Newt Gingrich a man with ideas... He may have a jillion ideas however what America needs is a doer, a man who can get the job done. What is his political experience? Gingrich's first and only political office was as congressman representing Georgia’s Sixth District (1979-1999), which led to positions as House minority whip (1989-1995) and speaker of the House (1995-1999). He resigned in disgrace and is remembered for having been ordered to exit by the back door of Air Force One by President Clinton after a set to with the President.
The former speaker is a masterful strategist with a brilliant political mind. But a rocky marital record and a penchant for flame-throwing. Allan Lichtman, a presidential historian at American University in Washington, D.C., Lichtman says Gingrich can’t overcome his faults. “He’s a highly polarizing figure,” he says. “They sometimes get nominated, but they never win.”
“He’s a guy of 1,000 ideas, and the attention span of a one-year-old,” Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) told The Hill in April, before saying he would not endorse Gingrich. “His discipline and his attention to any individual thing is not his strong suit.”
Former Rep. Bill Paxon (R-N.Y.), one of the members of the Republican leadership who tried to push Gingrich out, said the former speaker was better at coming up with ideas than implementing them.
“I don’t think that the skill set he brings to the table is the skill set of a successful presidency,” Paxon told The Hill in April.
One member who is highly unlikely to endorse Gingrich: House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who lost his leadership position — he was conference chairman — after participating in the coup against Gingrich.
“He was not a calming influence and he left no fond memories. His tenure was short and within that brief space was a coup against him that involved, among others, John Boehner,” said Rutgers University Professor Ross Baker. “When you consider that there was an important faction of his own party who were eager to depose him, it's clear that he didn't wear well in spite of the fact that he brought them in from the wilderness after 40 years.”
His tenure as Speaker was filled with discord and when your peers line up to oust you, what kind of President would you be?
