Newt Gingrich thinks ““grandiose thoughts”. Just ask him. But is being president one of them?
His campaign website is a strange assortment of photographs of himself, of Callista and Ronald Reagan — AKA all the people running on the Gingrich ticket — several of his writings — or as he calls them, “solutions”, including a “21st Century Contract With America” — and the requisite “online store,” where you can purchase all of Newt’s books and movies.
There’s even a special section devoted to Callista’s travels with Newt. Naturally, you purchase her book on the site, too.
What presidential candidate’s website doesn’t include an area dedicated to feeding his ego by purchasing his collective works?
I get the sense Newt might be angling more for his own reality show on Bravo! (Frankly! With Newt & Calista, perhaps?) than actually being the President. He’d likely get paid more and he’d get to go on shows like “Watch What Happens Live” with Andy Cohen.
On some level, I think Newt really does want to be the President of the United States. He’s been in the public eye for more three decades. In addition to serving as a member of Congress, he’s held several high profile private sector positions. He has a keen understanding of what being the president really means, unlike our current president who seems to have woken up one day and said, “I think I’d like to be President of the United States.”
But I’m not one hundred percent sure Newt actually wants it.
At one point, all Newt wanted was to be was president. He spent the better part of the past decade preparing for a 2012 run. In the years since leaving office and his decision to run, he’s done pretty well for himself. He’s made a name as an author, a businessman, and a guy that wants the United States to continue to be the “shining city on a hill.” I think he’s convinced himself the only way he can do that is to become president.
There’s no doubt that Newt is a particularly brilliant man. His vast array of knowledge is enviable, he’s rarely at a loss for words and his debating skills are impressive. But we can’t and shouldn’t elect a president based solely on his ability to give speeches and debate. That’s how America ended up with Obama.
Newt should quit tying his success and contribution to America with being president. Many of the most successful Americans contributed more to the American landscape than our presidents. Steve Jobs was never president. Neither were Bill Gates, Jackie Robinson, Henry Ford, Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah, Elvis, Walt Disney, Benjamin Franklin or Milton Friedman.
Having the smarts to run for president isn’t the most important reason to run for president. And being elected to the presidency doesn’t automatically put you in the same league as Washington, Lincoln, or even Reagan. The United States needs innovators, businessmen and thinkers too.
I’m sure Andy Cohen would be ecstatic to help produce Frankly! With Newt & Callista.
