PrintMay 18, 2011
Death by Metaphor; Goodbye Newt!
Newt Gingrich has done it again. He throws his hat into the ring, and before it hits the ground, he has his foot in his mouth -- again. Hard to believe that a politician can have too much ego, but surely Gingrich is suffering from an embarrassment of glitches. What was he thinking over the weekend when he attacked Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), one of a few politicians, other than Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), who has the courage to argue for common sense and fiscal sanity? Indeed, Ryan and Coburn are two of the most sensible and civil politicians in America. Between Newt and "The Donald," the Republicans have the beginnings of a circular firing squad.
Gingrich announced his presidential bid and then in the same week squandered his Sunday morning pulpit launch by attacking potential friends and allies, using rhetoric more appropriate to the loopy left:
On Sunday, he called Ryan's proposal an example of "right-wing social engineering," and suggested it was an attempt to impose "radical change" on Americans.
Ryan is a radical, a social engineer? Hasn't this been the rap against progressives? Now, if Gingrich is neither right nor left, neither "radical" nor "right-wing," then he has positioned himself in the moderate middle, the median strip -- like road kill. No surprise then that the first prominent Democrat to endorse Newt's lunacy was Howard Dean, left-wing spokesman extraordinaire.
Rhetorical fusillade may be the only fair way to characterize reactions to the Gingrich remarks. One caller likened the former Speaker of the House to a kind of political Michael Jackson, best remembered for setting his hair on fire. Another wag pleaded for a "mulligan," arguing that Gingrich hadn't been on the stump for a while and should be allowed a stroke or two.
Mulligan? A mulligan is what you get when you hit the ball in the water or out of bounds. Gingrich wrapped his wedge around his partner's neck. When you try to take out someone in your foursome; the penalty is game over, off the course, and out of the club. Put a fork in it Newt, you're done.
The author is an American Thinker contributor who also blogs at G. Murphy Donovan
