The myth of Newt

I think it's terrific that the GOP wants to go back to the "playbook of Newt Gingrich" to plan their retaking of Congress. After all, we all know that Gingrich's opposition to President Clinton on things like universal health care, not only set this country back two decades, it led to the GOP gaining control of Congress in 1994.

Except it didn't. I have no idea why Gingrich now gets the credit for GOP electoral success (though, yes, he does deserve credit for setting the country back two decades), because it wasn't the Contract with America, it was a Congressional scandal.

In 1993, the still Democratic-led House then suffered a House Post Office scandal, in which representatives traded stamps and official House postal vouchers for cash. Finally, House Ways and Means committee chairman Dan Rostenkowski essentially looted his own campaign funds for his own personal extravagancy.

Seems pretty penny-ante by today's standards, but it was an easy thing to digest -- Democrats in Congress were out of touch, indicted, and all too willing to steal...stamps of all things. There was a "throw the bums out" atmosphere across the country.

Like I said, if Republicans want to make Newt Gingrich their poster child for principled opposition, by all means, be my guest. But as is so often the case with Republicans, history, like facts, is a tricky thing.