Gingrich: GOP ‘Not Consistently, Methodically’ Offering Alternatives
Email ABC’s Steven Portnoy reports: With an ABC News/Washington Post poll this week painting a dismal picture for the country’s opposition party, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich blamed his fellow Republicans for their own sorry state. “They’re not consistently, methodically, offering positive alternatives,” Gingrich said Tuesday in an interview with ABC News Radio. Only 19 percent of those polled said they had confidence in congressional Republicans to “make the right decisions for the country’s future.” Just 20 percent in the survey identified themselves as Republicans – a low in ABC-Post polls dating to 1983 – continuing a precipitous decline in Republican self-identification that began in 2004. Gingrich acknowledged that Republican leaders have “not done a very good job” of effectively communicating their message to the American people. “I think they’re very, very good tactically,” Gingrich said of the GOP leaders in Congress. But he suggested they should employ better strategy in refining and selling their positions. “I think they’ve got to find a way to have a positive message component that requires the kind of repetitive, boring, continuing focus on the same language,” Gingrich told ABC News. The former Georgia congressman who led his party to victory in the 1994 midterm elections said the current crop of Republicans would do well to follow his example. “The Contract with America was totally positive,” Gingrich said. “I think the Republicans have done a very good job of being the party of opposition. But they have not yet done a good job of being the party of an alternative.”
Obama: 'Now Is the Time For Common Sense Action' 
Romney Takes Aim at Conservatives
When Sarah Palin came out with her “I don’t want to go before a death panel with my grandma or Down’s syndrome baby” Newt Gingrich was asked about it on one of the Sunday shows. He said something to the effect of “well, you don’t know, that might be in the bill.” He was all twinkly, like he though it was just great the Republicans were opposing healthcare reform by using lies. I remember that full well. What a hypocrite.
Posted by: Amy in Maine | October 20, 2009, 3:31 pm 3:31 pm
The repubs are just making money without a clue. How do you say, just walking the line and hoping the Dems will make a major mistake. This is the wrong road to travel. They have to come up with better ideas to make the American people reconize they are there. Until now they are only being negative concerning everything..health care..irak..say no to everything. The Party is broken and over at least for the nixt 15 years.
Posted by: Littlejohn | October 20, 2009, 3:37 pm 3:37 pm
Concerned Democrat | Oct 20, 2009 3:45:54 PM…..I share your concern. But, to what extent the internet is replacing the newspapers and (to some extent) mainstream TV?
Posted by: deanbob | October 20, 2009, 3:54 pm 3:54 pm
Acceptance!!! The first step towards recovery…
Posted by: FS | October 20, 2009, 4:26 pm 4:26 pm
When Sarah Palin came out with her “I don’t want to go before a death panel with my grandma or Down’s syndrome baby” Newt Gingrich was asked about it on one of the Sunday shows. He said something to the effect of “well, you don’t know, that might be in the bill.” He was all twinkly, like he though it was just great the Republicans were opposing healthcare reform by using lies. I remember that full well. What a hypocrite.
Posted by: Amy in Maine | Oct 20, 2009 3:31:27 PM
Maybe because it was there before they took it out.
Posted by: 'Un-American' | October 20, 2009, 4:31 pm 4:31 pm
‘Un-American’
It was not there.
Posted by: Amy in Maine | October 20, 2009, 4:33 pm 4:33 pm
Word is that when Palin was asked what books she’s actually read, she replied,”All of ‘em.”
Posted by: progressnow | October 20, 2009, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
No one Took anything out….do you really believe that the Congress or the Senate would even write such in a bill? Do they have disabled family members? Do they have elderly parents? Get real, and stop listening to the opposition that says these horrible things such as “death panels”. But, I was told a person is WHAT he or she thinks…..so Palin and Newt probably would have “death panels”, or that vile statement would never have been said. Everyone knows Newt values is “none” and Palin has shown her hand every time she opens her mouth! Allowing a teenager to live and sleep in her home with her teenage daughter….nasty!
Posted by: sara | October 20, 2009, 4:40 pm 4:40 pm
“The Party is broken and over at least for the nixt 15 years.”
Littlejohn | Oct 20, 2009 3:37:22 PM
Nah, the conservatives will oust the radicals currently at the helm after their 2012 election disaster. The Republican party should be sane and willing to govern again by the 2014 elections.
Posted by: jhw539 | October 20, 2009, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
OGG I want to associate with those losers as apposed to the other losers.
Posted by: Kitty | October 20, 2009, 5:06 pm 5:06 pm
The RIGHT WINGNUTS are out in force today. I hope they took there Glen Beck pills and their Tea Bag Kool Aid. Because this Country needs the real People to stand up to those STUPID IDIOTS, that heard from a friend who heard from a friend etc. etc. You know WE are in trouble when people that start to BELIEVE, the Radio and TV personalities that spew HATE and LIES just to get THEIR ratings higher then the other person. Look it took Bush to screw up this Country and World 8 years with the HELP of the Republicans for 6 of those years, then the last 2 years both Republicans and Democrats help each other. I say give Obama his 4 years and Democrats, if they SCREW-UP let us all VOTE ALL those Liars and Cheats that includes both Republicans and Democrats OUT OF OFFICE.
Posted by: gjhardtimes | October 20, 2009, 5:08 pm 5:08 pm
“Maybe because it was there before they took it out.”
Sarah Palin falsely claimed there were death panels in section 1233 of House bill HR 3200.
Sarah Palin falsely claimed that the Senate Finance Committee would remove section 1233 from HR 3200.
Posted by: WWW | October 20, 2009, 6:59 pm 6:59 pm
rasmussen just came out with a poll with very different results using a larger sample, cnn too. i just wouldn’t trust the results of one poll…
Posted by: linda | October 20, 2009, 7:30 pm 7:30 pm
For eight months the Republicans have been the party of NO. No support of a president from another party, NO new ideas, NO to trying to work to make America better.
As long as they keep this up they will continue to be rejected by voters. Either come up with some doable idea or shut up
Posted by: cass blaine | October 20, 2009, 7:32 pm 7:32 pm
Gingrich is right but I’d start improving the message by changing the Party’s name to the “Conservative Party”, that I think would encourage the RINOs who are usually off message to re-register as the Democrat-Socialists that they are and, at the same time, bring conservative, old-line Democrats to our Party.
Posted by: Ron | October 20, 2009, 7:34 pm 7:34 pm
Gingrich is a smart man. Socialism is not the answer to the many problems that we are facing today! What happened to Obama’s transparency? He has become obsessed with healthcare, and has forgotten what this country is about. The republicans have to get back to their roots or conservatism. This country would not be in the situation it is in now if they had held to the principals of conservatism. Can’t wait for next years elections. Change we can count on!
Posted by: claimAmericaBack | October 20, 2009, 8:46 pm 8:46 pm
Un-American Said: “Maybe because it was there before they took it out.”
LOL…….. wow, yet “another” paranoid republican who doesn’t understand congressional procedure. Un-American, anything (and I mean anything) can be written into “DRAFT” bills before they go into House and Senate committees for vote, then to the House and Senate floors for vote, then (many times) back to committees, then back to the floors, etc. Do you “REALLY” believe that the use of Death Panels (even if it was in the “a” bill, and it wasn’t) would survive such a process.
For Goodness Sakes!!! Stop watching the right-whiner propoganda channel (Fox) and get some brains of your own!
Posted by: X-Republican Because of Bush | October 20, 2009, 8:58 pm 8:58 pm
cass blaine Said: “For eight months the Republicans have been the party of NO. No support of a president from another party, NO new ideas, NO to trying to work to make America better.”
=========================
LOL… you’re so correct Blaine. The real sad part is that the republicans controlled BOTH the White House and the Congress for 4 full years (2003 to 2007)…a “STRAIGHT FLUSH” government where they could have done things like health care reform (instead of keeping the status quo), etc. Yet…THEY DID NOTHING! ……and only “nowwwwww” they have better ideas like, better ways of saying “no”… LMAO!
What’s that old saying? “Republicans…a day late and a dollar short!”
Posted by: X-Republican Because of Bush | October 20, 2009, 9:12 pm 9:12 pm
Republicans … party of NO.
Democrats … party of OH NO.
We’re wee wee’d.
Posted by: Kitty | October 20, 2009, 9:23 pm 9:23 pm
I don’t remember too many times when people actually vote in the Republican’s. They generally vote the Democrats out.
Posted by: Chuck | October 20, 2009, 11:08 pm 11:08 pm
To clarify my comment, not all of the 59,950,037 who voted for McCain wanted him to win, many of them were voting against Obama.
Posted by: Chuck | October 20, 2009, 11:10 pm 11:10 pm
Look it took Bush to screw up this Country and World 8 years with the HELP of the Republicans for 6 of those years, then the last 2 years both Republicans and Democrats help each other. I say give Obama his 4 years and Democrats, if they SCREW-UP let us all VOTE ALL those Liars and Cheats that includes both Republicans and Democrats OUT OF OFFICE.
Posted by: gjhardtimes | Oct 20, 2009 5:08:32 PM
_______________________________________
I agree that we give Obama his 4 but the rest of them need to be gone the next time their names appear on a ballot. That goes for all of them no matter what party they represent.
I think common Americans realize that those in DC have no clue what’s going on out here in mainstream America and they need to be put back on the street to find out. Question is; how many of you will vote against your incumbent and your party?
Posted by: dk | October 21, 2009, 12:50 am 12:50 am
Look, 20% identify as Republicans? That is down to the middle of the core base, pathetic. Even among the wing-nuts, many are now calling themselves “Independents” (though for many, that is just a way to distance themselves from the train wreck that is the Republican party currently and if it came to it, they would jump at the chance to vote Republican). Until the Republican party distances ITSELF from the wing-nuts (the “Obama is Hitler, Christian nation, eat the poor, racist, sexist branch) they will continue to LOSE because they simply do not represent the majority of voters anymore. Never HAVE represented the majority of people, but Bush’s travesty of an administration and Obama’s refreshing alternative brought a lot more into the voting booth. I will give Newt this: he is correct is saying that the Repubs. have to offer positive alternatives and not just negatives. But see, they don’t HAVE any…their line is the status quo/”conservatism”, and that just doesn’t cut it when innovation is called for. And when someone like Snow of Maine votes intelligently but against the party line, they shouldn’t brand her as a traitor but consider she might have a sound rationale. McCain’s daughter and others have been saying the same for a while; if the Rep. party refuses to accept the views of its more progressive members, it deserves to die. McCain’s run was killed by Palin, who represented the most right, fundamentalist branch and drove away many moderate Repubs and Independents. The fundies/wing-nuts love her, but they are a small percentage who’ve been allowed to run the party for too long.
Posted by: raven | October 21, 2009, 5:57 am 5:57 am
ClaimBackAmerica:
The tea bag nonsense will never enjoy a majority in this country.
Posted by: TrueNorth8 | October 21, 2009, 8:40 am 8:40 am
So Newt thinks Republicans have “not done a very good job” of effectively communicating their message to the public? No, they did an EXCELLENT job. The American people understood and rejected their message.
Posted by: Cassandra | October 21, 2009, 2:34 pm 2:34 pm
Right…Left….Middle….Who cares!!! As Long as the American people allow govenrment and wall street run this country, we are all doomed to relive these same mistakes over and over…meanwhile the rich will get richer and the poor will suffer and the middle class will pay for both…wake up people!!!
Posted by: Antonio | October 21, 2009, 2:35 pm 2:35 pm
Every time the far right sees Americans recoil from their rhetoric and actions, they cry, “You don’t understand!” Yes we do. We DO understand. We just don’t agree with you. Heck, we just don’t like you.
Posted by: Cassandra | October 21, 2009, 2:38 pm 2:38 pm
“The Republican party should be sane and willing to govern again by the 2014 elections.” — The GOP willing to govern-Always! The GOP sane-LMAO! Just keep telling yourself that brainiac. And don’t forget:PALIN IN 2012.
Posted by: Mangalore | October 21, 2009, 4:13 pm 4:13 pm
Gingrich – running for President – he’s smart, but his best role was still in Borat
Posted by: Robin | October 21, 2009, 4:55 pm 4:55 pm
Newt. Didn’t he condemn Clinton and then come to find out he was having an affair?
Posted by: secondlook | October 21, 2009, 8:48 pm 8:48 pm
Contract with America was a lie, they just spent 6 years with both branches in power and did not pass one item on that so called contract lol. Take note in particular the one regarding term limits once they get power they hate to give it up.
They are also a party of hypocrites. They spew “family values” and rally to “protect” the sanctity of marriage between a man and woman…yet you have Vitter hooking up with prostitutes and Craig trolling for gay sex in public bathrooms. There’s more so much more read http://www.wikiprotest.com/index.php?title=List_of_Republican_Sex_Scandals
Then the utter and complete corruption, gotta love the fiscal responsibility they want now when none of them voted against a single borrow and spend scheme of Bush from… Medicare Drug benefit(wow socialism voted for by Reps lol), to ….wars with fabricated stories of weapons of mass destruction and handing out no bid contracts to the likes of Blackwater and Haliburton to…expanding government and erradicating civil liberties with Homeland Security and Patriot Act.
Nothing Obama does can top the most evil regime in American history we just barely survived, face it total Republican power almost ruined this country!
BTW many Republican non profits are raking in the cash they actually love Obama because they are pulling in more money than ever!
Posted by: Hege1321 | October 21, 2009, 11:06 pm 11:06 pm