The Washington Post ran a story on Newt Gingrich’s first campaign TV ad today, which runs in Iowa. The text reads as follows:
“Some people say the America we know and love is a thing of the past, I don’t believe that — because working together, I know we can rebuild America.”
“We can revive our economy and create jobs, shrink government and the regulations that strangle our businesses, throw out the tax code and replace it with one that is simpler and fair,”
“We can regain the world’s respect by standing strong again, being true to our faith and respecting one another.
“We can return power to the states so we’ll all have more freedom, opportunity and control of our lives. Yes, working together, we can and will rebuild the America we love.”
The only people telling us “The America we know and love is a thing of the past” are Republicans, because they want desperately to return to a time when the party had some measure of respect.
The truth is, in today’s extremist Republican Party, even their beloved Reagan would be chewed up and spit out.
The gist of Gingrich’s ad is a message to corporate America, not mainstream America. Let me translate the rhetoric if I may:
“Shrink government” – meaning less corporate oversight.
“The regulations that strangle…” – meaning let polluters, financial institutions, drug companies and the like police themselves.
Make the tax code “simple and fair” – Republican speak for - cut corporate taxes, extend Bush tax cuts, let multinationals bring money home with no tax penalty so they can give it to stockholders in dividends, and CEOs in bonuses; BUT, raise taxes on the poor and middle class.
“True to our faith” – he means that literally – Conservatives want Americans to be true to THEIR faith, and be governed by the bible not the Constitution.
“Respecting one another” – something the majority of us already do, despite Republicans’ constant pitting of one group of Americans against another, and a list as long as my arm of those in society that their party shows anything but respect for.
“Power to the states, blah, blah, blah” – Give them block grants for education, unemployment, Medicaid, etc. so they can use it instead to balance their budgets, and cut back on aid to those who are struggling.
To some, Gingrich is a mesmerizing speaker, but then so was Hitler, who once said,
“Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it”
Gingrich will continue to campaign on the big lies from the Republican playbook, but thinking Americans (Democrats, Independents and rational Conservatives) understand
Newt’s “plans” will rebuild America for the only master he serves, Corporate America.
As for “the 99%”, there is no going back to the Republicans’ version of America.