Gingrich: Obama 'Most Radical President In American History' (VIDEO)

NEW ORLEANS (Associated Press) -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a potential presidential candidate in 2012, called Barack Obama on Thursday "the most radical president in American history" who oversees a "secular, socialist machine."

Gingrich reminded conservative activists why he was one of the nation's most polarizing leaders in the 1990s, opening the Southern Republican Leadership Conference with a biting assessment of Obama's policies.

"The most radical president in American history has now thrown down the gauntlet to the American people: 'I run a machine. I own Washington and there's nothing you can do about it,'" Gingrich said. He urged his fellow Republicans to stop what he called Obama's "secular, socialist machine."

WATCH:

Highly charged words, for sure. But that's standard fare at the three-day GOP gathering that is drawing several presidential hopefuls. Friday's headliner is former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

Gingrich has not declared his intentions for 2012, but his appearances in New Orleans had all the trappings of a fledging presidential campaign, from an intimate meeting with tea party activists - his staff photographer took grip-and-grin pictures of Gingrich posing with every activist - to his wade-through-the-crowd entrance at the GOP conference, with the thumping beat of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" drawing the crowd to its feet.

He said Obama's policies - particularly health care and economic stimulus legislation - have put the United States on the road to socialism. The former speaker did not specifically explain why he thought Obama is a secularist, though he did say the GOP wasn't afraid of recognizing faith's role in American society.

Gingrich offered Republicans an antidote to Democratic accusations that GOP leaders do little more than oppose policies - the so-called party of no. He said Republicans should underscore the policies they favor - yes on tax cuts, a lower deficit, fewer regulations and a sensible energy plan.

"The point is there are many things we can say yes to," Gingrich said.

Will he say yes to a presidential campaign?

"That will be up to God," he said, "and the American people."

Comments

[Aesthete]

09:38 AM on 04/12/2010

While I don't feel that Gingrich is personally a racist per se, his manipulative use of language is calculated to provoke a certain emotional reaction in certain others. For the record, I feel that American history itself is radical. At the very outset, the Founding Fathers espoused a most radical concept of liberty, such as the world had never seen before. I also find it paradoxical that this radical concept of liberty co-existed side-by-side with chattel slavery, like a pair of mismatched twins or strange bedfellows---a sign of the fledgling nation's future yet to come.

[Bude]

10:21 AM on 04/11/2010

After delivering his rousing speech, the Newtster was destroyed in a straw poll, even finishing behind the quitter.

Newt in 2016 or 2020 perhaps?

[Marrymeplease]

05:40 AM on 04/11/2010

It's the say anything, do anything time for these washed up politicans like Newt. Go home and take care of your third wife Newt. Or is it fourth?

[betrue2]

01:00 AM on 04/11/2010

Gingrich is one of the most repulsive political figures of modern times. He'll say anything, rewrite history and grand stand obsessively to prop up the rotting corpse that is the GOP.

He shamelessly misinform and attempts to manipulate the American public. Remember when he tried to shut down government administration offices? Gingrich couldn't care less about this country, he's too busy trying to compensate for his raging inferiority complex.

Gingrich is one of those politicians who is so obviously under endowed and painfully aware of it, that it is embarrassing to watch.

[mari2JJ]

01:44 AM on 04/11/2010

Newt may THINK that he represents Republicans but he surely does NOT represent me. I thought that he might call out President Bush for the totally stupid things he did (the galug POW program comes to mind) but alas, I guess objectivity is not something that Newt cares anything about. Obama is such a great improvement over Bush. Bush did more to set back the reputation of our country than any other U S President and probably more than most of the present leaders of other countries. Bush was truly a mental dwarf and that made it impossible for him to function with any clarity at all. He was certainly did not measure up to his daddy and he was no in the same league as Bush Sr. So Newt, before you wax hateful about Obama, have a bit of insight about our own party's President, the ever bumbling G. W. Bush. Then, just maybe you might have a smidgeon of credibility.

[flossophy]

02:00 AM on 04/11/2010

*giggle*

Whatever you say, skipper.

[strangelet]

12:33 AM on 04/11/2010

Yo, Newt! So it turns out FDR was a centrist?

[Andrea Castillo]

12:45 AM on 04/11/2010

Nah, he liked big business too much to be a centrist.

Now Abraham Lincoln - now THERE's a feisty one!

[RitaS]

11:31 PM on 04/10/2010

Radical... is this the new Repug code for racial?

[MonicaLeigh128]

11:20 PM on 04/10/2010

I'm a high school student, and throughout my entire school career, I've been taught the importance of the separation of church and state. It's for that reason that I can't fathom why Gingrich has such an issue with Obama's alleged secularism if that's the way this country was intended to be run- without religious views affecting the majority of the nation.

And maybe my views are too simplistic, but I've come to the conclusion (based on what I've learned in U.S. History this year) that there should be government roles/interventions in certain industries, to certain extents, so that it doesn't all go to hell (*cough Wall Street cough*). So socialism? No. It just seems like the responsible thing to do.

[justchill]

11:29 PM on 04/10/2010

thank you for posting, monica...you've given me hope for our future, and i had none five minutes ago...thank your history teacher for me on monday

[Iwouldprefernotto]

01:04 AM on 04/11/2010

Wish I was half as smart as you when I was in HS.

[HeavyHitter]

11:07 PM on 04/10/2010

I'd say George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and LBJ were a tad bit more "radical" than Obama. Give him time, though, and he may belong in that category . . . we hope.

[Sean Enright]

11:02 PM on 04/10/2010

"...most radical President in American History."

Once again, the Republican narrative that "American history" was reset on 9/11, Constitution and all. Really? No one more radical than Obama in 250 years? What a boring history.

[wayne64]

10:55 PM on 04/10/2010

A radical mess calls for a radical clean up . l

[gregstevens]

09:43 PM on 04/10/2010

I'm really loving the term "Secular Socialist Machine."

If someone can give me a good idea for what to do with it, I'd totally buy secularsocialistmachine.com.

[justchill]

11:31 PM on 04/10/2010

we can post newt's pics there

[MartyJo]

08:51 PM on 04/10/2010

For all my Liberal friends... and even some of you rethugs could be schooled.... listen to this.
It's brilliant!!.....2 part series. ENJOY... I love this!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGp043tHAc8

[ForVivi]

09:35 PM on 04/10/2010

Thanks for the link. It is quite wonderful and cathartic for those of us who were taught to "be nice"!

[MartyJo]

11:25 PM on 04/10/2010

Well, I have yet to meet a rethug who is nice when it comes to the very divisive US politics, so it's NICE when a liberal speaks truth to rethug li.es!!!

[morefromLA]

07:57 PM on 04/10/2010

Newt, "George Custer was the greatest general of the 19th century."

[kjohney]

07:49 PM on 04/10/2010

Oh Newt here you are trying to gin up some good old fashioned conservative fear over a democratic president. It really takes me back.

Remember when you said this about Clinton's budget: ■"The tax increase will kill jobs and lead to a recession, and the recession will force people off of work and onto unemployment and will actually increase the deficit."

Sounds just like what you and the rest of the Republicans are saying about healthcare reform (let's hope you are as right about this as you are about everything else...... and I'm sure you will be).

For any conservatives reading this, I should remind you that the Clinton budget led to a boom in the economy, and a budget surplus ( I mention this only because you probably didn't hear much about on Fox).

[syllable]

07:58 PM on 04/10/2010

Under which "Contract" is Newt now operating?

[Glory2]

12:57 AM on 04/11/2010

Yes, our president will go down in history as the smartest president ever..

[flossophy]

08:50 PM on 04/10/2010

The boom was largely due to the internet. Clinton raised taxes and handed Bush a recession.

And doesn't congress control spending, not the president?

[kamenwati]

09:44 PM on 04/10/2010

An internet boom? Who knew email could create a government budget surplus?

And where did you get your economic degree ... Pat Robertson University?

[strangelet]

12:35 AM on 04/11/2010

Clinton delivered Bush a budget surplus too.

[syllable]

07:47 PM on 04/10/2010

Yawn.