Any time I read a story in which Newt Gingrich's name appears prominently, I smile inside. This is the same guy who, according to Joan Didion, collected quotes from famous people on index cars and kept them in shoe boxes as a substitute for either education or thought. He has been out and about quite often on the cable chat shows, apparently trying to revive his career after having been tossed aside by the House Republicans for the twin goofs of pursuing Bill Clinton against the wishes of the American people, and carrying on an extra-marital affair while castigating Clinton for doing the same (why does no one ask him about this?). It seems he is trying to shimmy his way in to Republican obstructionism of the Obama Administration's plans for economic recovery, and setting up some kind of "Tea Party" thing via Twitter.
Now, it might sound good. To someone who allegedly has a Ph.D. in history, however, one would think that Gingrich would understand some fundamental differences between the Boston Tea Party and the current Republican efforts to sabotage Obama's policy initiatives. For one thing, at the heart of the Bostonian revolt in the 1770's was the frustration not with taxes in and of themselves, but taxation without any Parliamentary representation. The stimulus plan is pretty popular among the American people, and Republican tactics are wildly unpopular. One would think that an unpopular group trying to stop a popular President from doing something the American people want, under the aegis of a bad reading of American history would be bound to fail.
In all likelihood, one would be right.
UPDATE: Roger Ailes sums it up much better than I ever could.
Virtual Tin Cup
