Great Quote - From the Gingrich that stole Christmas

[Stormin Norman]

This is an exerpt from a question and answer session on a PBS program where they were discussing Ronald Reagan. They interviewer asks a really dumb question and gets a rather eloquent answer from Newt Gingrich. Take a look--------

INTERVIEWER: I think it was Gary Hart [who] might have described Reagan as a con. An old girlfriend described him as a nice but dopey guy, and there's a lot of people on the center left who regard him as a figurehead and not really as an intellect.


NEWT GINGRICH: If you are a left-winger committed to the belief ... that the United States does not have a unique system of freedom, committed to the belief that free markets are phony and everything is manipulated and rigged, the Hollywood model [of] business, committed to the idea that conservative values can't really have any core rationality to them, then you have to find a new explanation for Reagan. On the other hand, if you look at the evidence, the Soviet empire in 1980 was on our fence. By 1989 it was collapsing. The United States economy in 1980 had 13 percent inflation, 22 percent interest rates, and was going into the worst recession since the Great Depression. By 1988 we were in early stages of what has now been almost 20 years of economic growth. In 1980 Jimmy Carter could talk about malaise, the weakness of the American people, gasoline rationing, and the Iranians holding us helpless with hostages. By 1988 we were the dominant power on the planet. Now maybe Reagan was just this nice goofy guy who pleasantly presided over all this, but if so he may be the luckiest single leader in the history of the human race.

[Smoking Frog II]

f u man

[Stormin Norman]

Nice response, witty and intellectual. Good job, smoking pot head.

[Capitalist Imperial]

Quote: from Stormin Norman on 4:27 pm on Jan. 14, 2003
Nice response, witty and intellectual. Good job, smoking pot head.

SN, never expect anything more that this type of drivel from Smoking Frog

[Stormin Norman]

Why a person would desire to expose their stupidity in such a public fashion is beyond me.

Like I even need to ask, but what did you think of the Gingrich quote, CI?

(Edited by Stormin Norman at 4:55 am on Jan. 15, 2003)

[antieverything]

I've done all I can, guys. I've shown you every fact refuting the Reagan myth and you come back and make the same assertions that I have previously proved wrong.

[Stormin Norman]

Check again! I left you a surprise in the "Supply Sided Economics" thread, antieverything.

[antieverything]

And I'll just point out that Gingrich himself was a phony. While he was talking about people being responsible for standing on their own without help from the government, his district (one of the wealthier districts...we know how much welfare the rich recieve...) recieved more money from the government than all but two other districts (one had a federal cemetary and the other a space program facility).

[Stormin Norman]

I will have to check into that. As with everything the left presents, your statement probably glosses over the actual facts surrounding the circumstances. However, I do not know for sure. I simply thought what he said about Reagan was good.

[antieverything]

I was directly refering to that post.

[Capitalist Imperial]

Quote: from Stormin Norman on 4:54 pm on Jan. 14, 2003
Why a person would desire to expose their stupidity in such a public fashion is beyond me.

Like I even need to ask, but what did you think of the Gingrich quote, CI?

(Edited by Stormin Norman at 4:55 am on Jan. 15, 2003)


I thought it was right on the $$$, but of course you are preaching to the choir here.

[Smoking Frog II]

The grinch who stole christmas.

The fascist dictator "president" who wants the middle east for himself.

what's the difference? nowt.

[antieverything]

What the hell is this guy talking about?

[j]

Reagan had growth in the 80's much the way that Clinton had growth in the 90's. Both of these presidents had relatively different economic ideas. Reagan of course was a "convservative" and Clinton a "liberal."

I don't think that claiming the economic growth of the 80's was the accepting of conservative economics is any more truthful than claiming the economic growth of the 90's was the accepting of liberal economics.

In structured capitalism, which is what we have here in the US, I think the Fed (ie Alan Greenspan) has more to do with economic growth than the president. We also need to remember that the president is just the president. He is not the ruler or the supreme power. The US government is set up with checks and balances and the Congress has as powerful a voice as the president.

I'd go in to more detail, but I have to run to a meeting.

j

[antieverything]

J, I love you...I've never been able to get anyone to understand this fact. I've been putting forth fact after fact to prove it. The only thing that Reagan's policies did were make the inevitable recovery less benefitial to the rest of us.

[Goldfinger]

That Grinch guy sounds evil. Is he evil?

[antieverything]

Oh yeah...he takes the cake. What an asshole!

[j]

Newt Gingrich was, is, will always be...an asshole.

He is sucks in every sense of the word.

j

[HankMorgan]

I'll go with you, j, on the idea the president hasn't that much power over the economy. The right over sells President Reagan just the same as the left over sells that man, Bill Clinton. (Even though I said that, you're still wrong antieverything)

The number of things that can influence an economy can't even be listed let alone understanding the interrelations. Which is why a planned economy will never work. The only thing that works is letting people be free to make the decisions that affect them.

Trust people, not governments.

[HankMorgan]

My all time favorite thing about Newt Gingrich was watching that man, Bill Clinton, during the 1996 State of the Union address. That man, Bill Clinton, took credit for several of the items on Newt Gingrich's Contract with America.

Priceless.

[Smoking Frog II]

Quote: from Apocalypse When on 10:58 pm on Jan. 15, 2003
That Grinch guy sounds evil. Is he evil?


Yes. :stickpoke

meet the fimbles

Every day we'll find and play in the wonderful world, the magical world of tyhe fimbles.

[Jaha]

I just read your quote and it doesn't seem to prove anything. Whats the basis? what the hell are you trying to say?

to me it just sounds like he's saying a whole lot of nothing and wasting a paragragh to do it!

It just occured to me, that you would probably argue the same thing about this post...

[antieverything]

Well, if you know anything about anything and bother to do some research on the Reagan years it is quite obvious that Reaganomics is a steaming pile of shit.

[IHP]

My apologies friends and foes alike, I can't add anything to this discussion as I know very little of Reaganite policy.....

But I just had to ask: what the hell is this smoking frog character on about?!

--IHP