Hail to the ‘newt’ Speaker of the House
By Dr. Richard Lesher
WASHINGTON Â It is telling that while critics of the
Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, are working overtime to
discredit him, his supporters are actively comparing him to Thomas
Reed and Joseph Cannon, powerful Speakers who ran the House of
Representatives with an iron hand around the turn of the
century.
It is much too early to predict whether Gingrich will measure up
to these earlier giants, but without question he brings to office a
wide range of personal assets, not the least of which is an
extraordinary gift for oratory. Unaided by written text or even cue
cards, he speaks with power and conviction. Indeed, it is fair to
say he will be the first Speaker of the House in our generation who
can actually speak.
Of course, a gift for oratory that is not supported by
intellectual force and moral courage is mere wind. Herein lies
Gingrich’s greatest strength, and the real reason he drives the
opposition into impotent rage. Newt Gingrich is one of the most
prescient observers of the American scene to come along in many
years.
He is well-read and endowed with a keen sense of history. He
recognizes the unintended consequences that too often result from
well-intended government initiatives, and has an uncanny way of
zeroing in on the more conspicuous failures of liberalism. Most
importantly, he is emboldened with a sense of mission to bring
about fundamental change in the nature of our government.
Hence, the GOP Contract With America, which the Clinton
administration actively ridiculed right up until the election. Like
his hero Ronald Reagan, New Gingrich understands that political
power is an active energy that must be used to have currency.
Thus he was determined not only to obtain a Republican majority
in Congress, but to hit the ground running once that majority was
achieved. By virtue of that highly publicized Contract, the
Republicans have asserted an agenda and defined the political
debate for the next two years.
It is a debate long overdue. At its heart is the very nature of
our society, and how government should relate to the citizens.
Rather than discussing new opportunities for pork, Congress must
discuss which programs have outgrown their usefulness and should be
abolished. Rather than explore new methods of raising revenue,
government must seek new ways of reducing spending. Rather than
creating new individual rights and entitlements, we must get back
to traditional concepts of individual obligations and
responsibilities.
The Republican majority in the Senate is equally eager for this
discussion of fundamental values, as are many of their Democratic
colleagues. Several of the Republicans, including Majority Leader
Robert Dole, served in the majority before, and bring to the table
experience lacking on the House side. If the House Republicans
should get carried away with their unfamiliar power, the Senate
will provide a steadying influence.
There is no guarantee of success, either that the Contract will
be enacted, or that if enacted it will produce the desired results.
But the greatness of democracy is that it provides for nonviolent
change of government, and with that change the promise of renewal.
We can hope for meaningful change that augers well for our
country’s future.
Lesher is president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.