Oddly, Hillary and, Yes, Newt Agree to Agree

[rodeodance]

The article speculates -What gives?-
Just mentioning the name 'newt gives me the jitters. Didn't he once call her a bitch?



http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/13/nyregion/13hillary.html?th&emc=th

Oddly, Hillary and, Yes, Newt Agree to Agree

By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Newt Gingrich has been talking up Hillary Clinton's presidential prospects in 2008, to the chagrin of conservative loyalists.

May 13, 2005
Oddly, Hillary and, Yes, Newt Agree to Agree
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ

WASHINGTON, May 12 - What do Newt Gingrich and Hillary Rodham Clinton want from each other?

In the 1990's, these two rivals stood on nearly opposite ends of the political spectrum; he led the assault on the Clinton presidency and helped derail the ambitious health care plan she championed.

But oddly enough, something has changed since then, and it has people talking.........


But more puzzling than that, Mr. Gingrich has been talking up Mrs. Clinton's presidential prospects in 2008, to the chagrin of conservative loyalists who once regarded him as a heroic figure. Last month, he even suggested she might capture the presidency, saying "any Republican who thinks she's going to be easy to beat has a total amnesia about the history of the Clintons.".......

[whistle]

1. Keep your friends close but your enemies even closer...

...gNewt Gingrich will regret this day that he ever agreed to get within Hillary's scent zone.

[CJCRANE]

8. Works both ways -

to have a chance of gaining power Bill & Hillary need to cosy up to the repubs to reassure them that they're not gonna rock the boat.

On the other hand, smart repubs who think Hillary has a chance of getting into power would be wise to keep on her good side.

[therapist]

2. I don't like this coziness

Bush Sr and Bill Clinton almost making out on TV.
Now Hillary and Newt.

It's like watching Jon Stewart praise Bill O'Reilly on The Daily Show. Grrr...

[no_hypocrisy]

3. So much for partisan politics -- for now . . . .

[Dulcinea]

4. "Politics makes strange bedfellows"

as the saying goes.

No, I don't mean that literally! :puke:

[IronLionZion]

27. payback for Monica

yeah that's disgusting :puke:

[Mark E. Smith]

5. Maybe Newtie Just Knows Which Way The Wind Blows

I always thought that the guy was a bit of an opportunist who saw a chance to grab some power in '94 and took it. Perhaps Newt is now getting the feeling that time is pretty much up for the Pugs and he's trying to latch on to the next big thing. Sees Hillary as his ticket back into the big world where people actually give a shit about what comes out of his mouth.

And just possibly he realizes the terrible damage that is being done to this country by the Bushnauts and he is being patriotic and putting the interests of the nation first?

And maybe he's up to some of his usual bullshit.

Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[primavera]

6. Then again, maybe it's Hillary who's blowing with the wind

God knows she learned that trick at the feet of the master. Since she's cozied up to the anti-choice and fusion of church and state crowds of late, I wouldn't be so sure it's Newt who's doing the drifting.

[kysrsoze]

14. Yeah, maybe Hillary is just a turncoat and Newt is sucking up to her

so he can help his old buddies destroy her from the inside for '08. No WAY would Gingrich (Grandfather Rove), who engineered the effort to bring the fundies to the forefront of the Repub party, do anything altruistic like national healthcare. This guy is a scumbag and, unfortunately, so is Hillary these days. She's evidently also very naive.

[Mark E. Smith]

22. Hillary Bashing Sickens Me

Literally.

Please stop.

[LiberallyInclined]

7. If either one of them ends up as a major party presidential nominee-

it'll be a sad day in American history.

[renaissanceguy]

9. If it smells like shit...

and looks like shit... it must be....


http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.21272015

[primavera]

10. "Liberal excesses"?!

As it turns out, Mr. Gingrich and Mrs. Clinton have a lot more in common now that they have left behind the politics of the 1990's, when she was a symbol of the liberal excesses of the Clinton White House and he was a fiery spokesman for a resurgent conservative movement in Washington.

Excuse me?! What "liberal excesses" would those be? The Welfare Destruction Act of 1996? The Stand Immigrants Up Against a Wall and Shoot Them Act of 1996? My, what a long way we've come to be able to describe landmark legislation rolling back the New Deal and basic civil rights and legal protections as "liberal excesses"! I guess anything less than full-blown nazi totalitarianism is considered excessively liberal now.

[zipplewrath]

17. Ya forgot a few

The indefensible Marriage act. "Don't ask, don't tell, we'll hunt 'em down anyway". I'm tempted to ask exactly what they found so darn excessive? Balanced budgets? Controlled spending?

[dhinojosa]

11. Too much Clinton hating in the responses here, why are we eating our own?

So what if Hillary works with a Republican?

[kysrsoze]

15. Check her voting record and she looks just like one.

[TheWraith]

20. Uh, WRONG.

If you had actually checked, you'd see that her voting record is NOTHING like a Republican. But please, don't let little things like facts stand in the way of a good round of Clinton hating.

[primavera]

16. Depends upon how you define "one of our own," I suppose

Is Zell Miller still one of our own and consequently beyond reproach?

[AlGore-08.com]

19. But Newt Gingrich isn't just any Republican

He was speaker of the House from 1995-1999, and was one of the main players who paved the way for Smirk:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich

In 1994, Gingrich defined a Contract with America, a list of campaign promises signed by himself and other Republican candidates for the House of Representatives. The promises were designed to unite the various factions of the party and provide a contrast with the policies of the Democratic Party. Many credit that contract (as well as demographic trends) for the election successes of November 1994. In that election, Republicans gained 52 seats and took control of the House for the first time since 1954.

Gingrich was then elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and served from 1995 to 1998. The Congress fulfilled Gingrich's Contract, voting on all ten of the Contract's issues within the first 100 days of the session. Legislation proposed by the 104th Congress included term limits for Congressional Representatives, tax cuts, welfare reform, and a balanced budget law, as well as independent financial auditing of the finances of the House of Representatives and elimination of non-essential services such as the House barbershop and shoe shine concessions.

While many of the major proposals did not become law, after defeat or modification in the Senate or President Clinton's veto, they represented a dramatic change in the legislative goals and priorities of previous Congresses and in general promoted Gingrich's conservative philosophy of limited government.

Over the next four years, Gingrich's leadership also took aim at the embattled president, investigating various scandals and calling for impeachment of President Clinton.

[IChing]

12. "The vast right wing conspiracy"

to quote Hillary
Didn't Bill look cosy with papa Bushenfurher

Didn't Barbara Bush say lately that Clinton was one of her sons ? NO JOKE

What is going on? What about the Newsweek article that mentions Hillary

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1468155

I would like some kind of answer on these new bedfellows

This guy was a major enemy to the clintons at one time

[PATRICK]

13. Think back

Newt thought nothing of cozying up(siuicidally) to Clinton while telling him to his face they would take him down. I think the startled Bill only got the half of it and Newt knew about hidden cards. He figures Hillary is equally ignorant of their machinations and is using this to buffalo or flatter her into being familiar bait.

Bill presumed he had to counter the GOp with issues and some fundraising hard stuff. That was only half of it but he won by a convincing margin. Newt is trying to herd Hillary and the Dems in the most destructive direction or one that will revive the power hangover GOP. Newt is also probably one of those most into the cheat machine who really wants the Bushes out.

This is a guy no one should trust, but like Nixon can't resist being in the game at least as a controversial pundit. He might be looking for 2012 and wrenching the crooked coup back to his faction. To do that he needs to keep DLC weakness and the GOP Congress intact.

Considering what is happening to big name kissup schmoozers contending to replace the name Bush it seems a way to set himself apart from the cannibal fest.

[sadiesworld]

18. Why odd?

I assume they agree on quite a bit.

[PurityOfEssence]

21. Newt's narcissism compels him to acts of desperation

He make a cheap-shot stab for power and got clobbered. Now, his need for glory sends him slobbering after any number of idiotic maneuvers. I hope he keeps angling for greatness; it'll only show him to be the cynical user he is.

[gordianot]

23. Tweety and Russert

While channel flipping I briefly stopped at Hardball the other night. I stopped briefly to see if there was a mention of Blair's memo. (none of course) Tweety and Russert were having a love fest and brought up Newt and Hillary. If I remember the themes correctly:


Hillary really is a moderate.

Hillary has a good chance at the Presidency in 2008.

She can work with Republicans.

Republicans who work with her have learned (surprisingly) to respect her. They are also afraid of her.

Newt and Hillary are even working together.

Democrats really want Hillary.

Now I have taken a pledge not to bad mouth any Democrats with the exception of Zell Miller and Joementum. But :puke:
When Teeety and Russert sing your praises I get suspicious.

[iamjoy]

24. Could This Be A Set Up?

You know, a lot of Democrats would start thinking Hillary isn't such a bad thing, some Republicans may support her, let's make her our nominee. And then they hit!

OR, maybe as others have suggested, Gingrich is trying to get back into the public eye. Maybe he knows Hillary has no chance of being the Democratic nominee, but is trying to warm up to Democrats by praising her so he can advance his career. For West Wing fans, this is like Vinnick praising Bartlett and Bartlett saying, "the bastard. he just picked up 1,000,000 Democratic votes."

OR, maybe we are too paranoid. Maybe Gingrich has come to have an odd respect for Hillary. He defeated her health plan, dragged her and her husband through the mud and gosh darnit, she's still on top. Now that he has nothing to lose politically, he can admit that he kind of admires her moxie without conceding that her victories were defeats for him.

[gordianot]

26. My thoughts exactly!

You nailed it!


"You know, a lot of Democrats would start thinking Hillary isn't such a bad thing, some Republicans may support her, let's make her our nominee. And then they hit!"



And I like Hillary, but am tired of losing.

[struggle4progress]

25. Don't listen to rightwing Republican advice on which Democrats should run.