# Does Gingrich scare you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 5, 2011, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812 "2011-05-05T04:53:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/1 "2011-05-05T04:53:09Z")
Couldn’t find any Gingrich threads. [Gingrich to Run for President](http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/05/04/gop_2012_field_newt_gingrich_to_enter_white_house_race_next_week.html) I can brush off Trump, Buchanan, and others, but Gingrich? Errrrm…do Republicans miss the party of yesteryear? Here’s a current poll that [gives Trump the lead](http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/national_gop_primary_poll_trump_19_romney_17_huckabee_15) (wtf!) but it’s too early to tell. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/2 "2011-05-05T04:56:43Z")
He doesn’t scare me as anyone who could be a serious challenger to Obama. He would scare me if ever actually got any power again. Gingrich is a has-been, though. It isn’t 1994 anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/3 "2011-05-05T05:00:48Z")
Two divorces, numerous infidelities, deadbeat dad, multimillion dollar book deals that don’t bear close scrutiny (follow the money), recent convert to Catholicism, etc.- there’s no way he could get the religious right and he has way too many skeletons in his closet to get anywhere close to the nomination. He’d be torn apart by the Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/4 "2011-05-05T05:05:42Z")
**Does Gingrich scare you?** Well, he turned me into a newt… I got better. He did not… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/5 "2011-05-05T05:14:03Z")
Gingrich-era Republicans scare me. I’m wondering how he’s going to shape the race (if at all). The current contenders (save RP, who is not “Republican” enough for most) are, well, sort of silly. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/6 "2011-05-05T14:38:50Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > I can brush off Trump, Buchanan, and others, but Gingrich? Errrrm…do Republicans miss the party of yesteryear? If “yesteryear” = “Reagan Admin,” Hell, yeah, they do! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/7 "2011-05-05T14:42:39Z")
Their memories of Reagan are largely distorted, though. Reagan was a socialist by their current standards. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/8 "2011-05-05T15:02:53Z")
Even a losing candidate can shift the party (look at Howard Dean). I was hoping that RP would be the hey-government-get-out-of-my-personal-life shift in the GOP, but now I wonder. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/9 "2011-05-05T15:09:45Z")
Gingrich does not scare me. I suspect I’d be very comfortable with his economic and foreign policy. Pretty sure he won’t turn out to be a gun grabber. I probably won’t like his social agenda, but it is also unlikely to affect me in any material way. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/10 "2011-05-05T15:13:41Z")
Yes, yes, he does. I can’t help noticing the congruence between his resurgence in the GOP and a second serious threat of Government Shutdown. I’ve been argued down on this, but it still tickles the back f my brain. I think that Gingrich is a man of no scruples, and he causes others to act from fear rather than principle. He styles himself a negotiator, but he’s actually just a threat machine. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/11 "2011-05-05T15:17:58Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Two divorces, numerous infidelities, deadbeat dad, multimillion dollar book deals that don’t bear close scrutiny (follow the money), recent convert to Catholicism, etc.- there’s no way he could get the religious right and he has way too many skeletons in his closet to get anywhere close to the nomination. He’d be torn apart by the Democrats. The religious right doesn’t vote for candidates. They vote against candidates. If the choice is Gingrich or Obama, they will vote for Gingrich. The religious right is not the type of bloc that will just stay home. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/12 "2011-05-05T15:23:22Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I think that Gingrich is a man of no scruples, and he causes others to act from fear rather than principle. He styles himself a negotiator, but he’s actually just a threat machine. That wouldn’t necessarily make someone a bad president, though. I am not sure that he’s the type of liar George W. was, or the kind of pushover that George Senior was. My measurement of current Republicans is whether they would have invaded Iraq if they were president in 9/11. That was the biggest, most wasteful and destructive unforgivably awful decision made by a president in decades. I don’t think Gingrich would have invaded Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/13 "2011-05-05T15:26:43Z")
He only scares me in that the country doesn’t need to go backwards. Even though his agenda was only 15 years ago, it’s hopelessly outdated now. Retread politicians are like your grandmother trying to do hip-hop. It’s sad, pathetic and laughable. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/14 "2011-05-05T15:37:53Z")
Given that he was Speaker when the GOP balanced the budget and passed welfare reform (among other things), no, he doesn’t scare me. Sounds like much of what we need now. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/15 "2011-05-05T15:56:22Z")
I’m pretty sure I could take Gingrinch in a fight, but as long as he doesn’t start nothing, there won’t be nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/16 "2011-05-05T15:57:38Z")
Gingrich himself doesn’t scare me, as he’s a has-been. But the fact that a has-been like Gingrich can be taken seriously _does_ scare me. His multiple divorces, infidelities, etc., don’t make a difference to Republican voters, by the way. You see, he’s really, really sorry for it, and won’t do it again, and that’s all that counts. I mean, when was the last time _any_ of that stuff ever hurt a Republican candidate? ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/17 "2011-05-09T20:56:13Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Given that he was Speaker when the GOP balanced the budget and passed welfare reform (among other things), no, he doesn’t scare me. Sounds like much of what we need now. > > Regards, > Shodan Didn’t he and literally every other Republican vote against the spending bill that balanced the budget? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/18 "2011-05-10T01:55:24Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Didn’t he and literally every other Republican vote against the spending bill that balanced the budget? The budget got balanced in the 1990s for three reasons: (1) the internet; (2) Gorbachev; and (3) sensible budgeting including PAYGO rules. The GOP did not invent the internet (Al Gore did!). And they did not win the Cold War (or, at the very least, Newt Gingrich had nothing to do with it). So we’re left with who gets credit for the Clinton-era budgets. It is true that the critical budget in 1993 got no GOP support. The alternative they supported would have tried to cut $355 billion in spending, including over $100 billion in entitlement cuts, and would not have raised taxes. So it was both a political dead-end, and would not have reaped the revenue benefits of the booming late-90s economy like Clinton’s budget did. So **Shodan** is wrong. Newt played very little role in balancing the budget in the 1990s. To be fair though, neither did the Democrats. Most of the surplus is attributable to post-Cold War defense cuts and the booming economy. Whoever you think is responsible for those (and I think no American politician was), it was not Newt Gingrich. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/19 "2011-05-10T02:17:23Z")
I think he lacks the charisma to be a serious candidate. But I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him take the VP slot. Personally he’s obnoxious, and his politics suck, but he’s a brilliant political strategist. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/20 "2011-05-10T03:28:14Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > **Does Gingrich scare you?** As long as he doesn’t [take his shirt off](http://www.apooobooks.com/wordless-wednesday-barack-obamaenuf-saidlol/), then no, he doesn’t. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812.md?page=2)