by Jim Kouri - Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is arguably the true leader of the GOP at a time when the Republican control of the US Senate and House of Representatives is in jeopardy.
While the Republicans who are leaders and officeholders appear to be wandering about like chickens without heads, Gingrich brings a clear, concise message wherever he goes. With the November election cycle in full swing, He's traveling from city to city helping several Republican lawmakers with their campaigns.
For instance, Mac Collins, a Republican running for Congress in Georgia, got a heavy jolt of Gingrich when he showed up to praise Collins at a news conference, then helped the candidate at an important fundraiser.
Gingrich, whose name keeps popping up as a contender for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, said the election in the 8th Congressional District comes at a critical time in recent history, with the United States fighting a global war against Islamic fascists and facing challenges from rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran -- a situation he describes as the emerging World War III.
Gingrich reminded the party faithful that the race between Collins and Democrat Jim Marshall can help prevent liberal Democrats from taking control of the House and weakening national defense, which could result in the loss of jobs in Georgia.
Gingrich, who served with Collins in the House, said voters in the heavily conservative district have a choice between an experienced lawmaker who is in touch with the voters' values, or a Democrat who would support the appointment of liberal California Rep. Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House.
"I think the choice for the voters is so decisive that we can really see a clear contrast here, first of all in sheer leadership -- Mac's 12 years of seniority on the House Ways and Means Committee, writing tax laws, dealing with health issues, reaching across all the issues that affect Georgia businesses and Georgia jobs and would affect the individual taxpayer," Gingrich said at a Collins press conference.
Warner Robins is the home of Robins Air Force Base, a major logistics base and one of Georgia's largest employers. People in the town and in surrounding communities are strong supporters of the military.
Gingrich predicted that if liberal Democrats are the majority in congress, they'll focus on social programs such as socializing medicine, while weakening national defense and the commitment to the war on terrorists. A leading historian, he reminded Georgians of how the Democrats fought against President Ronald Reagan instead of fighting the Soviet Union during the cold war.
"Having a strong national defense, having a strong Warner Robins, having a commitment at Fort Benning, doing the right things for American national security is central to our survival," Gingrich said. "I see no evidence that the San Francisco Democrats and Nancy Pelosi have any idea how dangerous the world is and how important for us to be strong."
"Mac's opponent, no matter how he tries to hide it, will vote to make Nancy Pelosi speaker of the House," Gingrich said. "Nancy Pelosi is a very liberal San Francisco Democrat."
Gingrich told Georgians that Pelosi would make Rep. Charlie Rangel, a liberal New York Democrat, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, and Rep. John Dingell, a liberal Democrat from Michigan, chairman of the Commerce Committee. Michigan's Dingell recently refused to support Israel during it's conflict with Hezbollah and he refused to call Hezbollah a terrorist group. He insisted he wished to remain neutral.
"If you ask what Nancy Pelosi stands for and the San Francisco values that Nancy Pelosi stands for, there wouldn't be 15 percent of this district that would want to see her as speaker of the House," he said.
Recently, Newt Gingrich drew the ire of his fellow Republicans when he called the immigration proposal passed by the Senate a "cave-in".
"It is very important for America to control its borders for national security reasons," Gingrich said. "It is also important for America to continue to develop a system to encourage patriotic legal immigration whereby immigrants are on the path to becoming American citizens by being effectively integrated and assimilated into American society."
Whether today's GOP wishes to admit it or not, Newt Gingrich is the party's de facto leader.
