Gingrich Gives GOP Social-Security Advice

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says Republicans should rework their argument about Social Security (news - web sites) because Americans aren't buying the idea that a crisis is near.

"As a practicing politician, you can't get the American people worried about 2018," Gingrich said Friday at the American Enterprise Institute. "If I called you and said, '10 years from today your roof is going to need (to be) fixed, would you like to sign the contract this afternoon?' You'd say to me, 'How about calling me back in nine years, 10 months.'"
...
"The urgency ought to be simpler," Gingrich said. "Every day young people are denied the opportunity to have a personal Social Security savings account, they are cheated out of that day's compound interest."
...
"We've had control of the Congress now for a decade, had control of the White House for five years," Gingrich said. "And yet, if you look around the planet and say, 'Tell me the 10 most interesting privatization projects, they're not here, because we're worn out."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050225/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/newt_gingrich

Oh my, he's on crack. No one can name privatization successes because they're "worn out"???

[Canuckistanian]

1. "Gingrich gives marital advice to GOP"

That would make as much sense.

[tsuki]

12. What is that? When you're wife gets sick, dump her and the kids.

Then don't support them, and get on your soap box yelling "Welfare Queen." Meanwhile the church has to take up a collection so that she will have lights when she takes her medicine.

Or dump #2 when you find out she has MS. Then get the Catholic Church to give you an annulment so you can marry #3.

[deacon]

2. So what he is saying is they need to lie differently, it's just amazing

how they make public statements like this saying they are not lying correctly.

[autorank]

3. Gingrich is worn out from fooling around w/his staff!

Before he stepped down, this guy had a massive negative approval rating from the public. Enough people had seen him at least once and that's all you need to totally despise the guy. He is fast rivaling Pat Cadell as one of the most annoying people in punditry.

They may be "worn out" now but in a short while, they'll be "run out...of town that is!"

[depakid]

4. Don't underestimate Gingrich

The man may have no honor or integrity whatsoever, but he's a master of propaganda- and knows well how to tap into people's basest instincts and use them to twist and distort issues. He's as good at that as anyone I've ever seen.

Statements like this (while intellectually dishonest) are apt to be very effective:

"The urgency ought to be simpler," Gingrich said. "Every day young people are denied the opportunity to have a personal Social Security savings account, they are cheated out of that day's compound interest."

The reason the far right has been effective on so many issues is simple. DEMOCRATS ARE STUPID when it comes to the principles of modern rhetoric.

They take winning positions and turn them into losers- and not always because they're complicit. The fact that the far right perceives Social security to be "winnable" and that they are, ideed making progress towd dismantling this most sacred of all cows is possibly the best evidence of Democratic ineptitude.

What Dean needs to do is set up some sort of remedial program or "school" where well meaning progressives can learn how to communicate effectively. I'm serious. It may be the single most important thing he could do as DNC Chair.

[forintegrity]

6. I agree and I'm serious, too

Learning to reframe our own values takes us out of the reactive and defensive positions we always seem to find ourselves in! We need to hire people like George Lakoff full time at your "school."

[depakid]

10. Lakoff is brilliant

and he's one of the many people from academia who could help us hang the albatrosses around the far right's neck until even mainstream America couldn't help but smell the rot.

These are neither new concepts (hell, a lot of these principles come from the ancient Greeks and Romans) nor are they all that esoteric (we see them in use every day). What's required is purposeful understanding and the discipline to use them- collecively, as the far right has done.

We win on the facts on damn near every issue- yet we lose on the presentation.

[LevelB]

11. Amen

Gingrich is a master of dumbing down arguments. And he may be even better at spin.

B.

[PurityOfEssence]

5. He REALLY thinks he's going to make a comeback and be President

Ha ha ha!

This guy's the face of ugliness in the service of privilege, and his only chances for a resurgence will be in times of the backlash of the greedy hoarding of resources. I just hope he makes great efforts so he can be humiliated as the selfish user he is.

[truthisfreedom]

7. i hope the gop embraces this old scumbag

so we have someone else to punch around.

[AlCzervik]

8. lookit newt trying to project being a moderate

i iwsh he would just go quietly into that good night.

[Guckert]

9. Yes, that 4% of their FICA is really going to help out. Thanks Mr. Moral

Why don't these idiots just look at their FICA. Multiply it by Bush's 4% and take the $8.00 per month(if you make $50,000 per year) and buy some fucking stocks. Hell, you can even up it to $20.00 per month and have your OWN PERSONAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT!!!! YOU CAN MOVE YOUR MONEY ANYWHERE YOU WANT. PULL IT OUT WHENEVER YOU WANT.
WE COULD CALL IT
A PRIVATE RETIREMENT ACCOUNT.......:think:

Anyone who listens to the disgraced, stalwart of morals and family values, Newt aught to have their head examined. I guess that is why Hannity is is best friend..