John S. Roberts, October 10, 2015

Newt Gingrich ran a moderately successful presidential campaign in 2012 before being bested by Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination, and of course, was the Speaker of the House in the 1990’s while Bill Clinton was President.

With the Speakership up for grabs in the House right now – thanks to Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) bowing out – Newt says if he garnered enough votes to be in charge, he’d go for it.

Newt Gingrich told Breitbart
Editor-in-Chief Alexander Marlow on Saturday that if he had the votes in congress to reclaim the Speaker of the House position, he would accept.

Gingrich acknowledged that if he had 218 house members backing him as Speaker, who approved of his strategy on the continuing resolution, and his strategy on dealing with the debt ceiling, he would have a “moral obligation to serve the country.”

Gingrich, who served as Speaker in the 90’s during the Clinton Administration, initially made light of this provocative possibility by reminding listeners to Breitbart News Saturday on Sirius XM Patriot radio, channel 125, of the time when conservative icon William F. Buckley was asked while running for Mayor of New York: if he was elected, what would he do? Buckley said that the first thing he would do is demand a recount.

Later in the interview, the consummate historian side of Gingrich emerged. He waxed more philosophical, relating that George Washington never sought elected office, but when called upon to serve, he did so.

The architect of the “Contract with America” in 1994, which proposed ten policies the GOP promised to a vote on during the first hundred days of the new Congress, cautioned current house members to “slow down” when picking their next Speaker. Gingrich asserted that the House chamber must break down into lengthy conferences among themselves and vet candidates not on personality, but on their ability to articulate strategy.


A person does not have to currently be a member of congress to become Speaker.

Since the Speaker is second in line to the presidency, what are your thoughts about Newt potentially becoming Speaker again?

I believe the last time a budget was balanced, Gingrich was Speaker. Also, he was the man in charge the last time meaningful welfare reform was introduced.

http://www.youngcons.com/newt-gingrich-w...ived-the-votes/