USA TODAY Blog covers Gingrich Pledge Announcement

Gingrich & Kalb call on candidates to debate nine times in nine weeks before Election Day
Saying that "substance and solutions" have been missing from recent presidential campaigns, former House speaker Newt Gingrich and media critic/former TV reporter Marvin Kalb are joining forces today to urge the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates to sign a pledge saying that if they are their parties' nominees they will take part in nine, 90-minute-long debates in the nine weeks leading up to Election Day 2008.

Gingrich is due to issue the call during a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He's scheduled to start talking at 12:30 p.m. ET.

A copy of the pledge that he and Kalb have drawn up for the candidates is here.

"We believe the 'nine nineties in nine' will give voters a chance to see the candidates in an unfiltered dialogue -- one that is informative, constructive and intelligent without the opportunities degenerating into political point scoring and sloganeering," Gingrich and Kalb write in a letter they're sending to the candidates.

"We believe it will not only be better for the political dialogue that has become so divisive; it will also be better for the future of the country, because it will foster the creation of needed solutions to meet today’s current challenges."

Gingrich, by the way, still hasn't ruled out the possibility that he might join the Republican presidential field. His American Solutions website has much more about his other ideas.

Posted by Mark Johnson at 1:31 PM | | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Comments

RUN NEWT RUN!! You are the only one who can bring respect back to our country and get our legal system straightened out! Your knowledge of the past will help you to lead us into the future. Our citizens need you!!

Posted by: Janet Smith | September 23, 2007 9:10 PM

I pledge to donate $250.00 to a campaign for Newt if he announces he is running. I believe he will be the most clear and articute candidate to offset Hillary. I am very concerned about what is happening to this country and would welcome Newt to run as someone who will be a great leader.

Newt, please run....

I only mention the pledge because I was listening to Newt tonight on Hannity and Colmes and was excited to hear he is at least a 1 to 5 odds to run...go Newt go...

Posted by: Michael B. Snyder | September 27, 2007 9:21 PM

Newt, you are the only one that makes senSe. Lets get on with it. Please run.

Posted by: Brad & Rhoda Green | September 27, 2007 9:38 PM

Newt,

We need you. We need someone who knows their history, can debate any topic, and doesn’t prey on peoples emotion but appeals to their reason. I can't see anyone on the other side of the isle in an open forum for debate that could come even close. I think the dems smell blood right now and are pushing to hard to the left. They think that because it is so popular to hate Bush that people will just give them their vote. The thing they have grossly under estimated are the people like me who makes up a good chunk of that statistic that don't care for President Bush all that much. Not at all because he is republican but because he sold us out on the boarder, he can’t communicate on an intellectual level, and has been at the helm of a huge spending government. All of these things are against your core values to which I know most of America “feels” as well. We need you Newt.

Sincerely,
Recent CSU Chico grad

Posted by: daniel Lincoln | September 27, 2007 9:47 PM

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