Washington this week has been trying to remember a more disastrous campaign launch than the one Gingrich is having. Many candidates have stumbled coming out of the gate, but few have taken off like a shot in the wrong direction.
The great irony, of course, is that Gingrich’s grievous error was to speak the truth. Appearing on “Meet the Press” last Sunday, he referred to the proposal by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to convert Medicare into a voucher program — endorsed by all but four members of the GOP majority in the House — as “right-wing social engineering.”
(More here.)
WashPost
Published: May 19
“I want to make sure every House Republican is protected from some kind of dishonest Democratic ad. So let me say on the record, any ad which quotes what I said on Sunday is a falsehood, because I have publicly said those words were inaccurate and unfortunate.”
A grateful nation thanks you, Newt Gingrich. The presidential campaign is just starting, and already you’ve given us a passage that will live in infamy — forever — in the annals of American political speech. Your delightful quotation shall be filed under “fiascos” and flagged with a cross-reference to “utter nonsense.”
I can’t remember when we’ve heard a politician plead so desperately to take back something he said. Then again, naked desperation is clearly in order. The favorite parlor game in Washington this week has been trying to remember a more disastrous campaign launch than the one Gingrich is having. Many candidates have stumbled coming out of the gate, but few have taken off like a shot in the wrong direction.
The great irony, of course, is that Gingrich’s grievous error was to speak the truth. Appearing on “Meet the Press” last Sunday, he referred to the proposal by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to convert Medicare into a voucher program — endorsed by all but four members of the GOP majority in the House — as “right-wing social engineering.”
(More here.)
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