2008 SelectSmart.com Presidential Candidate Selector Candidate Positions Ex-Rep. Newt Gingrich - Republican (Born June 17, 1943) Professor, author

Iraq War issues: It took Washington from 1776 to 1783 to win the Revolutionary War. It took Lincoln four years to finally hit on a winning strategy to win the Civil War. And the Cold War lasted more than 40 years until the Soviet Empire collapsed. We have risen to the challenge before and we can do so again. So too can we win this war.
Newt Gingrich said yesterday that the Bush administration has gone "off a cliff" in postwar Iraq and that "the White House has to get a grip on this." In a blunt critique by a leading Republican, Gingrich said the administration has failed "to put the Iraqis at the center of this equation. Source

Security/liberties: Prominent conservatives, including...former House Speaker Newt Gingrich...have also criticized the Patriot Act. Source "I just think we need, for our own long term protection, we need to draw very sharp distinctions between things we're prepared to do to go after terrorism for national security and things we're prepared to do for criminal reasons." "Look, I believe that U.S. Attorney with a compliant Grand Jury, can find an excuse to indict almost anybody, and I think it is very dangerous, I'm a conservative, I believe that the power of the State is a very frightening power but we need the State in order to protect ourselves against enemies who would kill us, but we want to be very careful about not having some future politician or some future political appointee decide that they have a giant loophole that would violate your civil rights or my civil rights and I think it could easily be misused. I do think it's a legitimate concern." Source

Social Security: Would allow workers to invest a portion of their payroll tax in private accounts which they manage and/or which are managed by the government. Source

Stem cell research:

Same sex issues: "I’m not sure where I stand on civil unions. It’s like marriage without marriage. I’ll give you a specific example of what I believe. People ought to have the ability to have people visit them in the hospital, which is the most obvious and awkward situation. There ought to be a way to arrange that. There ought to be some way to leave your estate to someone. There ought to be some way to arrange that." Source

Trade issues: Supports the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Source

Budget issues: The balanced budget championing Concord Coalition has a dim view of Gingrich. "As we economists commonly say, 'holy moly,' " said Stuart Butler of the conservative Heritage Foundation. Actually, Butler said, that is a cleaned-up version of what they say. This was not how Republican Rep Walter Jones of Farmville envisioned things working out when he was elected to Congress in 1994 as part of the Newt Gingrich revolution. Although Republicans have controlled Congress for most of that time, and the White House for the past five years, the national debt has gone from $4.9 trillion to $8.2 trillion during Jones' tenure. (The deficit is when the federal government spends more money than it takes in. The national debt is what the government owes after having borrowed each year to pay its bills.) Source

Business & labor issues: Gingrich and organized labor have a contentious relationship. The AFL-CIO referred to Newt Gingrich and GOP House members as "his gang of 'Gingristas'”. Source

Abortion issues: Abortions should be legal only when the pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered. Source

Capital punishment: Would broaden use of the death penalty for federal crimes. Source

Marijuana issues: Would increase penalties for selling illegal drugs. Would not decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Source

Gun control: Gingrich has been a strong ally of the NRA.

Minimum wage: Does not favor increases in the minimum wage. Source

Health care: Opposed calls for universal health care, believes market competition yields more health choice at lower prices. Source

Prescription drugs: "Drugs should be purchased through a Travelocity model, exactly like airline tickets and hotel rooms. People should know the range of choices, from over-the-counter to generic to branded pharmaceuticals. They should have an "after-pay," rather than a co-pay. The company should pay for the least-expensive prescription drug that is medically appropriate; the patient should retain the right to buy any of the more expensive drugs if they want to pay for the difference with their own money. This kind of drug-purchasing system, we believe, would take 40 percent out of the cost of prescription drugs." Source

Environmental issues: The League of Conservation Voters gave the Gingrich led House Republicans a score of 24%. Gingrich was not given a score, because as Speaker, he voted at his discretion. Source

Immigration issues: The former House speaker wants the United States to completely seal off its border along Mexico and Canada, deport illegal aliens within 72 hours of their arrest and exclude U.S. courts from reviewing such deportations.
Supports amnesty/permanent legalization for illegal aliens and temporary legalization for illegal aiens as guestworkers Source Source

Education issues: Supports the use of vouchers allowing parents to send their children to any participating school: public, private or religious. Source

Link to voting records and special interest group ratings. (If available).

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