Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Turning Into a Newt

Has the Republican Party swung so far to the right that Newt Gingrich is now criticized as being too liberal?  Such were the accusations against the former House Speaker and 1990’s conservative standard bearer by several of his fellow Republican Presidential candidates in a recent debate.  Newt garnered this criticism by taking a risk when answering a question on illegal immigration.  Instead of taking the easy, party line approach of expressing zero tolerance for those in this country illegally, he proposed that families who had been here for decades should be allowed to remain together.  The repudiation was swift, particularly from Michelle Bachmann, a proclaimed evangelical Christian.  
Gingrich has been called many things, but holy is not one of them.  A checkered past of three marriages, extra marital affairs, and ethics sanctions follows him so it is ironic that the candidate least likely to appeal to those looking for righteous Christian values would be the one who acted the most Christ like.  Can anyone intelligently read the Gospels and think that Jesus Christ would advocate deporting illegal parents of children who are US citizens?  Newt’s proposal, risky in the environment of a Republican debate, was pragmatic and reasonable, and he deserves credit for steering discussion on immigration away from the hard line position.   The aftermath?  He has jumped in the polls and is now leading all the other candidates for the Republican nomination. 
President Obama’s strategists are giddy with the thought of facing Gingrich in next fall’s election.  After all, Newt’s campaign is poorly organized or financed relative to Romney’s.  He has also found ways to alienate people and self-destruct in the past and is perceived as a much easier opponent to beat than Romney.  The Democrats should not rest easy however.  Gingrich’s intellect is a match for anyone and his willingness to take a risky, moderate position on immigration may be a sign of an older, wiser man.  Paraphrasing a line from Monty Python and theHoly Grail, the Republican front runner has “turned into a Newt.”  It remains to be seen whether he “gets better.”

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