Newt: Looking Under The Rug

Inspired by my Twitter find yesterday, I decided to poke around Google+ and Twitter for insights into tonight’s GOP debate. Instead, I found myself tracking claims about Newt Gingrich. Here we go, factoids to show and tell:

• 1993: “‘The vast lion’s share of balancing the budget was done with the budget in 1993 that [Gingrich] led the opposition to,’ Clinton said Tuesday on NBC.” (CNN)
• 1994-1998: Earmark spending in Congress doubled between 1994 and 1998, when Gingrich left Congress. “In 1994, Congress inserted 1,318 earmarks into federal spending bills, costing taxpayers $7.8 billion… By 1998, Gingrich’s last year as speaker, the total number of projects reached 2,143 at a cost of $13.2 billion. ‘Speaker Gingrich set in motion the largest explosion of earmarks in the history of Congress,’ said Tom Schatz of Citizens Against Government Waste.” (ABC)
• 1997: Newt Gingrich, while Speaker of the House, was fined more than $300,000 (395 to 28 vote) for ethics violations, “the first time in the House’s 208-year history it has disciplined a speaker for ethical wrongdoing… Gingrich admitted that he brought discredit to the House and broke its rules by failing to ensure that financing for two projects would not violate federal tax law and by giving the House ethics committee false information.” via +Robert Moran
• 1997 – 2007: Gingrich rakes in a reported $1.6 million from Freddie Mac, but his consulting firm can’t find the contracts except for the first $600,000. via + Daily Caller
• 2007 : “We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto.” – Newt Gingrich, via +Susan Stone
  versus
  2012: “In an effort to win support from the Latino community, Newt Gingrich will tonight give half of his replies in Latin.” via +Ira Socol

And a few more tweets of note:

@mhhutzler: Hey #Newt You can’t call yourself an outsider if you were inside for almost 20yrs then consulted as an insider!

@alexoldroyd: “Hardly anyone who served with Newt in Congress has endorsed him and that fact speaks for itself.”-Bob Dole #Romney #Gingrich #GOP #FLDebate

@cdleavitt42: I fear if Romney loses Florida he is done. I won’t vote for Newt, so I would have no other choice but to vote for Obama.

@mitchellreports: Big night for Santorum which helps Romney. Romney most improved fighter – where was Newt? Paul was himself – authentic

@chucktodd: Santorum had best night; Romney drew blood on Newt but lots of fact-checking flubs; Newt struggled, period. Paul for once seemed to have fun

As is usually the case when I read or think about Newt, I lament the fact that he is a Georgian (as am I).