# Who wins an Obama vs Gingrich debate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 1, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755 "2011-12-01T22:15:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/61 "2011-12-03T02:11:59Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > Name one thing that Obama got done. Just one but it has to be relevant - like health care, closing Guantanamo, stop breaking law, take care of deficit, create jobs. Ended the Iraq War. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/62 "2011-12-03T02:15:05Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I got a good laugh about this premise. > Don’t forget, Obama is the guy who thinks that: > -the USA has 57 states > -“corps” is prononced “corpse” > -there is an “english” embassy in Iran > -Hawaii is in Asia > He’s also the guy who railed about conressmen not reading what is in budget bills-the forgetting what was in his own healthcare bill. > He’s so smart he want release his student records..I wonder why. > Oh, yes, and the Cambridge (MA) police behaved “stupidly”. > Yup, Obama is bright!:smack: > [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > It’s like he … oh, I don’t know … made at least 8 grammatical errors writing out less than 100 words or something like that. We want release student records!:mad: ---
**Author:** ![Linden\_Arden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/63 "2011-12-03T02:39:01Z")
Obama has a long list of accomplishments that would easily thwart Newt. For instance, if Newt tried his “socialist anti-business” crap - Obama has the biggest point gain in the S&P 500 Index ever, the lowest interest rates, the highest exports, the lowest inflation rate, etc, On capitalism and budgets, Obama is a clear winner compared to Newt. I think the debate will turn into a Newt name calling out of desperation - in his clever wordy way - all the while lying. Will Obama call out Newt for the liar he is? That is the crux here. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/64 "2011-12-03T02:46:39Z")
He doesn’t exactly have to lie about the current state of the economy or the unemployment figures (though I saw earlier that there was a significant drop in unemployment, which is certainly going to help Obama, assuming that trend continues). Again, you seem to be deluding yourself as to what he would say. He’s not going to focus on ‘socialist anti-business crap’, he’s going to hammer away at peoples fears about the economy and unemployment. THAT is going to be the major Republican theme (again, assuming things remain relatively unchanged between now and the election), no matter if it’s Newt, Romney or some other clown they nominate. Anything outside of that theme is going to just be a garnish…sauce for the various Republican factions to elbow up to the trough for. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/65 "2011-12-03T02:55:48Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > Okay… I had to laugh really hard. You’re laughing because you don’t understand the issues. > [@](#): > > 1st - " if he became president he’d get nothing done" Name one thing that Obama got done. Just one but it has to be relevant - like health care, closing Guantanamo, stop breaking law, take care of deficit, create jobs. Did you mean Ron Paul would get nothing done in a similar fashion as Obama? Obama has accomplished a lot. Especially if you consider that the Senate Republicans are obstructing more than any congress ever. Ever. Seriously. They’re filibustering at record rates. Now if Paul were elected, and wanted to do something stupid like abolishing the EPA, it’d get filibustered by Republicans \*and \*Democrats. Paul’s nonsense ideology would never pass through congress. > [@](#): > > 2nd - “I said people would die if we enacted his policies” Ron Paul is anti-war. Right there, if he was President in 2003 there would not be war in Iraq. 150 to 200K Iraqis and some 4K US soldiers. Not to mention torture, Abu Ghraib and all the lovely things brought to you by Presidents whose policies DO KILL people. No president but Bush would have gone into Iraq. It was an elective war. He wants to destroy the EPA, he wants to destroy the Federal Reserve, he wants to destroy the Food and Drug Amin. His destruction of the US economy would shit can the whole world. He’s a complete lunatic and people would die like they did in the 19th century if he were given dictator’s powers. Like I said, he’d be an utter failure as president. And if he had magic powers to do what he wants, he’d make the country much, much worse. > [@](#): > > You response is a typical American media wash-up of misinformation and misdirection. But I guess this is about Newt who as a self-professed war monger has a higher degree of respect than Ron. It’s amazing actually. Newt is a piece of shit. But he’s ultimately rational. Paul thinks his economic policies are magic. ---
**Author:** ![Linden\_Arden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/66 "2011-12-03T02:58:39Z")
Well, Newt has called Obama the “food stamp president” who hands food stamps out for Hawaiian vacations (Pants on Fire Lie by Politifact). The issue is how Obama will call Newt out when he refers to him as a “Kenyan anti-colonial” - does that lie score points with the mushy middle? Or do independents believe Newt? Kenyan Anti Colonial? That is the what Newt will run on? ---
**Author:** ![Linden\_Arden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/67 "2011-12-03T03:01:10Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > You’re laughing because you don’t understand the issues. > Newt is a piece of shit. You are too tolerant of feces. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/68 "2011-12-03T03:03:56Z")
> [@Linden\_Arden](#): > > You are too tolerant of feces. You’re not the first person to tell me that. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/69 "2011-12-03T03:10:15Z")
[QUOTE=Linden Arden] Well, Newt has called Obama the “food stamp president” who hands food stamps out for Hawaiian vacations (Pants on Fire Lie by Politifact). The issue is how Obama will call Newt out when he refers to him as a “Kenyan anti-colonial” - does that lie score points with the mushy middle? Or do independents believe Newt? [/QUOTE] A cite would be helpful, as I hadn’t heard anything like that. Regardless, we are talking about a debate here, not some speach he might give to a Republican audience. I find it hard to believe that Newt would say something like this in a nationally televised debate against Obama. It would hardly score him any points with anyone except his base, and they are ALREADY going to vote for him, no? > [@](#): > > Kenyan Anti Colonial? That is the what Newt will run on? :dubious: To me this is along the lines of what people thought Bush II would say or do…i.e. they vastly underestimated him, and dismissed everything he said as complete bullshit (which much of it was). Then were shocked when he won. And Newt is in a whole 'nother league from GW. I still don’t think he has a chance, but I also believe that you are vastly underestimating what he could or would do here. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Linden\_Arden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/70 "2011-12-03T03:15:49Z")
easy cite, xtisme. > **[PolitiFact - Is Newt right? Food stamps can take you to Hawaii?](https://www.politifact.com/article/2011/dec/01/Is-Newt-right-Food-stamps-can-take-you-to-Hawaii/)** > > Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich loves to talk about food stamps. And the former House speaker had plenty t And no one is underestimating Newt. My thesis is that they are overestimating him. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/71 "2011-12-03T03:23:39Z")
Thanks for the cite. It doesn’t say exactly what you said, but it’s close enough. However, again, that was a speech to a Republican audience. I seriously doubt he’d be bringing up the whole food stamps for Hawaii trips in a debate. And I’m not seeing a lot of overestimation in this thread, or by Democrats in general, to be honest. Hopefully Obama and his team won’t underestimate him, in the highly unlikely event that Newt wins the nomination. -XT ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/72 "2011-12-03T03:49:42Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Obama has accomplished a lot. Especially if you consider that the Senate Republicans are obstructing more than any congress ever. Ever. Seriously. They’re filibustering at record rates. Exactly what did he accomplish that you can say, “this” sets Obama apart from all other Presidents? As for Federal Reserve - read [this](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-28/secret-fed-loans-undisclosed-to-congress-gave-banks-13-billion-in-income.html) and come back and tell me it is a useful institution. Of course, provided that you actually understand any of it. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/73 "2011-12-03T03:54:23Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > Exactly what did he accomplish that you can say, “this” sets Obama apart from all other Presidents? [Take a look for yourself.](http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/) But Affordable Care Act, the Stimulus and OBL are some good places to start. > [@](#): > > As for Federal Reserve - read [this](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-28/secret-fed-loans-undisclosed-to-congress-gave-banks-13-billion-in-income.html) and come back and tell me it is a useful institution. Of course, provided that you actually understand any of it. It’s a useful institution. Someone can do something bad and still be useful. Anyway, since you ignored the rest of my post, I’m assuming you accept all of that as correct, right? ---
**Author:** ![Naxos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@Naxos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Naxos)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/74 "2011-12-03T03:57:10Z")
> [@Linden\_Arden](#): > > How should Obama handle it if he does? This type of question is a major indicator of how the general public can be so easily duped and corralled to live their lives in a pig-sty that the most capable demagogue sets up for them. A President can send our children to die at a moment’s notice, and order the mass death of countless other people. Instead of wondering whether a presidential candidate will have no problem of doing this for the benefit of mega corps (see: all recent history Republicans) is not the most important thing to consider? The impact of a tv reality show is as important? Sad. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/75 "2011-12-03T04:04:15Z")
It doesn’t matter how alike or unalike Obama and Gingrich are. Kerry voted for plenty of Bush’s policies before he was against them (remember that?) and Cain and Obama were on the same side of the aisle more than once. ---
**Author:** ![Linden\_Arden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Linden\_Arden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linden_Arden)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/76 "2011-12-03T04:11:11Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > As for Federal Reserve - read [this](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-28/secret-fed-loans-undisclosed-to-congress-gave-banks-13-billion-in-income.html) and come back and tell me it is a useful institution. Of course, provided that you actually understand any of it. I am very familiar with the Bloomberg article you cite. $13 billion in lost interest? when our economy contracted $15 TRILLION in Gross Net worth in 2008? Are you kidding? The $13 billion was not even a loss - it was merely a lost opportunity on low interest rates. Like if you bought an HDTV for $100 below market - you didn’t PROFIT a hundred - you merely SAVED it. Bernanke deserved his Time award. I can squash any Austrian here on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/77 "2011-12-03T07:31:37Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > I’m not sure Republicans have a clear position on health care other than REPEAL OBAMACARE. If you want to buy into the hype and think Gingrich changed his mind go ahead. Well, there you go. Do you think Gingrich does not want to repeal Obamacare? Are you somehow looking into his soul to see his true feelings independent of what he says now? I’d wager that a desire to repeal Obamacare differentiates him from Obama, who, I am pretty sure, supports Obamacare. > [@](#): > > Well specifically Gingrich supported intervention in Libya. Whether or not he does now I don’t care because when the decision was made he was for it. Could you name a situation you think would be handled differently by Gingrich and Obama because that would be helpful. I can’t think of any. Obama has great rhetoric that appeals to his base just like Gingrich. In practice he’s been quite the neo-con. Gingrich supported invading Iraq in 2003. Gingrich is explicitly in favor of bombing Iran, if necessary, to effect regime change. Gingrich opposes Obama’s stance on the Israel-Palestine peace process (for no particular reason, seemingly, other than that Bibi doesn’t like it either). That’s with just a few minutes of thought, and covering only one region of the world. I’m sure given more time I could think of more. Your arguments seem to be of the flavor, “In some situations, Obama has positions fleetingly similar to positions that Gingrich once might have held, therefore there is no difference between the two.” ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/78 "2011-12-03T12:51:39Z")
> [@Linden\_Arden](#): > > I am very familiar with the Bloomberg article you cite. > > $13 billion in lost interest? when our economy contracted $15 TRILLION in Gross Net worth in 2008? Are you kidding? > > The $13 billion was not even a loss - it was merely a lost opportunity on low interest rates. Like if you bought an HDTV for $100 below market - you didn’t PROFIT a hundred - you merely SAVED it. > > Bernanke deserved his Time award. I can squash any Austrian here on the subject. That’s not the point. The point is that a fraud has been committed at a grand level where one story was managed for public and legislative consumption and another for “taking care of business”. Feds were presenting one version of numbers they wanted Congress to see while doing something entirely different behind the scenes. General problem is that people think that somehow they are saved at individual level, that somehow their world would come to an end if too big to fail failed. So, people, mostly out of fear, fed by lies and end-of-the-world scare akin to Rupture play along and enable those who screw them daily to continue screwing them. If you cannot make a connection between small business and regular folks current situation with this fraud then yeah, all you can do is cheer. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/79 "2011-12-03T12:56:01Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > It’s a useful institution. Someone can do something bad and still be useful. It’s hard to argue with assumption like that. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755/80 "2011-12-03T15:29:17Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > A cite would be helpful, as I hadn’t heard anything like that. [Gingrich says you can use food stamps for Hawaii vacations.](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/dec/01/newt-gingrich/Gingrich-says-use-food-stamps-Hawaii/=) [Gingrich charges Obama with “Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior.”](http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/246302/gingrich-obama-s-kenyan-anti-colonial-worldview-robert-costa) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wins-an-obama-vs-gingrich-debate/604755.md?page=5)