Rich Galen, former communications director to then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, described his old boss on Morning Joe as a self-styled visionary with a huge arrogance problem.
Galen compared Gingrich to Steve Jobs in terms of his powers of persuasion, but with a key difference: “I think the difference is that with Newt…there’s no iPod at the other end of it.”
When reminded of Gingrich’s recent defense against charges of lobbyng after leaving the House — Gingrich said he didn’t need to lobby because he made $60,000 per speech — Galen slammed Gingrich again. “I think he’s talking to the inside of his eyelids [when he says that],” Galen said.
“My experience,” Galen said in a conclusory comment on Gingrich’s arrogance, “with PhD’s in the House of Representatives and Senate, is that the only people worse than them are [medical doctors], [in terms of telling you] how smart they are.”
