Newt Gingrich Gave Push To Clients, Not Just Ideas

The New York Times:

Newt Gingrich is adamant that he is not a lobbyist, but rather a visionary who traffics in ideas, not influence. But in the eight years since he started his health care consultancy, he has made millions of dollars while helping companies promote their services and gain access to state and federal officials.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[Mygirl]

03:39 PM on 11/30/2011

Newt think we are to stupid to know that influence peddling is lobbying.

[JohnBryansFontaine]

01:15 PM on 11/30/2011

Our Country absolutely needs a President who had 84, yes 84 Ethics violations charged against him during his term in Congress.

[Clearing-Brush]

05:38 PM on 11/30/2011

...and thrown out on his can.

[Think for once]

11:00 AM on 11/30/2011

Take a bath Newt. Use mouth wash to help hide the smell of your words.
Sorry, but that's the best I could come up with.

[slocomgp]

10:09 AM on 11/30/2011

What, he is lying? Now that Cain is going down, time to start reminding Americans what a piece of work GIngrich is.

[ThomastonPaine]

10:04 AM on 11/30/2011

Break The Health Insurance Monopoly...Senate Please Finally Move On Repeal Of Anti-Trust Exemption.

Please call on the Senate to finally move on passage of the repeal of the "monopolistic" health insurance antitrust exemption. Again, this exemption still legally allows health insurance companies to price fix, collude and use other monopolistic practices. Further, this outdated law allows health insurers to legally avoid competition laws that apply to every other American business with the exception of Major League Baseball. The House voted overwhelmingly 406-19 on February 24th 2010 to repeal the exemption. This was a startling show of bipartisan support for this critical effort. Now it’s the Senate’s turn to act responsibly...we are still waiting.

*Most notably for conservatives, maintaining the exemption flies in the face of those who would reasonably and pragmatically advocate for a lowering of health care costs by encouraging market oriented reforms.

Comprehensive article that substantially covers the crucial role that this exemption plays in allowing the health insurance industry to price fix, collude and use other monopolistic practices:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/02/health_antitrust101.html

Regardless of your feelings on any other aspect of health care reform this is something that we should all be able to agree upon.
This Monopolistic exemption should be ended.

Further Information on Historic House Effort:
http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/house-votes-repeal-anti-trust-exempti
　
2 Excellent Sources for Tracking Lobbying and Influence:

http://www.opensecrets.org/

http://maplight.org/

[tlgpa]

09:48 AM on 11/30/2011

lob·by·ist 
noun
an activist who is paid to promote an interest group's position to lawmakers

If your "ideas" benefit the interest group who is paying you, then you ARE trying to influence.

"Mr. Gingrich and his aides have repeatedly emphasized that he is not a registered lobbyist"
Just because you're not "registered" doesn't mean you're not one.

[olitenup]

09:45 AM on 11/30/2011

Is there an industry he didn't pimp congress out to?

[sammi 56]

10:25 AM on 11/30/2011

doesn't look like it.

[tommyg54]

09:45 AM on 11/30/2011

The talking heads all say that Newt's the smartest guy in the room.I feel he's the smartest CONman in the room. Nothing has changed in 30 years.Newt Gingrich is well rehurst in the political game. Talk about filp flop, he invented it,lookup perfict crime and you will see Newt's picture.When he first anounced his run, just about everyone wrote him off.The GOP is going in reverse.

[BBlaw16]

09:41 AM on 11/30/2011

Making money is evil.

[slocomgp]

10:12 AM on 11/30/2011

Since when? Though Gingrich is definitely has plenty of history, check it out.

[gibraltar]

09:33 AM on 11/30/2011

A Rose by any other name is still a Rose!

[jcshiloh]

09:29 AM on 11/30/2011

Personal interest. Millions! From folks struggling to pay doctor bills and high drug cost, another reason it is unlawful to buy your drugs from canda.

[fortressfountain]

09:29 AM on 11/30/2011

The GOP is switching to Newt because Romney said he believes in Social security-the big switch was made after this particular debate.
The GOP wants a group of working slaves-without money to call their own.

[sysmgr1345]

09:25 AM on 11/30/2011

It won't matter. When did Republicans ever let facts get in their way?

[An Independent Woman]

09:24 AM on 11/30/2011

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, well, it's a duck. Is there anything worse than a dishonest sort-of-lobbyist/historian? I think not.

[bluedoguk]

09:23 AM on 11/30/2011

A lobbyist by any other name would smell as rank ... as a newt.