Newt Gingrich: Big Idea Man, or Right Wing Crackpot?

One big idea: death penalty for smuggling 2 ounces of pot

PoliticsJanuary 2012 • Views: 21,672

Since malevolent gnome Newt Gingrich has a reputation as the right’s “idea man,” Ezra Klein is wondering: What are Newt Gingrich’s big ideas?

On Saturday’s edition of “Up With Chris Hayes,” Gary Johnson brought up an old Newt Gingrich idea I hadn’t heard before: Putting individuals who brought more than two ounces of marijuana into the United States to death. That sounded extreme, even for Gingrich. So I looked it up. And sure enough, there it is: “The Drug Importer Death Penalty Act of 1996.” What makes the bill even more amazing is that Gingrich himself is a confessed pot smoker. When he was young, he said, experimenting with drugs “was a sign we were alive and in graduate school in that era.”

Asked at Thursday night’s debate to name his campaign regrets, Gingrich said that he wished he had been “a big-ideas, big-solutions, Internet-based campaign from day one.” But like Ross Douthat, I’m at a loss to name even one big idea animating Gingrich’s campaign.

The only big idea that comes to mind is his proposal to fire union janitors in public schools, and put poor kids to work swabbing out the toilets instead.

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27 comments

Mostly sane, most of the time. Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:18:50pm

Actually, if we put kids into manual labor slavery, we would save a lot of money.

It would be a crappy thing to do, and shortsighted as well, when all those kids failed to get a proper education.

Targetpractice Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:20:23pm

The sad thing most of Newt's supporters don't want to admit is that his "big ideas" and Romney's bear striking resemblances. The only difference being that Romney's are fluid, prone to changing with the ebb and flow of the base, while Newt's are the proverbial immovable object.

It comes down to sales pitch, and right now, Newt has the strong advantage.

Iwouldprefernotto Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:20:29pm

Gingrich only idea is that he should be president.

Kragar Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:23:53pm

So we're saying Newt's idea of putting millions of mirrors in orbit to eliminate the need for highway lighting at night might be flawed in some way?

Gretchen G.Tiger Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:23:57pm

I think Newt is more like a Troll than a Gnome.

Slumbering Behemoth Stinks Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:23:59pm

That tears it. I'm not just going to sit here idly while you insult the noble, gnomish people with such baseless comparisons!
/

Targetpractice Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:24:35pm

re: #4 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

So we're saying Newt's idea of putting millions of mirrors in orbit to eliminate the need for highway lighting at night might be flawed in some way?

Guess it gives NASA something to do...

Kragar Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:24:37pm

re: #1 EmmmieG

Actually, if we put kids into manual labor slavery, we would save a lot of money.

It would be a crappy thing to do, and shortsighted as well, when all those kids failed to get a proper education.

If they love Jesus enough, then they're guaranteed to be rich and successful.

Mostly sane, most of the time. Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:24:45pm

re: #4 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

So we're saying Newt's idea of putting millions of mirrors in orbit to eliminate the need for highway lighting at night might be flawed in some way?

How do we keep these mirrors focused on the highway instead of, say, my bedroom while I'm trying to sleep?

goddamnedfrank Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:25:04pm

“I Think Grandiose Thoughts”
-Newt Gingrich

Not only is pretentiousness strongly implied by the term, but grandiosity is also the #2 trait on the Psychopath Test.

Girth Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:25:12pm

re: #1 EmmmieG

Actually, if we put kids into manual labor slavery, we would save a lot of money.

It would be a crappy thing to do, and shortsighted as well, when all those kids failed to get a proper education.

Here's an idea for Newt: Parents will be able to profit from their children's slave labor, but those child slaves will only be worth 3/5 of a standard deduction.

engineer cat Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:25:23pm

sam seder on msnbc just now:

"bain capital isn't in the business of turning companies around - it's in the business of turning companies into financial instruments"

Targetpractice Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:25:26pm

re: #9 EmmmieG

How do we keep these mirrors focused on the highway instead of, say, my bedroom while I'm trying to sleep?

Close your curtains? Wear something less skimpy?

Slumbering Behemoth Stinks Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:25:27pm

That sounded extreme, even for Gingrich. So I looked it up. And sure enough, there it is: “The Drug Importer Death Penalty Act of 1996.”

So Newt wanted us to be more like the Communist China of the 90's?

Atlas Fails Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:25:33pm

re: #4 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

So we're saying Newt's idea of putting millions of mirrors in orbit to eliminate the need for highway lighting at night might be flawed in some way?

COLONIZE THE MOON!!1

But cut spending and balance the budget, too.

Kragar Mon, Jan 23, 2012 1:25:59pm

re: #9 EmmmieG

How do we keep these mirrors focused on the highway instead of, say, my bedroom while I'm trying to sleep?

And why would we subsidize China's and Russia's highway lighting? They better chip in to pay for it.