Newt Gingrich On Obama Back-To-School Speech: "I Recommend It To Everybody" (VIDEO)

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich spoke out Tuesday in support of President Obama's "back-to-school speech" delivered to school children across the country. Gingrich's remarks came in the wake of an outlandish controversy stirred up by conservative commentators over the address.

"President Reagan did it, President H.W. Bush did it," Gingrich said on NBC's "Today" show. "If he could give a speech tomorrow night in the tone of his speech today to the students, this country would be much better off ... It's a good speech, I recommend it to everybody if you have any doubts."

Watch:

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Comments

[jackster12]

03:52 PM on 09/09/2009

By the way, to the comment about cutting taxes... that ship has sailed, baby. Even if you think you're a conservative, facts are facts. Read aloud: You CANNOT spend like an idiot and also cut taxes. No go back and read that again.

Hell, I pay six-figures in taxes... and hate it... but even I know that this is not a time when we can afford to be so cavalier about the fundamental laws of finance. How do you think we got into this crisis in the first place? Spend, borrow... spend, borrow... spend, borrow.

When Reagan did it, our debt exploded. When Bush Sr. did it (with spending on Iraq), our debt exploded (and he had to go back on his 'no new taxes' promise). When Clinton DIDN'T do it (he cut spending and raised taxes) we actually finished a few years in the black. When Bush Jr. did it (he spent and cut taxes at the same time), our world blew apart. And now we have what we've got now. Coupled with yet more years of dangerously low interest rates, which both fuel more borrowing that we'll never be able to cover... and destroy dollars, meaning your savings account is evaporating as you read this.

How often do you have to get hit over the head before this sinks in?

[jackster12]

03:46 PM on 09/09/2009

Newt is only dismissed as irrelevant and unreasonable when he's BEING irrelevant and unreasonable... which he's done often. That said, I much preferred and was even impressed by his intellect in his years after getting pushed out of politics, later '90s or so. I heard him interviewed on the radio and while I didn't agree with him, he sounded like someone you could converse with.

I do commend him -- whether or not someone on the right will deem that self-serving -- for coming out and saying this. Maybe the upside of all the GOP radicalism is that it will push the more sensible elements to come back to the surface and debate issues intelligently again.

After all, even the most liberal of us have to admit... the two-party system works better when there are actually two parties in it. The radicalization of the right in recent months has been appalling. But it doesn't have to mean the death of the Republican party. More of them just have sense enough to stand up and talk Newt just did instead (and this is a liberal saying that).

[QuanticoCat]

02:17 PM on 09/09/2009

Obama gave a good speech. It is easy for conservatives to agree with what was said. If you agreed as well, then this may be some common ground that can be built upon.

[foxfan]

11:40 AM on 09/09/2009

Funny how Gingrich is so dismissed and disrespected unless he supports the administration. Then he is presented as a voice of reason.

[TaxDayMan]

11:55 AM on 09/09/2009

Good point!!!

[TaxDayMan]

09:15 AM on 09/09/2009

Obama eligibility trial set for January, HP goes into cover up mode, LoL!

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=109242

[sandboxreport]

08:51 AM on 09/09/2009

Breaking: Conservatives To Boycott Education, Facts - http://sandboxreport.com/?p=461

[DestinationsUnknown]

09:38 AM on 09/09/2009

Bush tax cuts still working-

What are you talking about?

What are those Bush tax cuts still doing for YOU?

Where are all those jobs those tax cuts are creating? They are still in play?

Where is all your progress from Bush tax cuts?

[uvymopkb]

08:03 AM on 09/09/2009

If Barack Obama really wants to help kids in school he will cut their parents' taxes and he will cut the taxes of their employers

[quindy]

09:09 AM on 09/09/2009

Cutting taxes will only produce less money for school districts. We saw how cutting taxes worked in the previous administration and how we went from surplus to deficit. You cannot expect quality education if you don't fund it sufficiently.

[Dbos]

09:15 AM on 09/09/2009

Wrong Mr Reagan

[Trueheart]

07:28 AM on 09/09/2009

Well now, GR8Communicator, you probably won't read this, but I'll write it anyway.

We all have the right to criticize and lampoon our leaders. Some people go overboard and enter the realm of intolerance, but most don't. Some presidents provide more fodder for satire than others.

What is different in this situation is that political opposition has encouraged schools to boycott a speech by the nation's leader, directed towards school children. I can't recall anything similar with any prior president--and Obama is the 10th I've seen.

I've always paid attention to major speeches given by the leader of our country. It doesn't matter if you voted for the guy or support his political party agenda. Hell, I think I might have paid even MORE attention to the guys I opposed. Better to know thy enemy and all that. Better not to live in ignorance and be a tool of those who fabricate sinister conspiracy plots.

I know all the words to the Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful and This is My Country. I can recite the Preamble to the Constitution, which I learned as a child. So yes, I can look in the mirror.

[foxfan]

11:38 AM on 09/09/2009

When Pres. George HW Bush wanted to address a speech to school children the Democrats of the day launched an investigation. I just assume nothing came of it, but it shows how disgusting politics can be. Now it swings the other way. Such a shame for our nation.

[Smurfaveli]

07:20 AM on 09/09/2009

Impress me Newt. Say this on FAUX Propaganda and I'll give you due respect for the comment.

[johned22]

05:56 AM on 09/09/2009

omg! tea partiers chanting "THANK YOU FOX NEWS!". it's at the end of parcbench's newest video. they are so naive!
http://www.youtube.com/user/Parcbench

[DestinationsUnknown]

09:38 AM on 09/09/2009

Bush tax cuts still working-

What are you talking about?

What are those Bush tax cuts still doing for YOU?

Where are all those jobs those tax cuts are creating? They are still in play?

Where is all your progress from Bush tax cuts?

[MixinUpMedicine]

05:08 AM on 09/09/2009

Oh yeah, they stir up the pot for nearly a week about how this will "indoctrinate the children" and that sends the loonies running for the hills, because "we gotta protect the children" FROM THE PRESIDENT (as absurd as that is). And now, hours before the speech, ONE LONE VOICE from the Repub WILDERNESS, says, "eh, it's not so bad."

They send out a clear message to FEAR this speech, and then just to walk back their rhetoric, they send 1 guy out to temper their hateful message at the last minute. Meanwhile, their base has already tuned out anyway, and will continue to think of this speech as indoctrination, never having heard it, but knowing the phony, trumped-up connotation the Thugs want them TO BELIEVE IN.

It's win-win for the Pubs, what's not to like?

[lasublime]

02:44 AM on 09/09/2009

All this ruckus is a ploy to get our eyes off the ball. Of course the speech was good, but the far right used it to stir trouble and some fell for it, eye off the ball. The ball is the economy, the war(s), healthcare, the environment, FOCUS.

[talkingwolfwoman]

02:33 AM on 09/09/2009

Oh lord now that the Newt has spoken let there be light . Distancing himself from the wackos still will never get him elected,he's old news to the new young voters.. This whole speech thing would never had happened if our President was named Barry and was a pale shade of white!!!! The issues just do not compute, and all of the kids that heard the speech today do not look like Zombies this evening!! You just cannot fix stupid.

[DestinationsUnknown]

12:00 PM on 09/09/2009

RT @GingrichEspanol Cuanto vale un año mas de tu vida? O un año mas para tu padre o esposa? Y para tu hijo? Lee mas

this is what newt the nuke is all about

both sides of his mouth

[gettingitright]

01:14 AM on 09/09/2009

I'm so happy about the President's inspiring message. I'm also happy he showed that the Republican party does not own the "personal responsibility" concept. We have allowed them to co-opt too many concepts like family values, etc. We allow tham to use terms like pro-life instead of anti-choice. We have got to stop letting the GOP get away with characterizing themselves as the party of virtue, especially since nothing could be further from the truth.

[ThanksMatt]

03:03 AM on 09/09/2009

I agree very much with you. Fact is, the Democrats and Liberals live the values far more than most of the Republicans - yet they captured them for their propaganda. The values have to be taken back by their rightful owners: those who live them.

[IAmNoOne]

04:50 AM on 09/09/2009

Couldn't agree with you more. The right wing has managed to paint dems as those who want to give things away to those who are lazy and don't work and Obama didn't help things with his unfortunate comment about spreading the wealth. You just knew the wingnuts would jump all over that comment.

[dukesman2000]

12:29 AM on 09/09/2009

Republicans are so stuck on st*pid.