Over the weekend, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney called in the strike to take former House speaker Newt Gingrich's Florida camp out once and for all. Coming in the form of a television advertisement, Romney's ad decisively proved that less is more; in this case, much more. How? By using a clip from the NBC Nightly News broadcast of January 21, 1997, in which veteran anchor Tom Brokaw detailed Gingrich's wide reaching ethics scandal, and the hypocrisy associated with it. Despite speaking for less than thirty seconds, Brokaw laid out every reason why, essentially, the resigned speaker is the resigned speaker.
Beginning with a note on how Gingrich "preach(ed) a higher standard in American politics" and used this to topple his predecessor, Tom Foley, Brokaw let the hammer fall hard and fast:
He has on his own record, the judgment of his peers, Democrat and Republican alike. By an overwhelming vote, they found him guilty of ethics violations, they charged him a very large financial penalty, they raised....serious questions about his future effectiveness.
Though Brokaw could never have imagined that his monologue would be used so deftly in an ad, one cannot deny that it is a stunning diamond in the coal pile for any of Gingrich's opponents. In this case, Romney used it to perfection, finding a generally well liked third party to deliver the message which he has been struggling to communicate throughout his campaign: Gingrich is not only unelectable, but a corrupt politician. The unsaid point of the latter playing his voters for fools is exactly that, but none too difficult to deduce.
If there are any of my fellow Republicans who still believe that Gingrich is what he has been billing himself as: an outsider, true conservative, or populist reformer, then I honestly do not know what to say. This race, not just in the Florida make-or-break primary on Tuesday, but has escalated across the country beyond the Romney/Gingrich battle. For an untold number, it is an all-out war against the center-right Dwight Eisenhower-Nelson Rockefeller faction of the Republican Party. Far-right activists, whether they be theoconservatives, hardcore bigots, or GOProletarians, are in a mad dash for electoral power, as they see the mainstream of American society moving away from them. Consequently, they are more reactionary than ever; exhibiting a collective rage that knows no bounds.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - jamminsue
Joseph, Don't you don't think that the fact NBC is suing Romney for using this clip without permission will backfire on him? The claim of "fair use" doesn't fly.
2 - jamminsue
I am not saying that Gingrich isn't all you say he is, by any means.
3 - Deano
The nice thing about attack ads is that if they are extremely inflammatory or utilize questionable clips etc., you just need to get them out there once. The lawsuits and legal recriminations then get you in the news, often building the ad visibility and general awareness in spite of the ad no longer being legal to be shown.
Now it's "news" and can be broadcast as a part of the larger story....and posted on the Internet for all to see. So far this is the best political knifing I've seen so far in this campaign...
Are we sure Romney's a Morman and not a secret Borgia?
4 - notfromtheIsland
I don't see the problem with Romney using the evening news on that day. It was true that this happened to Gingrich. NBC is just really upset that Romney used it before they could to help Obama once again.
5 - Igor
The article overlooks Romney's utter callousness toward the problems of the middleclass when it states:
"Then, perhaps, President Barack Obama can be defeated and a new moderate majority built."
Romney has evinced no interest whatsoever in the ordinary citizen. They can Go Fish as far as he is concerned.
For example, his tax statements reveal that when he had an income of $40million (which did not even have to pay ordinary income tax, but instead escaped thru a contrivance of the Capital Class) he paid a 15% rate, and gave $4million (just barely his tithe) to the Mormon church (which can hardly be called a charity) and a measly $3million to charity (we don't know which ones).
This gives the lie to the oft-stated notion of self-styled conservatives that society should rely on private charity to relieve the privations of the poor. What hope is there for the poor if the Very Rich, such as Romney, are so cheap?
6 - roger nowosielski
@58
I agree, he may be rich but he's no aristocrat like FDR. Only aristocrats are capable of largesse, not money-grabbing carpetbaggers like Romney.
I really fail to see Cotto's enchantment with Romney. The fact that the rest of the field is equally pathetic is no excuse.
7 - Igor
The fantasy notions of "enlightened self interest" and "compassionate conservatism" have to be discarded in the light of plentiful evidence that riches make a person greedier.
Romney is just an example.
8 - roger nowosielski
These are just buzz words, Igor, meant to appeal to all those who are still in pursuit of the American Dream ... the suckers.
9 - Costello
Roger, I know you act like the OWS representative around here, but don't kid yourself. There's no united block of voters yet. The movement shrinks every month and will be insigificant by November. Plus, some members will give in and vote Obama. And if you thinks he's delivering socialism, you don't fully grasp the concept, like many RW radio show listeners
10 - Glenn Contrarian
Costello -
No, when the weather gets warmer, the OWS movement will get bigger - a lot bigger. Mark my words...it's too widespread and (unlike the Tea Party) truly grassroots, and anyone who thinks otherwise is under the same cloud of self-deception as the former leaders of Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and - in the months to come - Syria.
11 - roger nowosielski
@9
You're completely off today, rather unusual. I don't presume to represent OWS -- whatever gave you that idea, but you can bet your sweet bottom the support for the Democrats come 2012 is going to be nowhere near like it was 2008.
And who did you say I say is "delivering socialism"? Obama?
You must be out of your mind if you think I think that. So really, I don't know to whom you were responding here, Costello, but it certainly wasn't to me.
You must be getting election jitters -- that's the best way I can account for your temporary slip-up.
12 - roger nowosielski
Plus, why this sudden hostility towards OWS?
I would assume you would view it as a positive development on American political scene, more positive than anything we've seen in years.
13 - Shelley
Newt Gingrich's continual use of the phrase "food stamps" with such contempt is heartless.
14 - Costello
Glenn and Roger, you guys are kidding yourselves and haven't been paying attention to recent history. The left was behind Obama and after his inaugration, they let him be and the machinery of DC took hold. Then there was support for the people of Iran but that turned out to be a fad. Rather than get more left-leaning folks in 2010, they let the Tea Party take over the election. Those folks lost their drive are finding the establishment tell them who the candidate will be. Why you think OWS will do anything come November is beyond me. They are an unorganized group without a message known for crapping on cop cars and committing other acts of vandalism. They were co-opted by violent anarchists and have lost the support of the people. When spring comes, we'll see if the OWS folks show up.
15 - roger nowosielski
I am an anarchist, and a communist too, Costello, in case you didn't know, anarchism being the only reasonable political philosophy since this government is illegitimate. More and more people (and Glenn is not among them) are coming to this realization. As to the support of "the people," it will come when it will come. But you're surely beginning to show your stripes by being a pro- establishment kind of guy. I never would have guessed.
16 - Glenn Contrarian
Roger -
If you'll remember, I agreed with you and Cindy that anarchism such as that practiced by some of the indigenous society in Mexico can work, for I did the research myself and saw the results. But whether anarchism can function effectively in a competitive internationals setting, well, I still have strong doubts about that. When it comes to the function of people and money, perhaps I - liberal moonbat that I certainly am - am actually a little more cynical than you.
17 - Warren Beatty
Joseph, yes, you answered my question, and I thank you.
18 - roger nowosielski
A "liberal moonbat" you're not, Glenn, not if you own up to what you have said. I envisage a spread of anarchistic thinking and practice on a piecemeal basis, community by community.
As to the larger, geopolitical picture, I do hold some hope that in the near future the humankind will come to a realization that cooperation is a better way to go that all-out competition. Call it a belief, if you like, that we have not as yet reached our full evolutionary potential.
Which is exactly why I expressed my reservation about Cannon's project, which comes across to me as a form of escapism and more idealistic, in a sense, than the project I entertain. The way I figure, facing our future head on, here and now, is a more productive and hopefully more fruitful stance than thinking up all the sci-fi scenarios to enable us to escape the human condition. Of course the latter project is easier, for it absolves us from acting and thinking responsibly in the present by engaging in flights of fancy and vicarious living -- which is why most everybody is so eager to join Cannon's bandwagon.
19 - troll
re Costello's #14 - internationally folks are talking about May 12 - 15 as something of a commemorative global kick off this spring for actions in Europe and the US...
as for 'anarchist' violence - I expect that we'll see an increase in black bloc tactics employed by the radically inclined in coming actions...a significant number of people are beyond vexed at the police violence that's been ordered up against the occupations around the world
...class war
20 - Glenn Contrarian
I would think a better day would be May Day - which would certainly raise the hackles of all red-hating red-meat conservatives....
21 - Igor
Cotto's article is right: "it is an all-out war against the center-right Dwight Eisenhower-Nelson Rockefeller faction of the Republican Party. Far-right activists, whether they be theoconservatives, hardcore bigots, or GOProletarians, are in a mad dash for electoral power, as they see the mainstream of American society moving away from them."
22 - trol l
re #20 - stateside there is growing commitment to a May Day general strike
the May 15 choice reflects Spanish influence in the international 'occupy the commons' movement
23 - Costello
Roger, I am very curious how you currently live as a communist. What actions do you take? And I must confess, your thinking comes across a tad narrowminded the way you constantly label everyone as some form of shorthand to understand and dismiss them. Not having a great deal of faith in the people based on their past behavior doesn't mean I have any faith of those in power.
Troll, I am very curious to learn about the May event. I understand the aggravation and desire for action against the police, but for every Oakland or Berkley(the pepper spraying of students?), there seems to be more negative stories about the camps. Of course, I expect the media to protect those in power, but OWS has to overcompensate to win the PR battle. Major societal changes come from peaceful protest or all-out war. Anything in between betrays the cause.
24 - roger nowosielski
Costello, you never engaged me in a dialogue before, so why bother now? Kinda late, I'd say to be asking me leading questions, especially since you're beginning to show your snotty side. Besides, since you've already made up my mind about my narrowmindedness and so forth, why do you think I'd want to converse with such as you?
25 - Glenn Contrarian
*sits back with popcorn and soda and waits for the show*