Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says the current crop of presidential candidates has to “kick it up a notch.”
On Wednesday Steele made clear former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is just the guy to do so.
Pressed on oft-cited concerns of Gingrich’s “baggage” from his three marriages and often-rocky tenure as speaker, Steele insisted that voters wouldn’t give a “rat’s behind”.
“In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, ‘Who are these people?’” Steele quipped. “They’re the Washington establishment types both in the media and inside the GOP.”
“I want to see someone in the GOP stand up and put their name out in front and call it like they see it. All this backroom noise about ‘Oh, Newt’s baggage.’ Newt has no more baggage than anyone else.”
But Karen Finney, Democratic National Committee spokeswoman from 2005-09, said Gingrich’s 1990’s-era image would be hard to shake.
“Not just because of the three marriages,” Finney said. “But also remember, he was seen as a very divisive figure there was the front page of the New York Post with pictures of him crying like a baby cause he complained about where he was seated on Air Force One on a trip.”
She added, “Those are the kinds of things that if you think back to the Gingrich era, the Republican Revolution that kind of flopped. He doesn’t want to have to talk about that.”
On Wednesday Steele made clear former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is just the guy to do so.
Steele on Wednesday lavished praise on the former House speaker in a POLITICO Arena Chat, touting the White House hopeful’s knowledge of government, and network of connections.
“I think it’s going to push everybody’s game up a little bit to keep up with this guy,” said Steele, who headed the RNC from 2009-11 and was previously lieutenant governor of Maryland.Pressed on oft-cited concerns of Gingrich’s “baggage” from his three marriages and often-rocky tenure as speaker, Steele insisted that voters wouldn’t give a “rat’s behind”.
“In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, ‘Who are these people?’” Steele quipped. “They’re the Washington establishment types both in the media and inside the GOP.”
“I want to see someone in the GOP stand up and put their name out in front and call it like they see it. All this backroom noise about ‘Oh, Newt’s baggage.’ Newt has no more baggage than anyone else.”
“Not just because of the three marriages,” Finney said. “But also remember, he was seen as a very divisive figure there was the front page of the New York Post with pictures of him crying like a baby cause he complained about where he was seated on Air Force One on a trip.”
She added, “Those are the kinds of things that if you think back to the Gingrich era, the Republican Revolution that kind of flopped. He doesn’t want to have to talk about that.”
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