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Jewish World Review Dec. 13, 2011 / 17 Kislev, 5772 Return of the Newt By Paul Greenberg
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It's not his character flaws that make it hard to take Some cultures are blessed/cursed with a great national memory. The best thing Yes, that's the same individual mandate he now opposes (vociferously, as always). Whatever the merits of the idea, and it's got some, he's been both fir and agin it. That's Newt. He's consistently inconsistent. He was once all for Newt the Great loves the razzle-dazzle, the punch line, the showmanship of politics.
No wonder the Newt is attracted to sci-fi themes. He's got more imagination and less gravity than any American political figure this side of
It's not that he lacks thoughts; he's got a surplus of them, usually wild. He throws them out there in all directions, Which may be a fine way to entertain or even instruct college freshmen -- he used to teach history -- but it's no way to lead the country. As both historian and politician, he's a great popularizer, not so great a thinker.
When it comes to ideas, Newt the Magnificent has got a million of 'em. Abolish the Congressional Budget Office! Defund the National Labor Relations Board! Hire child janitors in the schools so the poor will learn how to work! He loves to provoke. Rather than lead. Nobody takes him seriously when he throws out such proposals, knowing they'll never get beyond the rhetorical stage. It's all in good fun. He's also a heck of a name-caller. By now it's scarcely necessary to rehearse the Newt's verbal excesses. Give him time and he'll commit so many, or such a blatant one, that he'll destroy his chances for the nomination without any help from his critics.
The newer the New Gingrich gets, the older he starts to seem. Much like that master of reinventing himself, the late not-so-great The first few times these perennial headliners rise and fall, then rise and fall again, they seem to have a protean quality, always able to shift the shape of their views to fit the needs and wants of the changing moment. There's a reason they tend to be called Comeback Kids. They have a genius for keeping up with the popular mood, even anticipating it. And for appearing to lead the crowd even as they follow it. But after a time, though it may be a long time, people catch on. Or just grow bored. Then these stars of their own show no longer seem brilliant, flexible, full of ideas and all that, but only . . . nixonesque. Or clintonesque. How long before the adjective gingrichian enters the political vocabulary? No wonder The Clintons/Gingriches of the political world always seem in the market for the Next Big Idea, the one that'll give their audiences that much sought-after Aha! moment when realization dawns, or seems to, and eyes light up with interest. And admiration for the speaker. Then the moment passes, the idea is forgotten, the spotlight shifts, the dust settles, and people can't quite remember just what it was they once got so all-fired excited about. But now is Newt's moment. Again. You might even call him the momentary candidate.
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