Newt raises 8 Mio. in first half of 2009

[Tender Branson]

Newt Gingrich’s political group quietly pulled in an impressive $8.1 million in the first half of the year, a cash haul that enabled the former Speaker of the House to finance a robust political operation that includes at least 17 employees.

A report filed Friday with the Internal Revenue Service shows that American Solutions for Winning the Future accepted at least $460,000 from oil interests in the first half of the year, after advancing offshore oil drilling as an issue during the 2008 campaign cycle, and $200,000 from the Workforce Fairness Institute, a business-backed group opposed to the Employee Free Choice Act, which Gingrich has lambasted as “a mortal threat to American freedom.”

Gingrich’s aides said Friday, the group is not a campaign-in-waiting for Gingrich, who makes many short lists of prospective 2012 GOP presidential contenders.

“Absolutely not,” said Dan Varroney, American Solutions chief operating officer. “American Solutions exists to reflect the interests and views of a tri-partisan majority of American people and to provide solutions and transform the country from the world that fails to the world that works.”

Dan Kotman, American Solutions’ spokesman, said the group is “one of the nation's largest grassroots organizations of more than 1.5 million members” and has accepted donations from more than 200,000 people and groups.

“We’re happy to be supported by other organizations and individuals who agree with our position but we would never change our positions based on financial considerations,” he said.

The operation, which includes a pollster and fundraisers, promotes Gingrich’s books, sends out direct mail, airs ads touting his causes and funds his travel across the country via charter and first-class airfare.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25666.html

[Vepres]

Newt Gingrich’s political group quietly pulled in an impressive $8.1 million in the first half of the year, a cash haul that enabled the former Speaker of the House to finance a robust political operation that includes at least 17 employees.

A report filed Friday with the Internal Revenue Service shows that American Solutions for Winning the Future accepted at least $460,000 from oil interests in the first half of the year, after advancing offshore oil drilling as an issue during the 2008 campaign cycle, and $200,000 from the Workforce Fairness Institute, a business-backed group opposed to the Employee Free Choice Act, which Gingrich has lambasted as “a mortal threat to American freedom.”

Gingrich’s aides said Friday, the group is not a campaign-in-waiting for Gingrich, who makes many short lists of prospective 2012 GOP presidential contenders.

“Absolutely not,” said Dan Varroney, American Solutions chief operating officer. “American Solutions exists to reflect the interests and views of a tri-partisan majority of American people and to provide solutions and transform the country from the world that fails to the world that works.”

Dan Kotman, American Solutions’ spokesman, said the group is “one of the nation's largest grassroots organizations of more than 1.5 million members” and has accepted donations from more than 200,000 people and groups.

“We’re happy to be supported by other organizations and individuals who agree with our position but we would never change our positions based on financial considerations,” he said.

The operation, which includes a pollster and fundraisers, promotes Gingrich’s books, sends out direct mail, airs ads touting his causes and funds his travel across the country via charter and first-class airfare.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25666.html

Interesting. I really like some of the ideas coming out of this organization. So far it's the only one with good alternatives to Obama's plans on the right.

[King]

If Newt Gingrich wasn't Newt Gingrich, he'd be a good candidate.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

[The Man From G.O.P.]

If Newt Gingrich wasn't Newt Gingrich, he'd be a good candidate.

Exactly, I really don't think he intends to run. But he plans to have a mighty wad of cash to hold above the candidates heads.

[pbrower2a]

Newt Gingrich’s political group quietly pulled in an impressive $8.1 million in the first half of the year, a cash haul that enabled the former Speaker of the House to finance a robust political operation that includes at least 17 employees.

A report filed Friday with the Internal Revenue Service shows that American Solutions for Winning the Future accepted at least $460,000 from oil interests in the first half of the year, after advancing offshore oil drilling as an issue during the 2008 campaign cycle, and $200,000 from the Workforce Fairness Institute, a business-backed group opposed to the Employee Free Choice Act, which Gingrich has lambasted as “a mortal threat to American freedom.”

Special interests such as those are not so adept at winning popular support as they are at buying politicians.

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Gingrich will be in until the special-interest money dries up.

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Nostalgia for the time when he really was something as a politician. When others look bad, Gingrich might get the moneyed interests behind him.

 http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25666.html

[King]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Hey now.  That was the Hillary Clinton campaign motto.  We can't have copyright infringement!

[fezzyfestoon]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Thank you!  Now let's let the most hated politician of the late '90s fade away...

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Thank you!  Now let's let the most hated politician of the late '90s fade away...

But wait, the last time he "faded away" the GOP was left with Tom Delay and George Bush. No thank you.

[fezzyfestoon]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Thank you!  Now let's let the most hated politician of the late '90s fade away...

But wait, the last time he "faded away" the GOP was left with Tom Delay and George Bush. No thank you.

True, and Huckabee's continued relevance is quite a serious threat to the GOP.  I would certainly rather be stuck with Gingrich than someone like that.  So I guess we can keep him around at least until a clear leader emerges who's not in the mold of Bush, DeLay, or Huckabee.  It would be nice if people would just get behind Romney already.

[War on Want]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Thank you!  Now let's let the most hated politician of the late '90s fade away...

But wait, the last time he "faded away" the GOP was left with Tom Delay and George Bush. No thank you.

True, and Huckabee's continued relevance is quite a serious threat to the GOP.  I would certainly rather be stuck with Gingrich than someone like that.  So I guess we can keep him around at least until a clear leader emerges who's not in the mold of Bush, DeLay, or Huckabee.  It would be nice if people would just get behind Romney already.

I don't really mind Romney that much but he really wouldn't be a good leader for the GOP, if you wanted them to win in the near future. Just saying, you guys have too much of a dependence on the southern yokels to pick a rich, yankee, mormon as your spokesperson. I can't lie though, I really wouldn't care that much if he was president. He's better than the rest of the field you guys have got so far imo for presidential material.

[Vepres]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Thank you!  Now let's let the most hated politician of the late '90s fade away...

Gingrich's approvals have improved significantly since he left office. Besides, an intellectuals on the right are a dying breed.

[War on Want]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Thank you!  Now let's let the most hated politician of the late '90s fade away...

Gingrich's approvals have improved significantly since he left office. Besides, an intellectuals on the right are a dying breed.

Which is exactly why he would have no appeal in a general election...

Obama is a rare intellectual who has great speaking skills, great campaigning skills and his background helps him quite a bit to make connections with the people. Gingrich doesn't really show any of this, is old news and probably has more closeted skeletons that we don't know about.

[Alexander Hamilton]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Thank you!  Now let's let the most hated politician of the late '90s fade away...

Gingrich's approvals have improved significantly since he left office. Besides, an intellectuals on the right are a dying breed.

Which is exactly why he would have no appeal in a general election...

Obama is a rare intellectual who has great speaking skills, great campaigning skills and his background helps him quite a bit to make connections with the people. Gingrich doesn't really show any of this, is old news and probably has more closeted skeletons that we don't know about.

And his polls only had room to go up since the 90s... could they have possibly gone down??

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I'd rather have Newt win the nomination as opposed to Huckabee or Palin. That said, I'd rather have Romney or Giuliani win the nomination as opposed to Gingrich.

[Alexander Hamilton]

I'd rather have Newt win the nomination as opposed to Huckabee or Palin. That said, I'd rather have Romney or Giuliani win the nomination as opposed to Gingrich.

This.

[12th Doctor]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Except, if you have read any of his new work (doubtful) you would know that, while he has maintained the general theme of the 1990's, "the Republican Party needs to be the party of the future" he has come up with many new ideas.

At any rate, I agree with many here, that his biggest problem is that he is Newt Gingrich.  The "values" voters are going to have a hard time voting for a convert to Catholicism, who has been married three times and openly admitted cheating on his first wife (though he didn't have to be prompted to recuse himself from the Clinton Impeachment, he just did it).  He would also have trouble appealing to the Left, no matter how poorly the President does, because even people who have forgotten about how badly the media smeared him will be remained once the machine gets pumping into high gear again.

However, I think he could win.  I also think that if it looks like we are going to lose anyway, Gingrich would be the perfect candidate, as his ideas would be a good basis for defining the Republican Party for the next generation.

Eitherway, I think he is worth the risk, should he choose to run.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Thank you!  Now let's let the most hated politician of the late '90s fade away...

But wait, the last time he "faded away" the GOP was left with Tom Delay and George Bush. No thank you.

True, and Huckabee's continued relevance is quite a serious threat to the GOP.  I would certainly rather be stuck with Gingrich than someone like that.  So I guess we can keep him around at least until a clear leader emerges who's not in the mold of Bush, DeLay, or Huckabee.  It would be nice if people would just get behind Romney already.

And it was just revealed on another thread that there are half a dozen Huckabees on Huck's PAC's payroll, the same kind of scandals that the GOP was being murdered for back in 2006, enriching ones family, etc. The GOP can't afford that type of mentality in its leadership, one of the reasons why I am glad Specter is gone from the GOP is he had the same mentality as well.

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Thank you!  Now let's let the most hated politician of the late '90s fade away...

Gingrich's approvals have improved significantly since he left office. Besides, an intellectuals on the right are a dying breed.

Which is exactly why he would have no appeal in a general election...

Obama is a rare intellectual who has great speaking skills, great campaigning skills and his background helps him quite a bit to make connections with the people. Gingrich doesn't really show any of this, is old news and probably has more closeted skeletons that we don't know about.

You get an Obama type figure about once every once or twice each generation. There is nothing that can be done about that. The alternative to an intellectual though is a knee-jerk populist and that kind of reminds me of George Bush. Would that be any better?

[Vepres]

I believe thirty percent of voters have a no opinion/neutral opinion of him. That means that he could potentially win over moderate Democrats with his ideas.

I mean seriously, he's one of the few nationally prominent Republican that isn't rehashing Reagan and contract with America policies.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Newt Gingrich: Fresh ideas from the 1990s.

Except, if you have read any of his new work (doubtful) you would know that, while he has maintained the general theme of the 1990's, "the Republican Party needs to be the party of the future" he has come up with many new ideas.

At any rate, I agree with many here, that his biggest problem is that he is Newt Gingrich.  The "values" voters are going to have a hard time voting for a convert to Catholicism, who has been married three times and openly admitted cheating on his first wife (though he didn't have to be prompted to recuse himself from the Clinton Impeachment, he just did it).  He would also have trouble appealing to the Left, no matter how poorly the President does, because even people who have forgotten about how badly the media smeared him will be remained once the machine gets pumping into high gear again.

However, I think he could win.  I also think that if it looks like we are going to lose anyway, Gingrich would be the perfect candidate, as his ideas would be a good basis for defining the Republican Party for the next generation.

Eitherway, I think he is worth the risk, should he choose to run.

I agree, he often talks about how he wanted to kick start a movement that overtime will lead to a new conservative resurgence, kind of like the one that lead to Ronald Reagan winning in 1980. Well I highly doubt Reagan as we knew him would have come to the Presidency w/o Goldwater's massive defeat in  1964. Maybe Gingrich's role is to be the next Goldwater. If we are definately going to lose anyway and Obama has a 60+ approval rating, I agree there is nothing to lose and the chance of redefining the GOP is something that would be a positive.

[12th Doctor]

Anyone know where he lives now?  It would definitely help him if he ran out of PA, which is his state of birth.