Newt Gingrich's Greatest Enemy Continues to Be Himself

COMMENTARY | Newt Gingrich will formally launch his presidential bid Wednesday. Preceding this formal Facebook/Twitter jump into the deep end of the candidate pool, he is already running damage control. Snubbing the first Republican presidential debate appears to be just one in a list of transgressions . For a seasoned politician who began testing the political waters back in March, one would think Gingrich would have enough sense to avoid placing rocks in his own path before diving back in.

As leader of the Republican Revolution, Newt Gingrich brought the GOP to congressional power in 1994. While he began as House speaker on a Contract with America high-note, his poor stewardship cost the party five House seats. Days after, Gingrich resigned his post, tucked tail and skulked off into the political shadows. That he feels it's necessary to preface his comeback campaign by taking an excuse rag to his tarnished political and personal past is telling.

As current legislators send our government careening toward the economic precipice, the most notable disadvantage for Gingrich is obvious. It was his decision that caused a partial government shutdown during his House tenure. To this day, many political veterans and analysts attribute this to be a factor in the loss of those congressional seats. Clearly, having not learned his lesson, Gingrich is now advising current House Republicans to follow his example. He wants them to resist Democrat efforts to reach a budget compromise and allow the government to grind to a halt, all for the scoring of political points.

"The Republicans look awful if there's a government shutdown and they are seen to have caused it," said one GOP Insider in response to Gingrich's suggestion, reports the National Journal. "I remember how the last shutdown went and find it impossible to believe this one could go any better," said another. Perhaps Gingrich is one of the many politicians unfamiliar with Einstein's definition of "insanity."

"We could cave in and be accepted by the Washington establishment, or we could stand firm for a balanced budget for the American people." Gingrich wrote in the Washington Post. Despite Newt's efforts to coax House Republicans toward that cliff and the Democrats' hope they will jump voluntarily, Republican insiders overwhelmingly believe the ensuing fall would be deadly to their party in 2012.

Another source of problems for Gingrich is his stance, or utter lack thereof, on issues that concern most Americans. On one hand, he says the government has become too big and too intrusive in the lives of Americans; on the other hand, he wants to establish a new constitutional amendment that will extend government's reach a bit further. It is not so much that he wants to re-institute prayer in public schools that is disturbing but rather his intention to deny federal aid to any school that declines to conform to his wishes.

Regarding other domestic issues that weigh on the minds of voters -- abortion, civil rights, energy independence, environment, free trade, gun control, healthcare and immigration -- the man who accuses President Obama of avoiding difficult and controversial matters has remained curiously silent.

As suspected, the skeletons in Gingrich's personal closet have already come back to haunt him. During his speech at the University of Pennsylvania in February, Isabel Friedman, president of Penn Democrats, questioned the hypocrisy of Newt's admitted extramarital affairs while espousing moral values.

During a later interview on "Fox News Sunday," the two-time presidential hopeful added that it also wasn't hypocritical of him to have led the impeachment proceedings charge against Bill Clinton following the Lewinski scandal. Claims that his impeachment vendetta was "not about personal behavior" is embarrassing; the hubris that he did so while engaged in one of two extramarital affairs is disturbing.

Sources:

Jackie Kucinich, "GOP hopefuls go after Obama on foreign policy in debate" USA Today

Carl Cameron, "GOP Rivals Hit Obama on Foreign Policy Despite Bin Laden Killing, Hit Harder on Economy", Fox News

Steve Holland, "UPDATE 3-Republican Gingrich to announce 2012 White House run", Reuters

James Barnes, " GOP Insiders Dubious Of Government Shutdown ", National Journal

"Einstein '" Definition of Insanity", Street Directory.com

Newt Gingrich, "If it comes to a shutdown, the GOP should stick to its principles", The Washington Post

"Newt Gingrich", One the Issues.com

Emily Schultheis, "Newt Gingrich confronted over affair", Politico

Stephanie Condon, "Newt Gingrich: Leading Clinton impeachment wasn't hypocritical", CBS News/Politics