Column: Al Arends, My Point of View

If I were to endorse a presidential candidate today, it would be Mitt Romney because I believe he is a leader who can work across party lines. But is it time to take another look at Newt Gingrich? Who was responsible for the balanced budget and good government practice in the 1990s, was it Bill Clinton or Newt Gingrich? Both of them had personal indiscretions.

If we look at the ’90s, much was accomplished and, of course, the Democrats believe it was because of Bill Clinton and the Republicans give credit to Newt Gingrich. One thing was certain: They did learn to work together and cross party lines.

What did happen in the ’90s? We saw major welfare reform, which brought a lot of people back into the workforce. Defense spending was reduced dramatically and our armed forces were cut in half. We had a big increase in taxes, one of the largest in history. There was very low unemployment, and we had an explosion in the development of the tech industry. There were many new companies started and CEO salaries increased dramatically.

In 1994, there was a big takeover of Congress, and Gingrich proposed the Contract with America. A number of the ideas in the contract were passed into law. There has been a long and continued argument for all the successes in the ’90s, but the one thing neither side can argue with. We did have a balanced budget.

Leadership is a very important attribute for the president of the United States. He is often called the leader of the free world. No one argues that Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower or Ronald Reagan were great leaders even though Harry Truman only had a 23 percent approval rating when he left office. Not everyone agrees that Clinton was a real leader, but his popularity has grown since he left office.

Today, there are few who believe Barack Obama is a good leader. No one argues with his intelligence, but that does not mean he makes good decisions. Many would argue that he is very divisive and can never work across party lines. Over 70 percent of the people feel that this country is headed in the wrong direction.

Would Newt be a good leader? We know he is a good debater and many of his ideas gain approval on both sides of the aisle. Two ideas he introduced in 1995 would receive the support of most Americans and did pass the House of Representatives in ’95. The first was an amendment to the Constitution requiring a balanced budget. The other proposal was setting term limits on Congress. He proposed limiting the maximum time a person can serve to 12 years. It did not pass the Senate. There were many other good ideas in the Contract with America that did pass.

Should we take another look at Newt? There are ideas he has that I disagree with, but who agrees with me all the time? No one argues with his intelligence, his ability to speak well and communicate. Some do disagree with some of his positions and, because of that, should vote for someone else. Should we vote against him for some of his past discretions? Most of us are taught to forgive, so that’s your decision.

 

Al Arends is a member of the Freeborn County Republican Party.