Gingrich Rips RNC For Its Blagojevich Attacks

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich sent a rather scathing letter to Mike Duncan on Tuesday, accusing the RNC chairman of engaging in "a destructive distraction" by attempting to tie Barack Obama to Rod Blagojevich. In particular, Gingrich hit the RNC for putting out a web ad that made it seem as if the President-elect was hiding a nefarious chapter of his personal history with the embattled Illinois Governor.

"The RNC should pull the ad down immediately," Gingrich writes.

I was saddened to learn that at a time of national trial, when a president-elect is preparing to take office in the midst of the worst financial crisis in over seventy years, that the Republican National Committee is engaged in the sort of negative, attack politics that the voters rejected in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles.

The recent web advertisement, "Questions Remain," is a destructive distraction. Clearly, we should insist that all taped communications regarding the Senate seat should be made public. However, that should be a matter of public policy, not an excuse for political attack.

In a time when America is facing real challenges, Republicans should be working to help the incoming President succeed in meeting them, regardless of his Party.

From now until the inaugural, Republicans should be offering to help the President-elect prepare to take office.

Furthermore, once President Obama takes office, Republicans should be eager to work with him when he is right, and, when he is wrong, offer a better solution, instead of just opposing him.

This is the only way the Republican Party will become known as the "better solutions" party, not just an opposition party. And this is the only way Republicans will ever regain the trust of the voters to return to the majority.

This ad is a terrible signal to be sending about both the goals of the Republican Party in the midst of the nation's troubled economic times and about whether we have actually learned anything from the defeats of 2006 and 2008.

There has been, it seems, two mindsets within the GOP as to how to revitalize the party in the wake of its '06 and '08 losses: seek political blood against Barack Obama whenever possible, or focus on reaching out to moderates and minorities. In addition to Gingrich, Sen. John McCain -- appearing on "This Week" Sunday -- offered a dig at the RNC for their obsession with Obama's (apparently limited or nonexistent) links to Blagojevich.

A Republican strategist, asked about the Gingrich letter, said he agreed with the former House Majority Leader. But, he added, "I think that Newt wants a change at the RNC, and it is an intervention in the RNC race."

(h/t Ben Smith)

Comments

[nunzia]

Gingrich is tarnished goods.
He has to take stands like this right now, to regain some public respect or credibility.
And some of you are falling for it.
So easily done.

[rock2casbah]

Have you read the comments? Very few, if anyone, has "fallen" for Gingrich's spiel.

[Blossom08]

I would love to have the term Republican mean honest or thrifty or thoughtful, instead of the nastiness the term has come to stand for. Good for Newt for his straight speaking on this issue.

[Borgia]

Gingrich is apparently one of the few Republicans that recognized the utter failure of attack based campaigning in the last campaign and until the rest of the party leadership comes to this realization and offers something more substantive than 3rd grade name calling attacks they will continue their downward spiral.

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

'the sort of negative, attack politics that the voters rejected in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles.'

How cute. So at least after the voters have rejected it and after the worst financial crisis in 70 years has come around the corner, the infinite wisdom arrives at the conclusion that it's a bad idea.

What convincing moral authority! What leadership! What role model!
Voters have to make their point before the self-pronounced leaders figure out what to stop because it's bad taste. How charming.

[TheAlchemist]

Wonder of wonders. Gingrich has said something with which I agree.

[BelGazou]

The RNC STILL doesn't get it. The more they rely on negativity, lies, fear-mongering and just plain hot air, the more they turn people off. They have been wrong about just about everything for the last 8 years and have no constructive ideas to add. Step aside, you've done quite enough damage. It's time to put a sock in it.

[Star2000dancer]

Like the RNC needs to go, Tom Daschle needs to go. I am horrified that O bama not only did'nt put this man in a padded roo, but in our face, in the most important office of all..Healt­hcare.

[joeyfoto]

Newt Gingrich is one of the smartest people in politics. That makes dealing with him all the more frustrating. He alternates between brilliant analysis and strategic sleaziness, with reptilian dexterity.

He's correct that attempting to ensnare President-elect Obama in the Blagojevich cockup is "a destructive distraction," but how can he criticize the RNC for engaging "in the sort of negative, attack politics that the voters rejected in the 2006 and 2008 election cycles," when these sleazy charades are straight from Old Newt's Play Book?

[DiogenesOfAlaska]

because he was 'saddened to learn' about it. I'm all in tears now.

[Nancy84]

My thoughts exactly. He was the mastermind and Rove took it from there. I will be cautiously optimistic about his reversal but something tells me he shouldn't be allowed back into the process.

[jackbutler5555]

It's no secret that out-parties attack in-parties, whether Democrats or Republicans are involved. Perhaps, this is a time when that shouldn't happen, but what's the incentive for cooperation? The electorate will like the Republicans better? I don't think that makes sense. As an example, most of the electorate hated the GOP for overreaching with the Clinton impeachment and trial. And, yet the GOP did fine in subsequent elections. Instead of blaming the ins and outs, one should examine why such negativity works. In other words, the problem is us. We don't hold grudges against the party that attacks.

[Michelle124]

Occasionally, Newt is a bridge-builder. Now that's probably because he has presidential aspirations himself.

[LeftRight]

That's EXACTLY what I was thinking! This is the same man who has used such despicable tactics in his own past, and yet now that he's looking towards 2012, he calls the repubs out who are doing the same thing. I'm not complaining that he's doing it, but STILL.....

[Nancy84]

So the choice for the repubs will be Newt or Sarah? ........ sweet!

[csavage]

I remember this same Newt, when queried about the RNCs election platform during the 1996 campaign, saying that the Repubs didn't need to advertise their platform, they just needed to oppose Clinton and the Dems....
It's hard to close the barn door on negativity after 12 years of using that as a campaign strategy

[greymom]

We all know Newt and we simply cannot credit him with any type of honesty or even generosity of spirit.
Maybe he knows something we don't know for sure, like that maybe Rahm Emmanuel is the one who blew the whistle on Blaggo. When and if that comes out, the Obama administration is going to look like superheros and those who tried to bring suspicion will look like idiots.

[JAMES GORMAN]

EVERY SO OFTEN, I decide from the bowels of left-wing hate churning within me, that Newt Gingrich
really aint so bad!! His exhortations right now to the RNC about trying to link Obama to Governor Nuts
of Illinois are marvelous. He is asking Republicans to abandon the decade old blind and narrow
attack upon person---people are sick of it.
He urges that Republicans discover ways to work with what people have chosen, and attempt to chisel
a view of the party-values which can be at least addresed or included instead of these fiery STAND_OFF's that used to be part of Looney Tunes comedies.
We draw lines in the sand, and stand yelling condemnations and cosmic invocations, and simply come
to no conclusion and never have consensus. That is called paralysis---which the GOP brought upon us, and which Gingrich can remedy. We can go back to talking and thinking together---and he does a decent job and a competent job of both exercises. J.Gorman

[Mark701]

Newt is dead on in his analysis the Republican Party. Let's all pray they ignore him.

[WalkingOnEggshells]

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH NEWT GINGRICH?

Second impression: how's he trying to position himself?

Third thought: could he have actually grown a conscience and joined the human race, genuinely? Instead of only tearing down?

[pir anha]

as to your last question: hell, no.

i think your second question is right on. one just has to look for the self-interest, and there's gingrich's angle.

[Tamoomoo]

At least he admits his concern is self-serving.