Good Richards Almanac

March 9, 2009

I Hope Newt Fails

Newt is a sack.

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But you know, if you didn't realize it already, you are behind the power curve!

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The bottom line here, is that there are politicians (Michael Steele and Newt Gingrich) who are more concerned about being elected than they are leading. They are being reactive rather than proactive.

To lead, you don't change your position based upon what a tracking poll tells you. Instead, you communicate your position. You work hard to convince people that your opinion is the right one. You persuade people to change the result of the tracking poll. If you change your opinion to match the tracking poll, the poll is wagging you instead of the other way around. You are a shill. Newt Gingrich is a shill. Michael Steele is a shill.

Update

Daniel Oliver nails this point at American Spectator...

In 1837, a henpecked Jefferson Jackson, husband of a volcano known as Marjory ("yellin' and screamin'") Jackson and proprietor of the Crossroads Tea Shop in Crossroads, Tennessee, whispered to a frightened employee, "It takes a man with courage to make Marjory tea."

His remark, which has come down to us as "It takes one brave man to make a majority," has been attributed regularly to Andrew Jackson and occasionally to Thomas Jefferson. The attribution is false -- as is the entire story about Jefferson Jackson from Crossroads, neither of which existed. There appears to be no record of either Andrew Jackson's or Thomas Jefferson's having made the remark.

But should we let the truth stand in the way of a good story -- or a good quote? Ronald Reagan used the "one brave man" quote in a radio address discussing the nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court.

Give it a look.

Lead, follow, or GTFO!


Related

The obligatory “Rush rips Newt for calling him irrational” post at Hot Air

Posted by Richard at March 9, 2009 6:38 PM

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