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Winning the Future
Bush Approval Rating Higher than Congress'
Despite that President Bush is being hammered by the media for his unpopularity over the Iraq War, it appears he's slightly more popular than Congress is to the American people. Real Clear Politics averages a number of polls which shows that Bush's approval stands on average at 35.8% while Congress has the approval of 34%. Bush's disapproval is 58.3% and Congress' disapproval is 52.3%. Even worse, 65% of those polled think the country is headed in the wrong direction. That does not bode well for either Bush or the Democrats.
The problem may be that no Congressional leaders or the President are providing a long term vision for the future of the country. The Democrats lack any coherent strategy for winning in Iraq, strengthening America domestically, or making the homeland safer. Bush is also viewed by many as a lame duck and has become somewhat paralyzed domestically because of the difficulties in stabilizing Iraq.
However, the American people seem to be widely against abandoning Iraq despite that they are unhappy with the current situation there. A vast majority of Americans are against cutting off funding for the troops and a majority believe that we can do a great deal to help stabilize Iraq before pulling out most of the troops. The American people want to win, but the same can't be said for the Democratic Party.
So where does that leave us? Enter Newt Gingrich: the man who resembles a walking idea machine could be positioning himself perfectly for 2008 by avoiding a premature declaration to run for President. Gingrich has warned that the American people may tire of the "already declared" candidates by the summer since so much media attention has already focused on who will replace Bush in 2008. After all, the 2008 election is almost 2 years away!
Despite his insistence that he will not decide until September of 2007, Gingrich is polling around 10% support of Republicans. Giuliani leads with approximately 35% followed by McCain with around 20%. Mitt Romney trails behind Gingrich with only 7.5% despite a media blitz and attempts to capture the conservative base.
One of Gingrich's big advantages is that he already has a quasi-Presidential campaign organization in place. He has developed a number of organizations since leaving the office of Speaker of the House that will make him a highly effective organizer and fundraiser. He is one of the most sought after public speakers in the country and has written 9 books since leaving elected office.
The Democrats shouldn't expect that their plans for a "slow bleed" to force an exit to Iraq will benefit them politically. They are already trailing the President in job approval ratings and have virtually no concrete ideas or solutions for America's future. Gingrich and other GOP candidates seem to, at the very least, have a plan to succeed in Iraq and are committed to ensure America's national security interests are protected at home and abroad.
Apart from Iraq, the Democrats are an "issue-less" party that would easily fragment on taxes, anti-terrorism strategies, and social policy.
Cross posted at: Newt Gingrich for President 2008 and The Strong Conservative
Gingrich Warns of Nuclear Iran
Newt Gingrich spoke at the 7th Herzliya Conference in Israel last week and made some honest and blunt statements on the threat that Iran and nuclear terrorism poses to the United States and Israel. Gingrich emphasized that American and Israel, and more broadly the West, lack "the language and goals to address the new environment along with the speed and intensity to counter the contemporary threats".(source)
More specifically Newt states:
The US should have as an explicit goal, regime change in Iran, as its constitution makes them a revolutionary regime. In 2006 even the Department of State which seeks to deny the nature of reality, noted that Iran is a leading sponsor of terror. What I need is something that will be similar to Reagan's Replacement strategy in Iran. The current unrest in Iran will facilitate this.
The only thing Mr. Gingrich does not address is how we can go about to facilitate regime change in Iran. I would suggest a similar program that Reagan used through William Casey during the Cold War to undermine Soviet regimes and encourage dissent among those seeking liberty. This would call for a dramatically increased information system akin to Radio Free Europe, but aimed at Iran, Syria, and other hostile regimes.
Cross Posted at Newt Gingrich for President 20008
Newt calls for the repeal of McCain-Feingold
Newt Gingrich has called for repealing the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform laws because he believes they are a restriction on the First Amendment's guarantee to freedom of speech.
Newt Gingrich has called for eliminating the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform laws because he believes they are a restriction on the First Amendment's guarantee to freedom of speech.
"Just as tax lawyers always succeed in out-thinking the (Internal Revenue Service) because they stay after five and the IRS goes home, the private-sector lawyers will always out-think the (Federal Election Commission) because they stay after five and the FEC goes home," Gingrich told about 400 people at the Nackey Scripps Loeb First Amendment Awards Honors dinner."(source)
Instead, Gingrich believes contributions should be reported within 24 hours on the internet. McCain-Feingold restricted contributions to political parties from unions, corporations, and individuals. Nevertheless, organizations like PAC's (political action committees), CCE's(committees of continuing existence), and 527's have found loop holes to raise enormous amounts of money for political ends.
Article also appears at Newt Gingrich for President 2008
Newt lays out the strategy for '06: The American Eleven
Republican victory in 2006 depends on a return to the American values that twice elected Ronald Reagan and returned the House to a Republican majority with the Contract with America.Republicans in 2006 must return to the pattern that allowed the center-right majority to win decisive elections for President Reagan in 1980 and 1984 and win with the Contract with America in 1994.
President Ronald Reagan was successful because as governor, as a candidate and as President he spoke for and advocated the values of the overwhelming majority of Americans.
The Contract with America succeeded because its core solutions (standing on President Reagan's shoulders) reflected deeply held American values. It is vital that Republican leaders understand these were American values not Republican values.
For the last few years, Republicans in Washington have forgotten the Reagan-Contract rule that successful change starts with the American people. There is a real danger that Republicans will lose the House and the Senate this fall because they have strayed from this core principle of starting first with the concerns and values of the American people and then developing effective policies.
Consultants are working overtime to convince the American people to favor Republican policies. This is exactly backwards.
What really works is what happens when Republicans identify themselves with the American people and against the values of the left-wing establishment that dominates the media, the bureaucracies and the lobbying community.
This is required reading folks, continue to read the essay in full...
Welcome to a special 2006 election edition of "Winning the Future."The fall 2006 elections are now just two months away. Although the conventional wisdom is that Republicans will have a tough time this fall, I believe that we can still win -- but not without substantial changes.
In this edition of "Winning the Future," I outline 11 values-led policies that are both morally right and that enjoy (not coincidentally) the overwhelming support of the American people. These are the values and the policies that Republicans should embrace this fall.
Here's the key:
Republican victory in 2006 depends on a return to the American values that twice elected Ronald Reagan and returned the House to a Republican majority with the Contract with America.
Republicans in 2006 must return to the pattern that allowed the center-right majority to win decisive elections for President Reagan in 1980 and 1984 and win with the Contract with America in 1994.
President Ronald Reagan was successful because as governor, as a candidate and as President he spoke for and advocated the values of the overwhelming majority of Americans.
The Contract with America succeeded because its core solutions (standing on President Reagan's shoulders) reflected deeply held American values. It is vital that Republican leaders understand these were American values not Republican values.
92% of the American people favored welfare reform.
88% of the people on welfare favored welfare reform.
83% of the American people favored a balanced budget.
On issue after issue the Contract with America represented the values of the American people. The left was defeated in 1994 because it had lost touch with the American people.The Reagan-Contract Rule: Change Starts With the People
For the last few years, Republicans in Washington have forgotten the Reagan-Contract rule that successful change starts with the American people. There is a real danger that Republicans will lose the House and the Senate this fall because they have strayed from this core principle of starting first with the concerns and values of the American people and then developing effective policies.
Consultants are working overtime to convince the American people to favor Republican policies. This is exactly backwards.
What really works is what happens when Republicans identify themselves with the American people and against the values of the left-wing establishment that dominates the media, the bureaucracies and the lobbying community.
11 Ways to Say: "We're Not Nancy Pelosi"
Republicans should spend the next two months focused on 11 straightforward, morally grounded issues about which the American people have clearly defined beliefs.
Some of these issues will make Republican elitists uncomfortable, but these were the same elitists who were uncomfortable with President Reagan and who scoffed at the Contract with America and rejected its bold proposals.
A Republican majority in the House that spent the next two months on these eleven issues would go a long way toward clarifying the choice between the San Francisco values of Nancy Pelosi and those of a GOP majority. This refreshing approach would reject the "incumbentitis" of relying on pork-barrel spending for reelection and return to the basic populist conservative values which gave us a majority in the first place.
These 11 issues are all clear and all doable.
Make English the Official Language of Government. The House should pass a bill making English the official language of government, abolishing multilingual ballots and reaffirming that new citizens should be required to pass a test on American history in English. The Rasmussen poll reported that support for English as the official language was 85%. The Zogby poll had it at 84%. Why do Republican leaders find it so hard to side with more than four out of every five Americans? How many liberal Democrats who currently assume they are unbeatable would suddenly have a hard time explaining a series of votes against English to their constituents? Remember, at 85%, there are no anti-English congressional districts no matter what the elite media says.
Control the Borders. The House should pass a narrowly focused bill to ensure that the United States can control the border. The current Senate bill is a disaster. It is impossible to pass a "comprehensive" immigration bill in the next two months. The American people overwhelmingly want the borders controlled and every act of terrorism reminds us that having the borders uncontrolled makes us more vulnerable to attack. The House should immediately pass a border-control bill and conservative Republican senators should move every day to bring it up in the Senate. Let Democrats and elitist Republicans block controlling the border and make that a referendum test for Election Day.
Keep God in the Pledge. Congress should take two steps to preserve the right to say "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, a right which is supported by 91% of all Americans. The American people feel deeply that our Declaration of Independence is correct in saying that each of us is endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. Beginning with the Supreme Court's 1963 decision outlawing school prayer, the courts have waged a 43-year assault on the core values of American liberty. It is time to return to a balanced Constitutional system. There is no Constitutional case for five lawyers on the court being a floating majority for a permanent Constitutional Convention.
The American people would rally to the elected branches' taking steps to rebalance the Constitution. First, the Congress should pass a bill suspending the recent federal district court decision in California outlawing the words "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Second, the House should pass a law blocking the Supreme Court from reviewing the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance (a power of the House expressly granted in the Constitution).
Require a Voter ID Card. The American people overwhelmingly support (85% in one case, 70%-plus even after all the arguments against it are made) having a voter id card so we can be sure only legal citizens are voting. Passing a bill to require this in all federal elections would be a big step toward more honest elections.
Repeal the Death Tax, for Good. The American people have consistently supported the total repeal of the death tax and the House should simply pass it once a week and attach it to various Senate bills to force the Senate to deal with it again and again. Let liberals explain why they oppose something that more than 70% of the country favors.
Restore Property Rights. The American people are deeply opposed to local politicians' being able to seize a citizen's home or business. The Supreme Court's Kelo decision on eminent domain is one of the most unpopular in recent years and is also one of the most dangerous. Anyone who knows the history of local government corruption in America knows it will not be long before some corrupt developers engage some corrupt politicians and this power is exploited at the cost of most Americans. Members of the Black Caucus have been among the most vocal in pointing out that it is poor people who will be the most victimized so rich developers and greedy politicians can make the money off their homes and businesses. The House should pass a powerful bill returning the constitutional law to the pre-Kelo rules and blocking the Supreme Court from reviewing it.
Achieve Sustainable Energy Independence. The country is eager for a straightforward new energy strategy for national security, environmental and economic reasons. The combination of $3 gasoline, watching Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Russia get more of our money, and concerns about the environment come together to require real change. The House should meet that need. Starting with Rep. Jim Nussle's (R-Iowa) bill on renewable fuels, adding to it clean nuclear power using new technologies that are safe and produce little waste, developing more clean coal solutions, investing in a conversion to a hydrogen economy, incentivizing conservation, providing tax credits so the auto industry can invest in the new technology and new manufacturing equipment needed to produce revolutionary new vehicles, creating the tax incentives to build the distribution system for biofuels, hybrids, and hydrogen, providing deeper tax incentives for radically better cars (imagine a substantial tax credit for cars exceeding 200 miles to the gallon of petroleum through a combination of E-85 or biodiesel, hybrid use of electricity and hydrogen), and a bill to create state flexibility in exploring off shore with a 50% split in revenue so state legislatures and governors would have an incentive to develop environmentally sound methods of exploration and production.
Control Spending and Balance the Budget. The House should pass new budget legislation to control spending, leading to a balanced budget in seven years (the length of time we gave ourselves in the Contract with America and which led to the first four balanced budgets since the 1920s), with special focus on programs liberals will fight to increase spending. Let the country see who is really committed to smaller government with lower taxes and who is committed to bigger government with higher taxes.
Tie Education Funding to Teacher Accountability. A major result of the No Child Left Behind legislation has been the clear revelation that a number of schools systems are crippling and destroying children. When the Detroit school system only graduates 21% of entering freshman on time, it is clear the children are being cheated. The American people strongly support reforms designed to save the children. The first step would be to insist that federal funds only go to school systems which require teacher competency and accountability. A clear choice between those who want to save the children and those who want to save the bureaucrats would mobilize the country in favor of dramatic education reform.
Defend America From the Irreconcilable Wing of Islam. Terrorism is a real threat. Congress should hold hearings on the recent terror activities in Canada, the United Kingdom and Morocco. The House should move bills that strengthen our security from terrorists with increased powers for surveillance, an overruling of the disastrous Hamdan decision and a series of other steps.
Focus on Iran and North Korea. The American people are very prepared to believe we face extraordinary threats from a nuclear North Korea and an Iranian regime actively seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Any actions in Iraq need to be recast in terms of their impact on Iran. A weak America in Iraq will be unable to stop Iran. Stopping Iran is potentially literally a matter of life and death. Congress should hold hearings on the scale of the Iranian and North Korean threat, the statements of their key leaders and the requirements for action to replace these dictatorships before they succeed in killing millions of Americans. The Santorum Iranian democracy bill should be forced out of the Senate in the context of these threats. Everything about Iraq should be debated within this larger and much more dangerous context.
These eleven steps focus on the House because Republicans have practical control of the House and can move legislation in the House in a timely manner.The Senate is so hard to manage and the confusion in the Senate is so great that it is impossible to imagine a clear message coming from the Senate.
The House of Representatives, however, has the opportunity to set the agenda for the fall and to define the issues in terms which will have overwhelming support from the American people.
House Republicans have two months to change history. They can go one of two ways.
They can continue to ignore the lessons of history, and forget the fact that real change must begin with the American people, not the media or Washington elite.
Or House Republicans can learn from history. They can listen to the American people and return to the center-right populist majority which President Reagan and the Contract with America gave them. The choice is theirs -- and ours.
Your friend,
Newt Gingrich
Newt's done it again. "Leaders make things possible. Exceptional leaders make them inevitable. Newt Gingrich belongs in the category of the exceptional." - TIME Magazine 1995 Man of the Year
Winning The Future Weekly Newsletter
The Newt folks are taking advantage of all the forms of media to get the word out on how to Win the Future. We've talked about their radio show & podcast, Website, radio actualities, and now comes a new weekly newsletter that you can subscribe to.
This newsletter will discuss what we can and must do to transform America--so that we can, indeed, win the future. It will discuss the the core challenges facing our nation which, taken collectively, are as daunting and difficult as any American has confronted. It will be a place where Newt describes how we can meet these challenges and, in the process, create an America that is stronger and more prosperous and with more opportunities than the America we have inherited from our parents and grandparents.
Each week, this newsletter will also feature questions from its readers. Click here to subscribe.
Leading the Majority with Rick and Vince
Also of interest in the radio realm is Leading the Majority, a weekly radio show with hosts Rick Tyler (Newt's Communications Director) and Vince Haley (Director of Policy for Newt at the American Enterprise Institute).
Each week this one hour broadcast features a discussion of a compelling issue facing America from the Winning the Future perspective and also the "GOPAC Leadership in the Spotlight segment.
Click here for more information on the show, including an updated page on each week's guests and how to subscribe to their podcast feed.
Winning the Future Web site Launched
What are the five challenges confronting our country? Interested in daily or weekly commentary from Newt? How can you help to win the future? Newt just recently launched a new Web site that's full of stuff to get active and involved. Click here for more information.
Newt in Ninety Seconds
Newt recently launched a daily radio actuality. Winning the Future with Newt Gingrich, is a new series of radio features on that will be heard on 350 radio stations throughout the country.
Nothing will be off-limits, from breaking the bureaucratic grip on our health care system, to resisting the effort to write God out of American history to defending America in the long war against Islamic terrorism. And, heââ¬â¢ll make his points in just 90 seconds.
Each day's edition of Winning the Future with Newt Gingrich can be heard at www.newt.org. Click here for an updated list of episodes or click here to find out where Winning the Future with Newt Gingrich can be heard near you.
If you have an organization or know of an organization that would benefit from the national radio exposure gained by partnering with Winning the Future with Newt Gingrich, please contact Mary Lou Davidson (941-379-1440) at Matrix Media to find out more about how you can make a difference through this limited opportunity.