# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/21 "2011-05-10T03:34:56Z")
He’s better than some of the alternatives. Gingrich sort of reminds me of Richard Nixon - he’d be immoral but competent. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/22 "2011-05-10T05:02:44Z")
He was part and parcel of the moral majority. And yep, he’d scare me if he actually took office. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/23 "2011-05-10T10:30:55Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Their memories of Reagan are largely distorted, though. Reagan was a socialist by their current standards. Indeed, at the end of his term he was being called “A Useful Idot” for the Soviets by the Conservative Caucus. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/24 "2011-05-10T18:06:42Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > 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. I was just going to post this exact thing. **Shodan** likes to give the credit of the balanced budget to the Republican controlled legislature, but it is complete bullshit. We have hashed this over many times here. I guess if he thinks that if he just keeps saying it, maybe someday everybody will forget it’s wrong. That said, people who try to give Clinton the credit are off base also (though less so); sure he signed the 1993 bill with its pay-go rules (that not a single Republican voted for) and again in 1997, but more importantly he re-appointed and listened to Greenspan (and look how that worked out!). I would be willing to concede that President Bush the first deserves more credit with the pay-go rules in 1990 (supported by the Democratic legislature), but he got voted out of office for signing it (read my lips!). It wasn’t until 97’ that the congressional Republicans got in the game with the bi-partisan support of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Of course as soon as President Bush the Second was in, they trashed all the pay-go rules, cut taxes, passed the drug benefit, started a couple of wars, and got us in the mess we are in now. But I’ll bet this is not how **Shodan** sees it, so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/25 "2011-05-10T18:31:41Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Didn’t he and literally every other Republican vote against the spending bill that balanced the budget? A little thought will show that this is not possible - if the GOP has a majority in both the House and Senate, no bill can pass if every Republican votes against it. Clinton’s baseline budget in 1995 had [$200 billion deficits as far as the eye could see](http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5656). Then Gingrich and the GOP took over, based mostly on their Contract with America, and the budget was balanced in 1998. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/26 "2011-05-12T00:27:53Z")
I know this is petty, but his wife’s nose scared me the other day. I saw her turn to her husband during the White House correspondents Dinner and was taken aback. Later, I tried to look her up on Google images to see if she really had that big a nose, and there are not very many side views of her. Thank goodness! [http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://clatl.com/images/blogimages/2011/03/30/1301522084--2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2011/03/30/newt-and-callistas-historical-fun-times&usg=\_\_bZ66wxCBBmg4RXuRZKhLMnppvzs=&h=398&w=600&sz=206&hl=en&start=475&zoom=1&tbnid=1ilAqUf89momFM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=181&ei=9CjLTY-ANY6CtgeYltziDA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcallista%2Bgingrich%2Bphotos%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1016%26bih%3D576%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch1%2C13376&chk=sbg&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=448&vpy=294&dur=439&hovh=123&hovw=185&tx=145&ty=167&page=31&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:475&biw=1016&bih=576](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://clatl.com/images/blogimages/2011/03/30/1301522084--2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2011/03/30/newt-and-callistas-historical-fun-times&usg=__bZ66wxCBBmg4RXuRZKhLMnppvzs=&h=398&w=600&sz=206&hl=en&start=475&zoom=1&tbnid=1ilAqUf89momFM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=181&ei=9CjLTY-ANY6CtgeYltziDA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcallista%2Bgingrich%2Bphotos%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1016%26bih%3D576%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch1%2C13376&chk=sbg&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=448&vpy=294&dur=439&hovh=123&hovw=185&tx=145&ty=167&page=31&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:475&biw=1016&bih=576) ---
**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 12, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/27 "2011-05-12T00:40:33Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > I know this is petty, but his wife’s nose scared me the other day. I saw her turn to her husband during the White House correspondents Dinner and was taken aback. Later, I tried to look her up on Google images to see if she really had that big a nose, and there are not very many side views of her. Thank goodness! > > [http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://clatl.com/images/blogimages/2011/03/30/1301522084--2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2011/03/30/newt-and-callistas-historical-fun-times&usg=\_\_bZ66wxCBBmg4RXuRZKhLMnppvzs=&h=398&w=600&sz=206&hl=en&start=475&zoom=1&tbnid=1ilAqUf89momFM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=181&ei=9CjLTY-ANY6CtgeYltziDA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcallista%2Bgingrich%2Bphotos%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1016%26bih%3D576%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch1%2C13376&chk=sbg&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=448&vpy=294&dur=439&hovh=123&hovw=185&tx=145&ty=167&page=31&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:475&biw=1016&bih=576](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://clatl.com/images/blogimages/2011/03/30/1301522084--2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2011/03/30/newt-and-callistas-historical-fun-times&usg=__bZ66wxCBBmg4RXuRZKhLMnppvzs=&h=398&w=600&sz=206&hl=en&start=475&zoom=1&tbnid=1ilAqUf89momFM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=181&ei=9CjLTY-ANY6CtgeYltziDA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcallista%2Bgingrich%2Bphotos%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1016%26bih%3D576%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch1%2C13376&chk=sbg&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=448&vpy=294&dur=439&hovh=123&hovw=185&tx=145&ty=167&page=31&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:475&biw=1016&bih=576) That’s a nose that looks like it should have a pair of novelty glasses attached to it. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/28 "2011-05-12T02:35:39Z")
EEK! [http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.politicsdaily.com/media/2011/02/newt-callista-robyn-beck-afp-getty.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/02/13/would-women-support-newt-gingrich-for-president/print/&usg=\_\_Uv49Bqrknng5nhaqHgHYJV9WLGQ=&h=255&w=427&sz=25&hl=en&start=68&zoom=1&tbnid=HKlIsCkWKYdViM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=163&ei=WUfLTfD2JcaitgfotY3YCg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcallista%2Bbisek%2Bphoto%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1016%26bih%3D576%26tbm%3Disch0%2C1815&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=330&page=5&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:68&tx=122&ty=49&biw=1016&bih=576](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.politicsdaily.com/media/2011/02/newt-callista-robyn-beck-afp-getty.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.politicsdaily.com/2011/02/13/would-women-support-newt-gingrich-for-president/print/&usg=__Uv49Bqrknng5nhaqHgHYJV9WLGQ=&h=255&w=427&sz=25&hl=en&start=68&zoom=1&tbnid=HKlIsCkWKYdViM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=163&ei=WUfLTfD2JcaitgfotY3YCg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcallista%2Bbisek%2Bphoto%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1016%26bih%3D576%26tbm%3Disch0%2C1815&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=330&page=5&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:68&tx=122&ty=49&biw=1016&bih=576) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/29 "2011-05-12T02:39:21Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > 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. What? Talk all you like about how America “worships youth,” but politics remains a field where a man of 50 is a baby. It has always been so. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/30 "2011-05-12T15:07:20Z")
Gingrich doesn’t scare me. He nauseates me. ---
**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 12, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/31 "2011-05-12T22:42:42Z")
I didn’t say that he was old; I said that he was a has-been. His political career already reached its zenith, then went into decline and ended, over a decade ago. John McCain, by contrast, despite being older, is still active in politics, and in as high a position as he’s ever held. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/32 "2011-05-13T04:48:52Z")
Does Newt Gingrich scare me? Man, the only thing that scares me about Gingrich is that some o’ his ugly might rub off on me in the ring! I’m tellin’ you that I am great, Gingrich will drop in eight! The man used to be speaker, but I will prove that he is the weaker! If you wanna lose your loot, just bet it on Newt! Rumble, young man rumble! ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/33 "2011-05-13T23:07:34Z")
Are y’all talking about the Gingrinch? [The Gingrinch that Stole Congress](http://www.gnu.org/fun/jokes/gingrinch.html)? ---
**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 17, 2011, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/34 "2011-05-17T05:26:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I didn’t say that he was old; I said that he was a has-been. His political career already reached its zenith, then went into decline and ended, over a decade ago. John McCain, by contrast, despite being older, is still active in politics, and in as high a position as he’s ever held. Hey, Nixon had highs and lows. Sometimes the losing party misses the old guy and wants a comeback kid, too. Look at how popular Al Gore was in 02 when the polls were trying to gauge potential candidates. Lieberman had good numbers, too, but that’s because he was linked to AG. As soon as the updated AG candidate was in the media, Howard Dean rose to fame (and unfortunately fell, but anywhoo). I think if AG had run in 2004, that would would’ve been in the bag. Not saying that Newt Gingrich is the equivalent or whatever, but if he runs his campaign properly, I’ll get nervous. He is _the_ antithesis of Obama and there are enough critics out there to sway some. ---
**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 17, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/35 "2011-05-17T05:29:53Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > He’s better than some of the alternatives. Gingrich sort of reminds me of Richard Nixon - he’d be immoral but competent. _Exactly._ It’s the competent Republicans you need to be weary of. :o ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/36 "2011-05-17T05:41:36Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Hey, Nixon had highs and lows. > > Sometimes the losing party misses the old guy and wants a comeback kid, too. Look at how popular Al Gore was in 02 when the polls were trying to gauge potential candidates. Lieberman had good numbers, too, but that’s because he was linked to AG. As soon as the updated AG candidate was in the media, Howard Dean rose to fame (and unfortunately fell, but anywhoo). I think if AG had run in 2004, that would would’ve been in the bag. > > Not saying that Newt Gingrich is the equivalent or whatever, but if he runs his campaign properly, I’ll get nervous. He is _the_ antithesis of Obama and there are enough critics out there to sway some. Gingrich is a lot further out of politics than Gore or Nixon were. Gore had been Vice President and a Presidential candidate in 2000; recent history in 2002 and 2004. Nixon was the Vice President and Presidential candidate in 1960 (along with his ill-considered run for governor in 1962); his comeback was 1968. But Gingrich has been out of office since January 1999 - twelve years is a long time in politics and a Congressman (even a Speaker) doesn’t have the historical name recognition that a Vice President or Presidential nominee has. Gingrich was part of the same crowd as Phil Gramm and Steve Forbes and Pete Wilson. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/37 "2011-05-17T10:41:43Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > That’s a nose that looks like it should have a pair of novelty glasses attached to it. No, that would [weaken her Hypno-Vision.](http://kaystreet.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/newt-gingrich-and-callista-gingrich.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/38 "2011-05-17T14:27:41Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Hey, Nixon had highs and lows. Come to think of it, bipolar disorder would explain a **lot** about Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/39 "2011-05-17T20:48:00Z")
It scares me that Newt will get about 35% of the popular vote, and it would scare me if he got 1% of the popular vote. That should scare anyone. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812/40 "2011-05-18T19:20:41Z")
It is scare to me that he is only in it for the money. Gingrich and Trump are both in it for the publicity and the money that brings. Plus the very faint hope that a dozen better candidates might drop out for some reason, Obama will decide against running for some reason and they might get to be POTUS with no effort. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-gingrich-scare-you/580812.md?page=3)