Newt Gingrich for President

It's only December 2011, we've already traveled down a long road this election season. We've seen candidates rise and fall, candidates flirt with entering and candidates attempt to get drafted. For a few months, I have been giving most of the candidates multiple looks and my preference has frequently changed. At this point in the campaign, I am ready to make an endorsement and the individual who will receive my vote is Newt Gingrich.

The United States knows Newt Gingrich well, as he was the Speaker of the House from 1995-1999 and was the innovator and architect of the Republican Takeover of the House, after serving in Congress since 1978. As Speaker, he presided over a Congress that balanced the Federal Budget and brought about true Welfare Reform, dragging Bill Clinton kicking and screaming to sign this legislation. After leaving Congress, Newt continued to stay in the public eye, frequently appearing on the Fox News Channel and continuing to articulate common sense, conservative solutions in his own businesses.

Never one to stay quiet or stand back from articulating his plan for the nation, Newt entered into the Republican Primary Campaign and has continued to show himself to be a Consistent Conservative, while at the same time, performing strongly in debates, refusing to accept a false premise from those on the left and in the media, and attempting to unite his party to oppose the president, as opposed to sniping at each other. As a result, he has clearly risen above the others. And here, I will explain my reservations about those in the field:

Mitt Romney: While he seems like a nice man and is also articulate, RomneyCare will be the death of him in the general election. Not only does it discount the Republican argument against ObamaCare, but assuming it goes down 5-4 (and I believe it will), Romney will get the blame, with the indicatications that his advice was sought. It's already being written that way. I'm also troubled by Romney's interview last week with FNCs Bret Baier and questioning his fairness as a journalist. If he can't handle Baier, he's going to have a heck of the time in the general against Obama's $1 billion. Furthermore, he has been running for a long time and while he may have a strong organization, he does not have the support of the majority of the Republican Party and that is most troubling.

Michele Bachmann: When she entered into the race, I gave Michele Bachmann a very strong look at whether or not I would endorse her. I appreciate her stoic support of Conservatism, yet she has not gained traction and history is against her, as a member of Congress not in the leadership, making the jump to President.

Herman Cain: He has left the campaign and while I did give him strong consideration and when I met him, found him to be incredibly friendly, down to earth, a strong advocate of conservatism, and a brilliant off the cuff speaker, I disagreed with the National Sales Tax portion of his 9-9-9 Plan and it personified his naivete of the political process, as a result of not holding political office.

Rick Perry: When he entered in, I was very excited for his candidacy, but in the end, he was not ready for prime time, as this came out in his multiple and consistent debate flubs. While his ads were good and he seemed strong on the stump, he would have been obliterated by this president in a debate.

The others: Ron Paul, (a foreign policy nutjob) John Huntsman, (a bitter RINO who can't rise above 2%) and Rick Santorum (A good man who is a good conservative, but is damaged as he lost his Pennsylvania US Senate seat by 18 points) were not even considered.

Over the years, I've had the pleasure of meeting Newt Gingrich and hearing him speak at various events. He is incredibly friendly and generous with his time, whether in meeting the public or attending an event. I greatly disagree with the assertion that Newt Gingrich is unelectable. The blatant lies that have been said and written about him over the years have been proven false and when one puts Newt's ideas against Barack Obama's, Newt would win in a landslide. He would also intellectually destroy this president in a debate, especially if the Lincoln-Douglas style debates between the two ever occurred. And also a consideration in endorsing Newt, because of my background as an educator, Newt is a fellow historian and would have a unique perspective and knowledge, as president, of the successes and failures of his predecessors, and thus, would be able to craft, endorse and push forward an agenda that would save this nation after four years of disgrace, and bring about prosperity for years to come.

The choice was clear for me, and I hope it is as clear for my fellow Republicans.